AT440mla, ortofon 2m red, or JICO SAS tip for mx97

Much appreciated... I know my low budget setup is no LINN or even a technics 1200 for that fact... But I have had good luck out of the fisher through more manual means... And best of all the price was right---FREE LOL... Beats my old technics sl-bd22 p mounter with a grado blue hands down... I am still looking forward to my stylus and I am pretty sure I will have good results even if the setup is a bit fiddly... Thanks for the vote of confidence Vinyladdict.

Vinyladdict, please keep in mind that I did recommend the stylus and I feel that this is the class that it competes well in. Also, I would respectfully take issue with your "vast majority" comment. In the last thread on the Asylum, half of those that actually state an opinion seem to indicate issues of various sorts with the stylus:

http://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=vinyl&n=937079&highlight=viridian&search_url=%2Fdefault.mpl%3Fsearchtext%3Dky%2Belectrolytic%26b%3DAND%26topic%3D%26topics_only%3DN%26author%3D%26date1%3D%26date2%3D%26slowmessage%3D%26sort%3Dscore%26sortOrder%3DDESC%26forum%3DALL

Interesting. In that thread you even go so far as point out that, "71.4% is not 'near 80%'"; yet seemingly 71.4% is now 50%!

I have no problem with you not liking the stylus. I understand how some might prefer the smoother more laid back nature of the original. However, it takes all of 10 minutes of searching to indeed determine that there's no question that a vast majority do find the SAS an improvement, with the exception of the brush, over the original.

My apology, I was making a joke by saying 50%, as that is my issue with OPUS, that he plays with numbers. I thought that those interested would read the thread and see that it was a joke. Sometimes these things do not translate well, and I am not a good communicator of humor, apparently.

Funny enough, the 71% was calculated before bajawisconsin chimed in; he makes it three out of eight that had issues or 62% in favor. 38% with issues. Weak praise, at best.

Three of us in that thread had issues with the JICO SAS stylus. Myself, vanmetterannie and bajawisconsin. As I said, this speaks to sample-to-sample variation in my mind, but of course there are other possible answers. I have been called deaf more than once recently.

If one looks at reviews of virtually any audio product on the internet the majority are almost always positive. I believe that is because those giving their opinion are financially invested in the product at hand. Additionally, consumers generally do not have a large sample of competeing products at their disposal. It's easy to "like" something that we are financially invested in, and it's another to say that it leads it's price class and that is what many people are looking for, purchase guidance. As I point out in the thread, if popularity is the metric that we are using to judge audio products, we would all own Bose.

When I was looking around in the same price range, I looked at both the AT440mla and the 2M Red. Ultimately I went with the 2M Red, somewhat against my better judgement, because I'd heard the AT440mla more. However, I've loved the 2M Red. It has been a wonderful cartridge. At this point (just under 2 years) I would immediately replace it if it were damaged.

Its versatile, resolute, smooth, gets better with break-in, and seems to have a long life, but then again, the same is said for the AT440mla.

I think it's the objective of that price range to be a jack of all trades, and not super specific and theres a lot of overlap in the character of the different options. Makes the options not CLEARLY different at all.

That price on the AT440mla seems unbeatable though. If I had found one for $99 at the time, I would have bought it with out question.