I just finished fixing up an old JVC A-11. With the new belt it spins great. I have a question on cartridge that came with it. It is an AT VS225EP It's out of production but the stylus is still available Anybody know anthing about these cartridges?. I set it all up with the correct over hang anti skate etc., old owner was way off. It sounds real nice beter than my SL5 The question is the cartridge sounds better than my Grado red on SL5 and the AT is old. My old vinyl sounds so much better alot of them sounded worn out with the SL5. With this cartridge other than some clicks and pops, vocals are clear treble is so much better and the bass is tight and rich. My new records sounded lovely on SL5 and they sound great with the JVC. Why do my old records sound so much better ?:scratch2: I'm not complaining and this is great I can listen to stuff now that I couldn't before and thought I was going to have to replace them

The VS225EP is a rebadged AT112EP, .4 x .7 elliptical, tracks 1-2g, entry level cartridge. Why does it sound better than the SL5 w/Grado? First it could be the turntable itself. Some Technics tables I have found to have a darker, less up front sound--or the JVC might just has a more up front, brighter sound. Then AT cartridges are known to have more treble and bass response, where Grados tend to accentuate the midrange. So it's really all comes down to what kind of sound appeals to you.

Replacements are available from many sources, LPgear, stereoneedles.com, turntableneedles.com, JICO to name a few. Since there are styli of better quality that fit this cartridge, I'd maybe consider upgrading to .2 x .7 elliptical or a line contact. Most of the 1X2 styli (112, 122, 132, 142, etc) and 1X0 (120, 130, 140, etc.) will fit. Or if you really like the sound, for the same or slightly more money, maybe consider a new AT440MLa.

Thanks for the reply. I guess the AT is better suited to my older LPs which what I like to listen to anyway. The JVC is certainly quieter than the Technics.

Hi I could'n't really find much info on that cartridge either, the AT112, but found info on the stylus. I found info on the other cartridge the at4440mla. It has a much smaller body than the VS225ep if that makes any difference but has good specs.. I was hoping to find some specs. on the the vs225 somwhere so I could do a comparison but alas no. I think there must be somewhere where this info is stored. I just like to have specs on my stuff so I satisfy my audio nervosa. TT still playing great.

The VS225EP is a rebadged AT112EP, .4 x .7 elliptical, tracks 1-2g, entry level cartridge. Why does it sound better than the SL5 w/Grado? First it could be the turntable itself. Some Technics tables I have found to have a darker, less up front sound--or the JVC might just has a more up front, brighter sound. Then AT cartridges are known to have more treble and bass response, where Grados tend to accentuate the midrange. So it's really all comes down to what kind of sound appeals to you.

Replacements are available from many sources, LPgear, stereoneedles.com, turntableneedles.com, JICO to name a few. Since there are styli of better quality that fit this cartridge, I'd maybe consider upgrading to .2 x .7 elliptical or a line contact. Most of the 1X2 styli (112, 122, 132, 142, etc) and 1X0 (120, 130, 140, etc.) will fit. Or if you really like the sound, for the same or slightly more money, maybe consider a new AT440MLa.
http://www.turntableneedles.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9192
I beleive this is the stylus I have now with cartridge so it it is a little better than stock so may account for better sound. When money is available i may upgrade to one of the more expensive stylus listed for cartidge. I am happy with it.

http://www.turntableneedles.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9192
I beleive this is the stylus I have now with cartridge so it it is a little better than stock so may account for better sound. When money is available i may upgrade to one of the more expensive stylus listed for cartidge. I am happy with it.

That is the stylus that was originally supplied with the AT132EP, a .2x.7 elliptical. It's excellent and second only to the line contact stylus. JICO makes an excellent line contact version (ATN-152ML) for around $60, but if you decide to go for that, you might as well just spend a little more and buy whole new cartridge, like an AT440MLa. I'd just keep what you have and enjoy it.

I was hoping to find some specs. on the the vs225 somwhere so I could do a comparison but alas no. I think there must be somewhere where this info is stored.
Yes in this case it was stored in the second drawer of my bureau for the past 23 years!
I know this thread is a year old already, nonetheless here's a somewhat mediocre scan done on the multifunction copier at my office

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9527/vs235epsj0.png

NOTE: the stylus colors for the Vector Scan series shown above don't match currently available replacement colors!

The orange stylus you've got now might be an ATN132EP replacement (and I hope it is for your sake) but it might also be the originally supplied "ATN112EP" equivalent in orange clothing.

cg: Not much need for being puzzled, I'd think - as the VS225EP is a T4P cart, it's an easy task to mount that on the SL-5 and listen whether it's just the other cartridge or the other cartridge and the other table that cause the difference...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

Of course lini is right--it's easy enough to swap T4P carts!



I figure sooner or later, somebody else will come along searching info on VectorScan series.
To make it easier for search engines, let me also say:

Yesterday -- Today*
VS215EP Gray -- Green ATN102EP
VS225EP Orange -- Blue ATN112EP
VS235EP Navy -- Caramel ATN122EP
VS245LP Black -- Ivory ATN122LP

(*) I Don't mean "still in production today" but rather, those are colors you'd see listed today on websites selling stylii

I still see gray aftermarket versions of the ATN102EP needle for sale, particularly a Pfanstiehl version with a green "E" on the body.