I always loved my at3600l through the years and my friends were laughing... they always said that it is a crappy cartridge...but...in my ears it was always sounded better than any other cartridge i had... Well...with your nice video now i understand why 😆✌️

I put one of these on my vintage Kenwood turntable and the thing sounds wonderful. Def the best budget cartridge I've heard :)

This my current standard cartridge that I use on my turntables. It's reasonably good sounding, it's inexpensive, I can get stylus extremely easily. The AT3600 series dates back to the 70's and is key my operations.

After watch this video this first time I ordered the AT3600L from Amazon. With tax it cost in the $27.00 range, which is close to the price you mentioned. I've had this cartridge on AT-LP60 turntable. I might not been able to fully enjoy all this cartridge had to offered since my turntable skipped a long as I had it. After a year or more of trying other turntables similar to the AT-LP 60 I was finally able to move up to an AT-LP 120. I've tried several cartridges on this turntable only to be disappointed by a lack of high end detail and narrow channel separation. I used an Ortofon Omega 1E the last two years. It tracks great. The sound is good but falls a bit short on the high end. I like a bright detailed high end. Some people don't. Now to the AT3600L. I'm super impressed by the quality of sound this cartridge delivers. It impresses me more than any other cart I've ever owned. I matches very well with my beloved AT-LP 120. I've read a lot of criticism this turntable being vastly inferior to the Technics 1200 from a number of audiophile snobs who roam the internet looking for something to put down. I say make them go for those awful Pyle turntables Amazon sold a few years ago if they need to do some turntable bashing. I've had my AT-LP 120 for several years and it continues to perform flawlessly. I've been very happy with this turntable and don't see any reason to upgrade. The AT-LP 120 is a real workhorse and direct drive, which in my opinion are much better for staying right on the for speed accuracy. I like your videos. They are very informational, straightforward and unbiased.

This explanation is fantastic. Thank you so much!! I’ve never heard these issues explained so clearly.

The best thing about the AT91 and AT3600L aside from the tremendous sound quality is the fact that they don't have to be broken in. I recently acquired the Nagaoka MP-110, which requires something like 30 hours of break-in. Out the box, it has lots of pops and clicks. Not so with the AT91 & AT91R that I own.

My Teac Tn-175 arrived with this cartridge.. i didn't know this cartridge is very famous around the world.. but now i understand. I won't replace mine, sounds brilliant!

Great analysis and review. There combination of technical understanding, objective measurement, and subjective report is excellent. Thanks!

Hey Joe again thanks for this video because it has functioned as a sanity check for me. I am 72 and have been collecting phone cartridges since I was 12 years old! I have purchased the cheapies and the more expensive and I got to tell you I agree the point 6 mil Stylus is the best! The sound that you get from even 3600 l is amazing even on my angel's horn and I'm seeing the same reactions to people who have bought the turntable I'm buying next the Retro life cherry wine 006 belt drive turntable. They all react the same way as far as sound quality.. amazing! So like you I have a couple of those $12 slow boat from China models and I am convinced this cartridge is the best bang for the buck in audio. It seems to be very comfortable playing just about any record in my collection from the '60s right on through modern day. As a broadcaster at afrn Radio Alaska I remember we had a sure m44c and when I left there I spent a lot of time with the Stanton 500 Al cartridges and they were amazing. I have no intention of purchasing anything past the price point of the $3,600 l from here on it is my go-to cartridge and I have a collection of 45s also and you are spot on!

Thanx for sharing the knowledge and the great reviews...I just purchased one after watching your vid....Without any doubt, this thing is amazing for the price...My love for records has been rekindled .👊🏽😎!

