Aging & Lonely Romantic
I just took delivery of my stylus on April 20, 2012. And although it's not the same color as my previous stylus had been, it still fits and has even better audio quality than the older one did! It also looks better than my older stylus, tracks better, and plays louder as well! And because of just how affordable my ATN-3600L stylus is, I chose to invest in two more of these to keep on hand for backup and use in the future. And besides, I enjoy spinning my vinyl LP and 45-RPM records as much as I enjoy listening to and/or watching all the digital A/V media stored at my home desktop terminal.
And the reason why I say my new stylus tracks better than the last one is not so much because it's new, but it also has a smaller shank with a finer stylus tip - which means improved tracking of the music. There's almost twice as much bass with the ATN-3600L than there EVER was with my previous ATN-5625AL. You see, my original cartridge is the CN-5625AL, but it's completely identical to the AT-3600L, aside from color, and therefore my new stylus is interchangeable. I also bought a second AT-3600L as a backup recently, from LPGear.com, to replace a sorry cartridge/stylus combo mentioned below - the piece-of-junk Stanton 400.V3! I bought a 400.V3 because of its 10mV output rating, which is more than twice the output level of the AT-3600L (4.2mV) - not knowing the 400.V3 would turn out to be a complete waste of money!
However, before I go any further, my 400V.3 sounds a little better at present, now that I have installed new lead wires for it - but the treble range is still slightly distorted in the right-hand channel. And so, basically I wasted $40 to buy a cartridge that's almost twice as expensive as the AT-3600L, and more than twice as loud, but still has less-than-stellar sound quality. Stanton really needs to improve their quality control department!
I praise Audio-Technica for their commitment to making top-notch audio products, especially their turntable gear and accessories. I admit it's too bad other phono cartridge and stylus manufacturers can't be as good - primarily Stanton, and their 400.V3 DJ model. I bought another one of those recently as well, and its sound quality SUCKS when compared to my Audio-Technica AT-3600L cartridge and her stylus counterpart! Besides, the AT-3600L has been a proven and very reliable design. And back in the day, during the 1980s, it was used on more turntables that were sold at those high-end retailers - such as JC Penney, Foley's, Sears, Montgomery Ward, and Dillard's.
I suppose if I were a professional DJ, I would have to invest in a pair of the Shure M44-7 cartridge. It is not only a bit expensive, but also it's big and bulky - despite its high-performance and popularity in the DJ world. But the thing is, I'm not a professional DJ - and so I don't need a cartridge like that. For now, I'm sticking with my trusty cartridge - now called the Audio-Technica AT-3600L.
News Update - September 6, 2012: I just placed another order for two more of these fine styli, one for me and the other for a lady friend of mine who could use one on a turntable I recently gave to her. That turntable still has my old Stanton 400.V3 mounted on its headshell, and it sounds just as bad on her machine as it did on my unit. And so, I wanted my friend to have her own AT-3600L/ATN-3600L cartridge/stylus combo to play her vinyl. Volume differences aside, the A-T combo blows that Stanton garbage right out of the water!!
| Brand | Audio-Technica |
|---|---|
| Series | ATN3600L |
| Item model number | ANT3600L |
| Item Weight | 0.352 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 0.3 x 0.1 x 0.6 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 0.3 x 0.1 x 0.6 inches |
| Color | ATN3600L Replacement Stylus |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Manufacturer | Audio-Technica |
| ASIN | B00066XTBA |
| Country of Origin | Japan |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | December 14, 2004 |
Audio Guy
Death Royale