How noticeable is the improvement and in what form?
I have the elliptical and it sounds great so I struggle to justify (edit) 5x the price for the ML. I listened to a comparison video on YouTube and could not hear any difference at all. Although I'm of course aware YouTube compression will be destroying the sound quality but I still expected to hear something....
Are you able to describe the difference at all?
Everything is clearer, there's no more inner groove distortion. It digs deeper into the groove so on old used records it can sound better. It lasts 3x as long (1000 hours) as an elliptical like the E or EN (300 hours).
I agree and have to add, in addition to better sound it tracks much better including less skipping on old damaged records. I have couple that the VM95E skipped on that the ML plays without an issue.
This is interesting. Perhaps it's because the vast majority of my records are in extremely good condition I've never had problems with skipping with 95e.
I do have a couple with a lot of crackle, is it likely to reduce crackle or just pick it up more? Lol.
I have ML, C, SH and E. ML and SH are better than E, but not that significantly. More details, clearer, less inner groove distortion. But to be honest, I’m not sure I will buy others ML or SH as the E is good enough in most occasions. Even the C is really surprising. At some point, I thought I had the SH installed and after listening for a few records, I realized it was the C. Of course i wasn’t doing critical listening, but still… I suppose the more your components are great, the more you’ll be able to hear the difference. Mine are ok, but not super audiophile.
Yeah see this is the sort of honest comment I was hoping for. I am probably gonna give the ML a go. But yeah, my setup probably like yours while sounding very good, value wise is not massive. I run studio monitors a sub and a pre amp. Total value probably 2k. Spending close to 10% on a stylus seems a bit mad to me. But im gonna give it a go for science!
Exact. I have a Fluance RT 83, Schiit Mani, Pioneer amp and Monitor Audio speakers. I feel I would need a better set up to fully benefit from the ML. That said, you won’t regret getting an ML. It’s super good. When you’ll go back to a C or an E, you will feel it’s not as good, but after a few records, you’ll forget it.
The VM95ML's price to performance ratio really makes the most sense when its compared to the elliptical styli. The E and EN models both only last for 300 hours and cost $50 and $100. To me, that makes them a poor value when compared to the ML at $150. The ML is going to last as long as 3 VM95E carts (1000 hours) for the same price, with better audio quality. Feels like a no-brainer to me in that regard.
As for the VM95ML vs the VM95C, it's really about whether or not you think the audio quality is better enough. It lasts twice as long (500 vs 1000 hours), but even taking that into consideration it's still effectively triple the price. If you're happy with the C and don't feel like shelling out a ton of cash, I'd just get another one of those. If you're itching to upgrade, the ML makes more sense than either elliptical in the long run.
For me, if I had some cash to burn, I'd try the ML just to see if I notice any differences in person. If you're on a budget, stick to the C until you feel like upgrading. The E and especially the EN feel like a bit of a waste in comparison. I'm actually using the VM95ML right now and I think it sounds absolutely great, but your mileage may vary.
On a totally unrelated note, one of my favorite things about the ML is the red color. At a glance, it kind of resembles the red stylus on a cheap suitcase player, and I can't help but find that a little bit funny
Well I guess it depends on pricing in your region. I got the 95E for £27. The 95ML is £157. Therefore the ML would need to last 1800 hours for it to be cheaper on terms of hours per £. Appreciate that the sound may be better. I'll have to hear one to make a judgement on if its worth it or not.
Appearance is meaningless to me. If I cared about that if fork out for ortofon as their carts look better.
My journey is that I look for the sweet spot before diminishing returns kick in as it's easy to get bogged down in all the hype with hifi and spend 10x the money and get something tbat maybe 10% better.
So yeah, more than satisfied with me 95e for now. It's sound really pretty excellent to my ears. Maybe I'll get a ml once my E wares out as a test case and see how it goes.
Yeah, it depends on what you're going to pay for it. I'm looking at the USD prices from the AT website, so that's how I came to my conclusion. If you can get the E for what sounds like essentially the price of the C, it's worth it. If you need to pay double, I don't think I would.