Brilliant video. Extremely useful. I have Rega Carbon and I’m not convinced I need to change it on my Planer 2

Equally good is the AT91, which is basically the same as the 3600L, but tracks at 1.5 - 2.5grams (2.0 optimal). This used to be called the AT3600, but I guess they rebranded it, and put a yellow plastic housing on it to differentiate between what then became the 3600L; the lower compliance/higher tracking force of 3.0grams version. The Rega Carbon is actually the AT91; it tracks at 2.0grams as well, and the carbon stylus sounds identical to the AT91 yellow version; both have the carbon/ABS plastic cantilever, which to me, sound better than the aluminium cantilever styli available (such as the AT91R)....the carbon/plastic cantilever seems to sound smoother in a way, whilst relishing in the highs and having more control over cymbal work, and has a better defined midrange, and very solid, detailed bass! To Me!!

Great video with a lot of details. I own this cartridge and I love it, and it is especially forgiving with old, worn-out records, just like you mentioned, and I have quite a few of those lol. I also agree that the Nagaoka MP-110 is a fantastic cartridge, and it's normally the one I use for vinyl records that are in great condition. I also own the Ortofon Concorde MK2 DJ, which gives you pretty much the same performance as the AT3600L with some added perks (easier to visually cue a song, supposedly stronger cantilever and suspension, plus it looks sooooo cool lol). I wouldn't call the AT3600L the bottom of MM cartridges though, to me that'd be the Fisher/Sanyo ST-09D, which is cheaper, and it still can sound good when properly aligned, but definitely not as good as the AT3600L. The AT-95e is not bad but definitely not my favorite, I have it because it came as the stock cartridge with my turntable. As you mentioned, before criticizing the AT3600L cartrdige, they should try it out, it's not like it's going to break the bank 😉 😄

Just came upon this video. Great info. I dug out a AT3600 I had in storage, from a TT I had purchased. Found the new stylus I had purchased and decided to give it a go. Yes, your right, that is a nice sounding cartridge. I can't believe I stashed it away, thinking it was a not worth listening too. Listened to a few jazz albums and I think it will stay on this TT for a awhile. Great review. KB.

Amazing informative video, I had one of these I bought a few years back and like a fool I was VTF at 1:75 g LOl little wonder I thought It sounded awful, so I had never really used it until now. Old records sounds so much better with it as well as the details in recently purchased new vinyl.

I just changed this cartridge by for an AT VM95E. But just to get more clarity, less tracking noise and more even balance between channels, also I noticed a little more ouput, but the AT3600 is terrific for the price.

That cartridge sounds great. And after all the sound is what counts! I have the Heyday turntable with this cartridge and it sounds better than my Miracord with a Shure R1000! I'm going to get one for the Miracord.

Thanks for the video and advice. I found one in Amazon for $21.75 with free 2 day delivery. Will arrive Saturday. Can’t wait to try it out.

After watching your first video I was intrigued by your conclusions so decided to try a 3600l for myself. Happy to say I'm having lots of fun with it in my Technics SL1500C. I'd now definitely recommend this cartridge to anyone looking for a cheap upgrade. Thank you for sharing.

I totally agree. The AT 3600 has become ubiquitous because it's a hell of a deal. It's even better with an elliptical stylus upgrade.

It's a stunning cartridge, and a bargain

If you listen to Heavy metal, this cart is that works best. I tried 8 cartridges and this one tracked the best. Inner grove distortion can get ugly with double bass pounding. Have a first run Uturn turntable, so only light carts can be used.

...GREAT video. I can back up your entire video. I actually purchesed three of these, yes THREE in one bundle, from China. AliExpress. Complete cartrage not just the stylus. $25.69 for the bundle. ($28.39 including tax). June 2023. Yes it took a while to get here but these little gems are very good.

I took your recommendation and bought this cartridge and I say it sounds fantastic😅😅

I love this thing. It’s laid back, resolves enough detail to be interesting (but not clinical), and has very low surface noise. This is a perfectly acceptable and highly enjoyable cartridge. If you’re enjoying it, don’t let anyone bully you into switching. There’s a lot of BS in the audiophile world only intended to separate you from your hard earned money.

