L'assemblage de stylet de mise à niveau '95P' Paratrace pour Linn K9 (& K5 & Linn Basik)

Upgrade Stylus Assembly for Linn K9 (& Linn Basik & K5) Cartridges: 

The 95P

This is a brand new, fully packaged, upgrade stylus assembly which fits a range of Moving Magnet Cartridges made by Audio Technica  (see below).

It has a Paratrace nude stylus rather than the standard elliptical shank diamond  (see full details below).

The Linn Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges sold through the 80's and into the 90's were made for them by the renowned Japanese manufacturer Audio Technica.

Unfortunately, K9 & K5 replacement stylus assemblies have not been available for sale for many years now meaning that most owners either move on to more expensive models or, much worse, soldier on with their current stylus well beyond the point where it should be used.

The K9 has a superbly engineered metal body of the type found on only the very best MM cartridges today so is well worth keeping and since the Basik, K5 & K9 cartridges were made by Audio Technica, this stylus assembly (95P) fits the cartridges and restores original (or better!) performance with it's top quality and finely engineered line contact diamond. If you don't want to spend the kind of money to get the top performance that the K9 is capable of; please don't continue to use the original worn stylus and at the very least, replace it with a standard elliptical;  See:   https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232603363189

Note that this stylus assembly will snap into place of the original K5/K9 stylus assembly and work superbly; however the plastic shroud around the front of the assembly does not match exactly with the body of the cartridge  (see picture of a Linn K9 cartridge with ATN95E stylus mounted on my Ekos arm).  This looks a little odd visually, but has no bearing on the performance (and it's the performance that counts isn't it...).

I repair and service Linn turntables on a regular basis and 80%-90% of the K9 cartridge styli I see are worn past the point where they should be used.  It makes me cry to think about all that precious vinyl being damaged by the use of worn out stylii.

So if you are still using a K9 or similar, please swap the stylus for one you know is good and unworn, either go for the standard ATN95EX at £26.99 – see my other items:  or this upgrade  version which has been fitted with a brand new Paratrace profile nude diamond.

Free postage and packing (tracked)

Or Free fitting for those who bring their turntable to us  - just 'ask a question through Ebay - we are ideally placed if you are in the Berkshire, Hampshire Surrey area.

To anyone who has bought the standard ATN95E or EX stylus from us in the past year and now wishes to have this upgrade version,  the price you paid for the standard one will be discounted off a new 95P – just ask me a question through ebay before buying or ask me to adjust the invoice before paying.

Why is this an upgrade?  How does it perform better than the original?

If you have a Linn K9 (or K5 or Linn Basik cartridge), the quickest and easiest way to upgrade it is to fit our 95P stylus assembly.

The standard K9 diamond had a 'Vital' profile. This was fine in its day; but there are superior profiles which involve many more and precise grinding operations to give a profile which can retrieve more from the record’s groove wall. Of these, the complex or 'line contact' are undoubtedly the best.

In order to produce the 95P stylus assembly, we take brand new stylus assemblies, straight from Audio Technica, and have the low cost ‘shank diamond’ removed. The cantilever end is prepared to receive a brand new and very well made nude diamond stylus with the Paratrace profile.  This work is done for us in batches by the most competent and trusted company in the world for phono stylus work.  Much of their work is done by hand, by skilled craftsmen/women as compared to the automated machine built stylus of the standard assembly.

The new 95P stylus assembly is then repackaged in its original packaging which is identified and labelled to show that it has been reworked as a 95P .  

How does it perform?

All the interesting technical details of construction, materials and stylus profile would be irrelevant unless the 95P performs significantly better than the standard stylus assembly.  We’re here to tell you, that it does!

Fitting is as straightforward as removing the old stylus assembly and clipping on the new one. A quick re-check of tracking force and setting initially at 1.8g .  Since the geometry is the same, no change in arm height or cartridge body position is necessary; however the stylus profile benefits from a little experimentation with precise tracking force  (0.1g increments) to find the ‘sweet spot’.   The following is part of a review of a 95P equipped AT95 on an LP5 IPT   (Rega arm, Direct Drive, Audiophile Turntable):

Straightaway, it is clear that it tracks beautifully, and is kinder to surface noise. Musical crescendos are handled very well and there is more to be found going on in any given piece of music.  

Listening to Quincy Jones' Ai no Corrida, a busy jazzy thing with lots going on, it is clear just how well the cartridge now handles complexity.

And it just keeps getting better! As the suspension on the brand new stylus assembly beds in, it develops and even more ‘lush’ quality akin to a top MC cartridge.

We will not claim that the 95P will turn the humble K9 into an AT-ART 1000, Koetsu or Benz Micro in terms of performance, but if you want a taste of what a top stylus profile can deliver, without having to spend hundreds of pounds, dismount your arm and fit a new cartridge, then simply fitting a 95P to your Linn K5 or K9 body, is a revelation.

Price includes Free P&P (with tracking number provided)

Feedback from recent buyers of the 95P:

"The 95P stylus sounds fantastic on my K5. Perfect. CHEERS!!!!!!!!"

"Oh my; not even run yet and in a huge difference!"

"The '95P' just digs more out of the record right across the range, more bass, more mids and air. Not just accentuating one area to sensationalize the cartridge .."

"it is by far the best sound I have had in my living room and for a very reasonable cost. Resurrected a very fine cartridge to a new level!"

Standard Elliptical vs Paratrace – Microscope Pictures

We can provide a set of comparative pictures of the standard ATN95E and this 95P, taken with a powerful microscope, which illustrate the physical differences described above.  Just 'ask a question' if you like to see them.