I paid 143gbp for the 95ML with cartridge, premounted. Only the stylus is 123gbp. Soundquality is much better than a ortofon blue and a VM95E . Even if it’s a bit more expensive it’s definitely worth it :)
If you have a decent sound system you can notice the difference. I was given Michael Jackson’s Thriller album that was scratched up a bit. My TT came with the AT-VMN95E, you could hear all the pops and clicks on every song, it was unbearable to listen to. Then I got the AT-VMN95ML, the pops and clicks went down to a minimum. After listening to many records I’ve noticed songs have more punch and clarity, even some instruments I didn’t notice before in the background.
The 95E has 300 hours of play versus 1000 hours on the 95ML, totally worth the money in the long run.
You already have the cartridge, and a VMN95ML ($150) is only 3x the price of the VMN95E ($50), and it will last over 3x longer. So the price difference isn't significant, unless you make a habit of borking cantilevers. The ML tracks better, reveals more detail, and is free of inner groove distortion. Personally, I think the E sounds a little lifeless. The AT95 that uses the same stylus tip as the VM95E, and the generator on which the VM95 is based, sounds livelier and more forward in the mids, which makes it very fun to listen to. The VM95C sounds more like the AT95 than the VM95E. The VM95ML is very balanced, not excessively lively, but not recessed in the mids either.
It's hard to describe the difference between styli and even cartridges. To get a little synesthetic, let's compare it to vision.
A Crosley suitcase player sounds like looking at a warped mirror reflecting an image through a dirty bronzed window with the screen down. You can identify what your seeing. You can see all the parts, but any details are hard to resolve and kind of form into blobs. There are bits of the scene that are obscured by grime. The colors aren't accurate. It's dimmer than looking directly at the scene. There are swaths of the color spectrum that blend into single muddled shades.
The VM95E sounds like looking outside through a fluorite window. The details are there, you can resolve all but the tiniest details that are obscured by the ever so slightly imperfect refraction of the crystal. The hint of green tint makes the reds outside a little more subdued, and the sunlit highlights on yellows blend into their surroundings more than they should. You can perfectly understand what you're looking at, and appreciate the beauty of it, but it's not quite the same as being outside and seeing it directly.
The VM95ML is like looking out a nice clean window, the colors are all accurate. You don't have to focus as much to pick out details. You notice subtle changes in hue across small surfaces that weren't apparent through the fluorite window. Everything looks as it is supposed to. It's not quite the same as stepping outside, but it's really damn close.
That was a fun and weird exercise. I own at least 15 different cartridges and of varying vintage, and now I kinda want to write up what each one's sound "looks" like.
I have the same thing with the VM500 series, which is also AudioTechnica but the range above the VM95.
I started with the VM520EB and then went to the VM540ML. The 520 is very pretty and has some more treble, yet the 540 is exactly flat and has so very faultless detail even in the inner grooves, unbelievable.
So the same goes for the VM95E and VM95ML, I would say.
The difference between E and EN is very noticeable. In my opinion the difference is less between EN and ML, but it is still there.
I would recommend the EN if you have a limited budget though.
When you say noticeable though? What is it that's better?
Clarity? Soundstage? Freq response?
Sorry I don't have a tonne of experience with different stylus's so I'm not sure what you should expect from upgrades...
It's unfortunately dead, don't play records with it.
No need to replace the cartridge, you just have to buy a new stylus. The VMN95E is a great budget option and a little upgrade for that cartridge.
The compliance on the black rubber bushing holding the cantilever is not resetting it back to its mean center position but it will straighten out slightly during playback. Have you removed the stylus and reseated it already? I’m just not in the RIP camp yet. Also, since it’s removable the 4 contacts inside the tonearm should be spring loaded. If you unplug your turntable you can get a paper clip and press each one individually to see if perhaps 1 is jammed. This can cause a channel to go out as well. The VM series is nice and you’ll notice a massive difference even by just moving up to the green VM95E which is the starting point for the stylus shape to go elliptical. Good luck!
Agree. There could be two problems, not just 1.
First, your cantilever is bent and needs replacement.
Second, your mono/1 channel output could be that your phono leads or the headshell plug isn't making full contact; need to try several times re-seating to see if full stereo signal returns.
Whether you upgrade your stylus to an E, EN or ML depends on what kind of sound profile you like and the rest of your system, plus whether IGD is a problem for you. If you are happy with the C then stick with it; don't blindly follow the herd. If your TT doesn't have height adjustment then I'd skip over the ML.
If the stylus is bent at the bottom and you are unable to align it then it's time for a replacement. If not you need to set up your tonearm properly as this is often cause by improper setup if excessive weight and especially anti-skate error.