FYI I have old versions of this cartridge even back when they made it in japan and it still had carbon cantilever. Boxes say 2004 on my replacement japanese style and the 2 japanese carts I got on my tt100 tables stock was bought back in like 1998 and they were carbon fiber back then too. To my knowledge the red at91r is the only one that fits this cart that's aluminum. The yellow at91 yellow is carbon cantilever but normal 1.5-2.5 tracking force like the red at91r. Amazon has whole carts for both red and yellow for $20 yellow and $24 red just an FYI

Just to add that I had tried the AT3600L, Rega Carbon as well as the LPGear highly polished special elliptical diamond on my old budget Denon DP29F...All of them are improvement over the stock Denon DSN82 (same thing) with the elliptical one from LPGear coming out tops...

there is also an Elliptical upgrade stylus available on ebay for about $23 from either canada or the US, I swapped mine out for one and it makes a moderate difference.

Very detailed, insightful, you have de-mystified a lot of things.

When I've heard transfers made with this cartridge, I was shocked how good it sounded, given its price and placement in the echelon of phono cartridges. It sounded better overall, including tracking, vs probably anything up to around $100 on the market.

I just received my AT-VM95SH and it sounds amazing! I will never go back to Ortofon.

They are such gems, outperforming carts 3, 4 times their price. Yet people prefer to spend 100 bucks on an Ortofon 2M red that often is way too high compliant for the arms they use them in.

I bought and loved it. If you set it perfectly, it sounds just perfect on my SONY PS-X 6. I was absolutely amazed at how good it sounds.Thank you very much your video animated me to buy it.

IMO, the AT-VM95E is so much better... much less sibilant. But the best entry level MM cartridge is the AT-VM95ML, sounds about the same as the VM95E, but eliminates inner groove distortion. 14:00 It's not about actual damage, but wear. Higher tracking force means more friction, which means higher wear. Nowadays, people expect records to last very long, since they're premium products. That's why a lower tracking force is desired. But yes, better a little overtracking than undertracking... But in the end it all depends on your system, how your speakers are placed, how big your room is and at what distance you're listening... that's what can make a mediocre cartridge sound great and a TOTL cartridge sound crappy.

Hey Joe my fellow BROADCASTER...UR vid just inspired me to give the ANGELS HORN walnut table a spin with that 3600L!!! Besides it went on sale for $135!!! I'll let U know how it goes...THX and GOD BLESS!!!

So my Rega Planar 2 came with one of these (at 2g vtf) but I changed it for a Nagaoka MP-110 after 5 months because the sibilance / inner groove distortion was bad. After watching this vid I've put the Rega Carbon cart back on at 3g and it sounds much better than I remember it ever sounding before! Crazy how much difference that 1g makes.

Line contact is/was used interchangeably with Hyperelliptical, and these normally are longer than an elliptical, but not as long as Microridge/line, etc.

it's a very informative stuff Joe. I enjoyed listening to it. Can you tel me if LP Gear CARBON FIDELITY CFN3600LE stylus will be audible sonic upgrade for AT3600L? Are there other stylus alternatives?

Thanks for this Joe, I'm a fan of this stylus on my Rega 2. I tried the LP elliptical upgrade but it just don't fit my cartridge. I even took it into my local Rega dealer, and he had no luck fitting it either. In your experience was the sound using the upgrade better?

I recently purchased a Technics SL-D3 with an AT3600L and an unknown stylus. During shipment the cart/stylus came out of its special packing and I was leary of using it so I purchased the AT-VM95E. I would like to compare that with the AT 3600L, what stylus would you recommend I mount on that cart? Thanks!

If you already have this cart, you can grab the at91r (red) with aluminum cantilever or the yellow at91. These have lighter tracking forces. Considering that you can get this cartridge cheap, getting just the stylus will probably cost the same as the deal you get on the whole cart. Both the at91 and at91r are great too later or just stick with the 3600l. It's a crazy good stylus

I have had the AT -VM95c and then AT-VM95e and was disappointed with the second quality so I went to the AT-VM95SH which is the top of the range stylus at £200 which is a lot of money for me and most people. I really couldn’t hear any difference from the AT-VM95c at £30. Then last week my AT-VM95SH broke off and it was going to cost me £180 to replace just the stylus, so I decided to fit the AT-3600l and I’m really impressed with it.

