My Cartridge Saga and a Happy Ending

Recently put my gently used vintage Technics table back in use and have been on a sort of cartridge journey until now.
Being p-mount, the new choices are limited and although I remember my original cart sounding very good (Audio Technica AT122LP with original nude shibata) I did not trust the ~nearly 30 year old cartridge innards to be worthy of a new stylus.
I tried to like the Grado Gold 1, sounded nice but too smooth and mellow in both dynamics and tonality. Not bad, and would be great in a bright harsh system, but not enough to get excited about. Although it does on occasion sound remarkably realistic and live.
So I read about that cart and that I could upgrade the stylus to an 8mZ and I would get all this happy detail, etc. Unfortunately that move did not work. The new stylus sounded exactly like the old.
Then I tried a new Audio Technica which apparently is a low end model compared to the glory years of AT p-mounts. It sounded louder but somewhat harsh and definitely not audiophile grade.
So then I do some reading and found that generally speaking, moving magnet cartridges do not have anything internal to the body that could wear out or degrade over time, and that as long as each coil measures a near equal resistance, it should be good enough to fit with a new stylus.
Now the fun begins. I start reading about stylii, and what makes them good, great or amazing. Many prefer what is known as "linear contact" stylus shape which according to A/T literature, its shape most closely resembles that of a record groove.
Then I read and understood the difference between "nude" and "bonded" stylii. Apparently nude is where the diamond is long enough to mount directly to the cantilever and bonded means the diamond is shorter and mounted to a short aluminum rod that is in turn mounted to the stylus.
It seems as if nude offers the benefits of lower suspended mass as well as longer stylus life because of the length of the diamond.
So OK, so far I want to seek out a nude, linear contcat stylus for my old cartridge body if I am searching for audiophile sound.
Now the fun part- the cantilever material is also important to the sound quality, especially detail and dynamics. In fact, many experienced A/Ps believe that cantilever material is the most important attribute in a stylus / cartridge overall sound quality. So I read about the most common- aluminum cantilever material but then stumbled on the fact that beryllium and ruby can be extremely coveted materials for cantilevers. Many high end carts seem to use beryllium and ruby. Apparently these materials are lower mass and therefore can respond to the micro motion in a record grove with exceptional speed and dexterity.
I then find out that my cart (AT122LP) is common with a p-mount body that was common with the top of the line non-p mount Audio Technica cartridge of that day. And that I could purchase a new stylus for my cartridge body in an Audio Technica certified "upgrade group" of available stylii that was linear contact, nude, and had a low mass beryllium cantilever. With some help from online forums, I was able to find this stylus certified new Audio Technica stock for 189.99 which was made for the AT152LP cartridge.
I then ordered and installed the new super stylus on my 30 year old cartridge body and viola. This was not a subtle upgrade. This is not something you have to concentrate to hear the improvements. No way. The sound quality improvements in using this stylus are spell binding and extremely obvious and apparent. There are no subtle ways to describe the improvements to the sound. Dynamic is an understatement. The sound jumps out at you as if you have just supercharged your amplifier. Absolutely beyond my highest expectations. The detail is incredible. Not just sharper around the edges detail but distinct, clear and sharp instrument and vocal layering and able to hear them individually against each other like I have never heard before. And they come alive with such power and distinction. Harmonies, layers of different guitars playing at once- made effortless to be able to hear them individually and together at the same time.
This is one case where the marketing spin- yeah, beryllium, low mass, "nude" etc. are technology that really translates into noticeable audiophile grade listening results.
Choose wisely in your cartridge / stylus options my forum companions. Especially leave room for a stylus upgrade path that includes a low mass nude mounted tip as well as a beryllium cantilever, that can respond with energy to all the minute detail shaped into your vinyl grooves. You may be amazed to hear what you might have been missing.

 

Love it when a plan comes together . . .

 

What stylus did you end up with? I put an AT150MLX stylus onto my AT122.

 

AT152lp. incredible.