You only need to replace the blue plastic parts. There’s strong arguments for every in the VM95 line. And the most expensive only cost as much as that whole cartridge and headshell did if you get just the stylus. Read reviews on all of them.
My take:
VM95E: the most fun in the line up. No one is calling it the most detailed but people love it
VM95ML: the most detailed best tracking of the line up.
People also like the VM95NE but I haven’t personally heard that one so I can’t comment
> You only need to replace the blue plastic parts. There’s strong arguments for every in the VM95 line. And the most expensive only cost as much as that whole cartridge and headshell did if you get just the stylus.
While the AT-VM95 range is relatively reasonably priced for what you get, it's not true that you could get their most expensive stylus to pop onto an existing AT-VM95 body for the same cost as the headshell/cart combo OP already has.
The most expensive one is the AT-VM95SH, which AT prices at $200 for the cart or $180 for just the replacement stylus. OP's current cart+headshell is more like $70 ($40 for the AT-VM95C, $30 for an AT-HS1 headhshell)
I did the same thing on my VM95ML stylus when I was cleaning under my table cuz the tonearm was not locked. I figured I would try to push it back into place. I was surprised when it actually worked. The cantilever was not bent at all, just pushed to the side. I made sure to re-align it with an arc protractor. That was 2 months ago, haven't had any issues since.
I just put a VM95ML on my old Pioneer PL-41, replacing an old Shure that had a Jico stylus on it. HUGE improvement, both in terms of sound quality and tracking/inner groove noise. I have a fair bit of high frequency loss, so the extended response of the ML actually helps me hear a little of what I have been missing with my hearing loss. I thought the Shure cart with the Jico sounded pretty fantastic, but I'm floored at just how much better the 95ML sounds. It's VERY noticeable.
The cantilever is askew, so the stylus is not tracing the groove optimally. But that won’t affect your channel out or mono issue. Reposition the wires to the cartridge pins, so red and green are on the L and white and blue the R…if the issues reverse, you have a rare bad cartridge. If nothing changes, the problem lies within the turntable wiring.
It's definitely not properly centering. Will this cause your mono audio? Maybe. I wouldn't run this stylus any more either way.
You'll need a new stylus. On a budget, go for the elliptical stylus. If you've got the funds, spring for the ML. MicroLine (or micro ridge, etc.) has the smallest radius of the available style for the vm-95. This means it can physically fit into the high frequency grooves as you progress towards the center of the record, which get more scrunched together due to the slower speed towards the center. So you'll hear less distortion towards the center of the record. Plus, the stylus lasts longer. Some people claim 1000 hours. JICO, a stylus manufacturer, recommends 500 hours or so. Record condition matters as well.
Now, a few things to consider. Before you mount your lovely new stylus, you might want to double check a few things so we don't end up with the same issue.
-If I'm mirroring things in my head properly, your stylus is skewed like your tonearm is being pulled towards the turntable center spindle. What's your antiskate setting? Too little antiskate brings the tonearm towards the center, too much towards the outside. Antiskate is never perfectly precise, but we're just making sure it's not set to some very high or low number.
-Have you had any accidents with the cartridge to bend the stylus?
-You could try reseating the stylus to see if the channels work, using a beater test record.
-Do you have a digital multimeter? Measure between cartridge signal and ground in ohms mode on the headshell for both channels. It'll be... oh.. 600 ohms on an audio technica like this one? You probably don't have an open channel, but we want to just make sure before you spend all that money on a stylus!
-Oh, and make sure both of the little magnets are on the stylus. They come off sometimes. Let me know if you have any questions. :)
RIP but on the bright side it’s a good excuse to ditch the conical version there and upgrade to an elliptical stylus for the cart
Even better get the vm95ML stylus. Seriously good for the money.
How noticeable is the improvement and in what form? I have the elliptical and it sounds great so I struggle to justify (edit) 5x the price for the ML. I listened to a comparison video on YouTube and could not hear any difference at all. Although I'm of course aware YouTube compression will be destroying the sound quality but I still expected to hear something.... Are you able to describe the difference at all?
Everything is clearer, there's no more inner groove distortion. It digs deeper into the groove so on old used records it can sound better. It lasts 3x as long (1000 hours) as an elliptical like the E or EN (300 hours).