Does this work on a Technics SLB3 or on a technics SLD2? Thanks.

Anyone buying from eBay, make sure the picture shows the AT logo on the white stylus part. There are other companies making replacements for this. Also, buy a cheap "eyeglasses repair kit" anywhere and it'll have the screwdrivers you need for this

Some buyers could be confused between the two numbers for this unit: "AT3600" and "AT3600L". From what I understand, the real audio magic is with the "L" version which is designed for a higher tracking force. Have you any experience with the "non-L" version of this cartridge?

Match the 3600 on the right turntable And it can punch way above its price point

thank you for the information, I am getting back into vinyl and now have a better appreciation than when I was a kid, since vinyl was what was abundant, I have the audio tech ATPL-50 , it seems to like the newer vinyl records of today, and it does sound pretty good. I was trying to determine if I needed to upgrade to a 500-dollar machine to get better sound but can't really get a good answer. would it really even make a difference that I could hear.

3g on this stylus for best results, if your turntable tonearm can handle it.

I got the lp gear upgrade of this stylus and cartridge and installed it on my lp3 turntable, and its my fav so far. The bass is clearer and nicely punchy. The highs can have a little resonance on some lps, but I like it much better than say, the AT VN95 E. This is smooth but clear and not as warmly muddy as the VN...to my ears, anyway. And frankly I wasn't that impressed with the yellow nude stylus on the VN line for 99 bucks. I think the lp gear Carbon Fidelity sounds much better for all of you that own the automatic lp3. A little treble adjustment solves the occasional bright highs. Very good! Worth it. CM

Thanks and subscribed ! I gave been pushing this Cart on my friends and other audio fanatics that I have met/meet. This cartridge is an absolute steal ! I would Gladly pay 4 times what I can buy one for now ($18.76 on ebay now 9/4/2021) Try this Cart people.

Great info! I need to uh... go adjust my tracking force :s

9:05 thank you for mentioning this I wanted to know what they call that body style andI couldn't find it anywhere. I love the cartridge.

ur absolutely right about the tracking force thingy. this thing tracks well with my sl1200mk3d at 3g. but when i mounted this on "super lightweight" arm, the grace g545, record skips here and there but not on the sl1200. then i realized that the high tracking force of the 3600 is not suitable for the g545 😶

I am using that cartridge it really sound great.

A Riga just like it is $60. Outrageous!

The at3600L is low compliance according to specs on internet. So I think it won't work on a Dual turntable with ulm tonearm. What do you think about my opinion? And do you have tips for a good not too expensive high compliance cartridge ? Btw good video

Great video Joe! I love my 3600. I see that it’s possible to get an upgrade stylist for it. Do you think that is worth it? Are there any that you recommend in particular?

I just picked up a whole set of industrial Seeburg 16 RPM records and ordered one of these cartridges to play them. As far as my research, this .6 mil is best for the narrow grooves of the 16 rpm discs. What do you think?

Sounds good. Like the info!

I am a little confused. I think this is the same cartridge as the Rega Carbon (except for the name on the front). The tracking for the carbon is recommended at 2 to 3gm.

Yes Joe I agree with you it is amazing that a $25 cartridge can sound this good but it has to be played with it has to be set up properly to get that great sound. The track and angle has to be at 92 I set the weight at 2.45 g it seems to work best for me on a U-turn orbit which comes with this cartridge but it is not aligned properly the tracking angle is like 75°on the stylist and you can't get the proper tracking weight the heaviest it will go is like 2.2 grams which makes his cartridge pretty much worthless, so you must do some tweaking. It's too bad they don't give you other stylus options I wonder how it would sound what a Shabbat stylus 🤔

I just pulled one off my Heyday. Replaced with an Ortofon Omega 1e. To much bass from the table. I am being told there's a carbon elliptical needle upgrade for 40 bucks.

Hi Joe, thanks so much for your illuminating video on this remarkable cartridge. I have three turntables (RP 6, Planar 3, Planar 2), and I am so happy with the 3600 L that I even use it on the RP6 at times depending on my mood. One query: if the Rega Carbon and the 3600 L are basically the same, how do you account for the difference in tracking force between the two (2-3 g for the Rega, 2.5-3.5 for the AT) ? Also, I have found that 2.5 does not make a lot of difference from 3 with the 3600 L. Thanks!

I've just watched your video, I was in the market for an upgrade to my ortofon 2m bronze for my technics sl1200 G , my new audio technica at 3600l will arrive later this week, I wait with bated breath to see if this cart is as good as the reviews, have I made the right choice?

I've been running in this cartridge for a month and it's far more revealing than my M75ED-T2. I'm hearing instruments I didn't know were on the recording - triangle(?) in the Delyse label Das Knaben Wonderhorn, piccolos popping out where they were unnoticed before. New styli are comparatively expensive. Its cheaper to buy a new cartridge! I've just ordered half a dozen for less than the cost of a Thacker stylus for my Shure. Lastly. I'm getting remarkable sound at 2 grammes having started at 3gm. This is on a PL12D with a 6mm cork mat.

Hey Joe. I've found this video very helpful. Bought myself at AT3600L and had it set up professionally on my Rega Planar 2. I'm very happy with it. Question regarding IGD (I'm a relative newbie to this) Some of my records sound great on the inner tracks, including some full on rock songs. Others not so much. Is this a pressing issue ? In other words will some records always have IGD? Cheers Robert from NZ

I've always really had linear trackers: These 3 gram tracking force TT's sound scary... My main player (Sony PS LX55 ii) has tracking force of 1,2 g and the cheapo philips (fp146) with Ortofon OM5E in my workroom has 1,6 g People for whatever reason don't seem to like them these days, but really they're perfect. No complex adjustments, great track with low mass, no skipping, no shaky hands messing with tone arm. Just press a button. Fact is, more ttracking force means more wear on your records, there 's now way to around it.

The AT3600 has an elliptical stylus replacement, but this do not improve so much the sound, a Jico SAS, or hyper elliptical can improve really, but manufacturers are not interested on this.

Yep, something about the carbon cantilever maybe? I'm no expert but sounds fab to me also. PS. The LPGear upgrade stylus is phenomenal and well worth the extra few bucks (Blue one).

Thank you for the insight. Cool

I dug out and re-fell in love with my old Marantz 6200 table, and collected carts to play with while playing random thrift store records. Though I have an AT3600L, I've been mainly using a Pickering V15 mainly because I like the Dustamatic brush. Now, I'm thinking, if the Pickering stylus is 7 mills and the AT is 6, maybe some of those records will sound better with the AT, and that should be my main cart for those. By the way, what do you think about running the elliptical stylus available for those? (I think I got mine from VM Audio Enthusiasts.) Next session, I'm going to compare the Pickering with the AT for noise levels. I long for being able to go to record swap meets again!

The nuts that come with the package are made of steel and magnetic. Does this affect anything in the long term?

Hi Joe with all this talk of the conical stylus carts, have you ever tried the Nagaoka MP100. It would be interesting to see how they compare. Keep up the good work.

can you use this on the p-mount arms? Looks like it can just plug in there,...only you wouldn't be using the screw holes for anything.

It has been about 30 years since I played records. I used to use Audio-Technica and Pickering back then. Do you think records sound better than cd ? Should I get back into them?

Whats the sound difference compared to the rega carbon? I have ths rega and would not want brighter than that. Ps 4 adverts so far and im only halfway through!!

I love this cart Only down side I see is the tracking force. But I run my others at 2. This one I run just above minimum at 2.6 or so on my scale. No tracking issues. But usually I run this cart at 3g

The 3600 cartridge is not available in India but the 95c and 95e series are available. Are they comparable. Thanks.

Have you tried this cart with the elliptical 'upgrade', specifically the one offered by LP Gear? I was considering the VM95 but you have me thinking differently.

Will this work on a low mass tonearm like on the Philips 312 TT ? , Thx

The reason why there are so many different specs for this cartridge, is you have no idea who is making it and what you're getting. AT has "licensed" several different manufacturers, and there are other unlicensed ones that make knock-offs. Sure it might be a great cartridge if you get a genuine one, but there are so many others that you'll never know what you're getting.