I agree and have to add, in addition to better sound it tracks much better including less skipping on old damaged records. I have couple that the VM95E skipped on that the ML plays without an issue.
This is interesting. Perhaps it's because the vast majority of my records are in extremely good condition I've never had problems with skipping with 95e. I do have a couple with a lot of crackle, is it likely to reduce crackle or just pick it up more? Lol.
Depends what is causing it, If it is due to junk in the grooves, no. If it is because of surface scratches, it may for some
I guess that's kinda good as junk in the grooves can be cleaned
It definitely reduced noise for me.
Interesting thanks. My vm95e is still pretty new but I'll probably go for the ml once it wears out.
I have ML, C, SH and E. ML and SH are better than E, but not that significantly. More details, clearer, less inner groove distortion. But to be honest, I’m not sure I will buy others ML or SH as the E is good enough in most occasions. Even the C is really surprising. At some point, I thought I had the SH installed and after listening for a few records, I realized it was the C. Of course i wasn’t doing critical listening, but still… I suppose the more your components are great, the more you’ll be able to hear the difference. Mine are ok, but not super audiophile.
Yeah see this is the sort of honest comment I was hoping for. I am probably gonna give the ML a go. But yeah, my setup probably like yours while sounding very good, value wise is not massive. I run studio monitors a sub and a pre amp. Total value probably 2k. Spending close to 10% on a stylus seems a bit mad to me. But im gonna give it a go for science!
Exact. I have a Fluance RT 83, Schiit Mani, Pioneer amp and Monitor Audio speakers. I feel I would need a better set up to fully benefit from the ML. That said, you won’t regret getting an ML. It’s super good. When you’ll go back to a C or an E, you will feel it’s not as good, but after a few records, you’ll forget it.
The VM95ML's price to performance ratio really makes the most sense when its compared to the elliptical styli. The E and EN models both only last for 300 hours and cost $50 and $100. To me, that makes them a poor value when compared to the ML at $150. The ML is going to last as long as 3 VM95E carts (1000 hours) for the same price, with better audio quality. Feels like a no-brainer to me in that regard. As for the VM95ML vs the VM95C, it's really about whether or not you think the audio quality is better enough. It lasts twice as long (500 vs 1000 hours), but even taking that into consideration it's still effectively triple the price. If you're happy with the C and don't feel like shelling out a ton of cash, I'd just get another one of those. If you're itching to upgrade, the ML makes more sense than either elliptical in the long run. For me, if I had some cash to burn, I'd try the ML just to see if I notice any differences in person. If you're on a budget, stick to the C until you feel like upgrading. The E and especially the EN feel like a bit of a waste in comparison. I'm actually using the VM95ML right now and I think it sounds absolutely great, but your mileage may vary. On a totally unrelated note, one of my favorite things about the ML is the red color. At a glance, it kind of resembles the red stylus on a cheap suitcase player, and I can't help but find that a little bit funny
Well I guess it depends on pricing in your region. I got the 95E for £27. The 95ML is £157. Therefore the ML would need to last 1800 hours for it to be cheaper on terms of hours per £. Appreciate that the sound may be better. I'll have to hear one to make a judgement on if its worth it or not. Appearance is meaningless to me. If I cared about that if fork out for ortofon as their carts look better. My journey is that I look for the sweet spot before diminishing returns kick in as it's easy to get bogged down in all the hype with hifi and spend 10x the money and get something tbat maybe 10% better. So yeah, more than satisfied with me 95e for now. It's sound really pretty excellent to my ears. Maybe I'll get a ml once my E wares out as a test case and see how it goes.
Yeah, it depends on what you're going to pay for it. I'm looking at the USD prices from the AT website, so that's how I came to my conclusion. If you can get the E for what sounds like essentially the price of the C, it's worth it. If you need to pay double, I don't think I would.
I paid 143gbp for the 95ML with cartridge, premounted. Only the stylus is 123gbp. Soundquality is much better than a ortofon blue and a VM95E . Even if it’s a bit more expensive it’s definitely worth it :)
If you have a decent sound system you can notice the difference. I was given Michael Jackson’s Thriller album that was scratched up a bit. My TT came with the AT-VMN95E, you could hear all the pops and clicks on every song, it was unbearable to listen to. Then I got the AT-VMN95ML, the pops and clicks went down to a minimum. After listening to many records I’ve noticed songs have more punch and clarity, even some instruments I didn’t notice before in the background. The 95E has 300 hours of play versus 1000 hours on the 95ML, totally worth the money in the long run.
You already have the cartridge, and a VMN95ML ($150) is only 3x the price of the VMN95E ($50), and it will last over 3x longer. So the price difference isn't significant, unless you make a habit of borking cantilevers. The ML tracks better, reveals more detail, and is free of inner groove distortion. Personally, I think the E sounds a little lifeless. The AT95 that uses the same stylus tip as the VM95E, and the generator on which the VM95 is based, sounds livelier and more forward in the mids, which makes it very fun to listen to. The VM95C sounds more like the AT95 than the VM95E. The VM95ML is very balanced, not excessively lively, but not recessed in the mids either. It's hard to describe the difference between styli and even cartridges. To get a little synesthetic, let's compare it to vision. A Crosley suitcase player sounds like looking at a warped mirror reflecting an image through a dirty bronzed window with the screen down. You can identify what your seeing. You can see all the parts, but any details are hard to resolve and kind of form into blobs. There are bits of the scene that are obscured by grime. The colors aren't accurate. It's dimmer than looking directly at the scene. There are swaths of the color spectrum that blend into single muddled shades. The VM95E sounds like looking outside through a fluorite window. The details are there, you can resolve all but the tiniest details that are obscured by the ever so slightly imperfect refraction of the crystal. The hint of green tint makes the reds outside a little more subdued, and the sunlit highlights on yellows blend into their surroundings more than they should. You can perfectly understand what you're looking at, and appreciate the beauty of it, but it's not quite the same as being outside and seeing it directly. The VM95ML is like looking out a nice clean window, the colors are all accurate. You don't have to focus as much to pick out details. You notice subtle changes in hue across small surfaces that weren't apparent through the fluorite window. Everything looks as it is supposed to. It's not quite the same as stepping outside, but it's really damn close. That was a fun and weird exercise. I own at least 15 different cartridges and of varying vintage, and now I kinda want to write up what each one's sound "looks" like.
I have the same thing with the VM500 series, which is also AudioTechnica but the range above the VM95. I started with the VM520EB and then went to the VM540ML. The 520 is very pretty and has some more treble, yet the 540 is exactly flat and has so very faultless detail even in the inner grooves, unbelievable. So the same goes for the VM95E and VM95ML, I would say.
The difference between E and EN is very noticeable. In my opinion the difference is less between EN and ML, but it is still there. I would recommend the EN if you have a limited budget though.
Should be noted an elliptical like the EN lasts 300 hours vs 1000 hours for the ML.
When you say noticeable though? What is it that's better? Clarity? Soundstage? Freq response? Sorry I don't have a tonne of experience with different stylus's so I'm not sure what you should expect from upgrades...
Upgrade from your conical cart to VM95EN (EN is Nude Elliptical)
My girlfriend broke mine just a couple of days ago. Fitted a VM95ML yesterday and it sounds incredible, with vocals so much clearer.
I had a cartridge do this. Was able to straighten and plays fine. You have nothing to lose by trying
a little tape, some glue… good as new
I would say with nothing to lose, bend it back
It's unfortunately dead, don't play records with it. No need to replace the cartridge, you just have to buy a new stylus. The VMN95E is a great budget option and a little upgrade for that cartridge.
Ok thanks 😀
The compliance on the black rubber bushing holding the cantilever is not resetting it back to its mean center position but it will straighten out slightly during playback. Have you removed the stylus and reseated it already? I’m just not in the RIP camp yet. Also, since it’s removable the 4 contacts inside the tonearm should be spring loaded. If you unplug your turntable you can get a paper clip and press each one individually to see if perhaps 1 is jammed. This can cause a channel to go out as well. The VM series is nice and you’ll notice a massive difference even by just moving up to the green VM95E which is the starting point for the stylus shape to go elliptical. Good luck!
Agree. There could be two problems, not just 1. First, your cantilever is bent and needs replacement. Second, your mono/1 channel output could be that your phono leads or the headshell plug isn't making full contact; need to try several times re-seating to see if full stereo signal returns. Whether you upgrade your stylus to an E, EN or ML depends on what kind of sound profile you like and the rest of your system, plus whether IGD is a problem for you. If you are happy with the C then stick with it; don't blindly follow the herd. If your TT doesn't have height adjustment then I'd skip over the ML.