I have a couple on some cheap turntables. They really aren't bad at all.

Wow. What a great video and such good info. Question: I just bought one at eBay. How do I know they will send me the the one I bought ? Is there a serial number or some kind of markings to show what it is? They could easily sell me a cheaper one pretending to be the AT3600L. Please advice.

How would the Audio-Technica CN-5625AL compare? It also has a conical stylus and his priced around $30.

Would this cartridge fit a Dual CS 606?

I have AT3600L, sounds great, but I use with 2.5 grams, do you think is it possible I made some damage to the records?, I will use on 3 grams since today

Hi Biddy. I'm looking to buy this, can you please link us the website that you bought it from? Thank you

If you did want a version of this cart with a lower tracking force , the non L version is available - L stands for low compliance.

you should try the AT 91,another very amazing cartridge

I don't get what type of stylus he is recommending. Just the conical?

I just bought a Sanyo MG-09D cart. Have you tried it Joe? I own an AT3600L. I think this one sounds sweeter than the MG -09D. What do you think?

Unfortunately my 3600L on my system is too thin, overly shiny and presence is lacking, almost sounds like it has its own very subtle reverb built it in if that makes since. For as cheap as it is its a great stylus build wise. Tracks fine. Stereo seperation and imaging is amazing for such a low cost stylus. I used it at 3 grams per your recommendation and it helped its sound a lot. But over all it just doesn't do it for me. I found it fatiguing to listen too at the volume levels I like on my system. My turtable is HH Scott PS-76 that belonged to my grandfather that had been stuffed in a closet for 20+ years. I had to restore it and fix some things but is working like new machine now. Also have the AT91 and a VMN95en . The VMN95en is amazing specially for new albums and newer loudness style of mastering. Its sound to my ears is like the 3600L and AT91 mashed together. However. My favorite stylus is the AT91...for 30 bucks it just hits that's sweet spot and punches way above its price point. I track it at 2.5 grams and have no issues with it. The sounds is full and clean. Stereo separation and imaging is great. Bass is tight and detailed. Mids are full and clear and Highs are clear and clean without being washy or sibilant. It just works great for casual listening for any type music and any condition album.

I am new to this. I have a LP60 Audio Technica turntable and I am ready to change my stylus. I was wondering, since the LP60 has an integrated arm, will an AtVM95e stylus fit in my cartridge? Also are there any other higher quality styluses that fit the LP60 cartridge? Thanks

Mr. Collins..first of all i see in the comments that you have a troll present..lol..but that aside i just wanted to echo your thoughts on the cart..i picked one up after your initial video because i buy alot of very dirty lps and 45s from seconhand stores..of course i clean them first with a modified spinclean thats motorized and uses magic eraser in the place of the stock cleaner brushes...i have to say that the cart actually improves the dynamics of these types of recordings and allows playback on my turntables , one is a CEC BD6000, the other is a pioneer pl-35.... i do have a question..do you know of a guage that accurately tracks the anti-skate of the tone arm... i can set a turntable up with the best of them.. but have found that , for example, the weight positioning read out on most tone arms of commercial turntables is woefully inaccurate by enlarge .. so if this is true , over time i would assume the same with the antiskate setup...your thoughts will be appreciated....cheers

I'm going to try the 3600l. Before watçhing this video i was concerned about record wear using conicals and 3 g tracking.i have always used Shure ellipticals at 2gr or less.replacemnt styli for Shure is now costly,so i recently got at95 w lp gear ce,se, cfe styli to try out.will try one of the 3600l.anyone compare any of these to 3600l?

There’s a reason rega use it on their planar 1 and 2

It's a great cartridge for the money but I personally find the At-vm95e more lively and better generally. For the price though you can't beat 3600l

Are there any suitable 78s/shellac styli for this model (at3600la)

I replaced an Ortofon 2M Red with the 3600 . Its so much better.

I prefer this to some much more expensive carts