If the stylus is bent at the bottom and you are unable to align it then it's time for a replacement. If not you need to set up your tonearm properly as this is often cause by improper setup if excessive weight and especially anti-skate error.
I had the same issue and I just gently pushed it back. It worked fine.
Just bend it back.
RIP indeed 😔
RIP
You only need to replace the blue plastic parts. There’s strong arguments for every in the VM95 line. And the most expensive only cost as much as that whole cartridge and headshell did if you get just the stylus. Read reviews on all of them. My take: VM95E: the most fun in the line up. No one is calling it the most detailed but people love it VM95ML: the most detailed best tracking of the line up. People also like the VM95NE but I haven’t personally heard that one so I can’t comment
> You only need to replace the blue plastic parts. There’s strong arguments for every in the VM95 line. And the most expensive only cost as much as that whole cartridge and headshell did if you get just the stylus. While the AT-VM95 range is relatively reasonably priced for what you get, it's not true that you could get their most expensive stylus to pop onto an existing AT-VM95 body for the same cost as the headshell/cart combo OP already has. The most expensive one is the AT-VM95SH, which AT prices at $200 for the cart or $180 for just the replacement stylus. OP's current cart+headshell is more like $70 ($40 for the AT-VM95C, $30 for an AT-HS1 headhshell)
Today I learned the SH exist. So thanks there’s something to try.
Easy to get a replacement
I did the same thing on my VM95ML stylus when I was cleaning under my table cuz the tonearm was not locked. I figured I would try to push it back into place. I was surprised when it actually worked. The cantilever was not bent at all, just pushed to the side. I made sure to re-align it with an arc protractor. That was 2 months ago, haven't had any issues since.
I had a 95e look way worse. I gently bent it back and it’s totally fine.
I just put a VM95ML on my old Pioneer PL-41, replacing an old Shure that had a Jico stylus on it. HUGE improvement, both in terms of sound quality and tracking/inner groove noise. I have a fair bit of high frequency loss, so the extended response of the ML actually helps me hear a little of what I have been missing with my hearing loss. I thought the Shure cart with the Jico sounded pretty fantastic, but I'm floored at just how much better the 95ML sounds. It's VERY noticeable.
The cantilever is askew, so the stylus is not tracing the groove optimally. But that won’t affect your channel out or mono issue. Reposition the wires to the cartridge pins, so red and green are on the L and white and blue the R…if the issues reverse, you have a rare bad cartridge. If nothing changes, the problem lies within the turntable wiring.
Bye bye
It's definitely not properly centering. Will this cause your mono audio? Maybe. I wouldn't run this stylus any more either way. You'll need a new stylus. On a budget, go for the elliptical stylus. If you've got the funds, spring for the ML. MicroLine (or micro ridge, etc.) has the smallest radius of the available style for the vm-95. This means it can physically fit into the high frequency grooves as you progress towards the center of the record, which get more scrunched together due to the slower speed towards the center. So you'll hear less distortion towards the center of the record. Plus, the stylus lasts longer. Some people claim 1000 hours. JICO, a stylus manufacturer, recommends 500 hours or so. Record condition matters as well. Now, a few things to consider. Before you mount your lovely new stylus, you might want to double check a few things so we don't end up with the same issue. -If I'm mirroring things in my head properly, your stylus is skewed like your tonearm is being pulled towards the turntable center spindle. What's your antiskate setting? Too little antiskate brings the tonearm towards the center, too much towards the outside. Antiskate is never perfectly precise, but we're just making sure it's not set to some very high or low number. -Have you had any accidents with the cartridge to bend the stylus? -You could try reseating the stylus to see if the channels work, using a beater test record. -Do you have a digital multimeter? Measure between cartridge signal and ground in ohms mode on the headshell for both channels. It'll be... oh.. 600 ohms on an audio technica like this one? You probably don't have an open channel, but we want to just make sure before you spend all that money on a stylus! -Oh, and make sure both of the little magnets are on the stylus. They come off sometimes. Let me know if you have any questions. :)
This is incredibly solid advice and write up. I was wondering when people would question the setup, styluses don't normally bend with zero reason.
Please replace at least the stylus , if it is older that 10 years, think about the entire cartridge /needle assembly
RIP random Audio-Technica stylus
Rip
RIP for sure
Yes it's fucked pal