So in answer to your question of could you play two hours of music every day for 500 days before issues arose, the evidence seems to be no, not if by "issues" you include rising distortion due to wear. Could you put on that 1000 hours without damaging your records? Well, some say yes, and AT says 1000 hours is safe, but you might be right at the limit, and some people, such as Chris, might recommend playing it safe by not stretching it that far. The article I referenced above is quite close to Chris's conclusions: I measured each stylus in turn using the same body. I first wanted to identify the cause of the slightly higher output voltage of the conical and elliptical verses the other three profiles. AT quote a difference of 0.5MV. My tests showed The VM95C and VM95E output around 3.8MV, while the other still in the range were indeed on or slightly lower than the 3.5MV mark. It is my theory that the small variances in compliance and tip mass are responsible for this, and in reality such a minor difference isn’t going to be of any consequence as the difference is minor, and the output voltage is well within the margin for most if not all moving magnet preamplifiers.

AT150MLX was the biggest disappointment. Instruments sound clear but appeared to be playing through a small windows. The note fundamentals seemed to have disappeared somewhere. Around 500 hours for a conical stylus, 300 hours for an Elliptical stylus, 1000 hours for a Microlinear stylus, and 800 hours for a Shibata stylus. The AT1xx and xV styli can fit on the 95 generator with modification, the side wings needs to be clipped.Elliptical diamond stylus follows the groove modulation with greater precision compared to a conical stylus, offering improved frequency and phase responses whilst reducing distortion. Preassembled With AT-HS6BK Headshell The VM95ML Microlinear gave the flattest frequency response of all with very little loss on inner grooves. The VM95SH Shibata tip gives fractionally less treble but it too had strong inner groove retrieval. We are pleased to present the results of what we believe to be the first thorough listening test and review of the VM95 range outside of ATs own facilities. On a warmish evening in mid October our own Gary Hargreaves of Improved Performance Turntables Ltd, Colin Yallop of Chevron Audio and Mark Wheeler (Reviewer for TNT Audio) sat down and played some music using the VM95 Range. Gary’s review follows:

A comparison between audio technica At-VM95E, Linn K9 with NOS stylus and later with the VM95E stylus and Goldring E3. Plus it has more info on the Linn K5 and K9.

The VM95 Range

Quoted from a post in Linn Forum ( https://forums.linn.co.uk/bb/showthread.php?tid=31475) which is no longer running. The better tips progressively improve high frequency retrieval and imaging, especially on inner grooves, but they don’t alter basic presentation: look to tapered aluminium pipe cantilevers of AT’s more expensive moving magnets (AT530 upward) for a punchier and less bland lower midrange. https://www.thakker.eu/en/needles/atn-95-e-stylus-for-audio-technica-at-95-e-generic-stylus/a-5369/ The VM95 stylus assembly has a locating spigot that guides it into the body; it's fitted from below. With the popularity of vinyl growing on what seems to be a daily basis, it’s unsurprising that you’ll see more and more content online featuring those wondrous discs that many of us cherish above all other possessions. Social media is rife with record players in almost all advertisement, whether it be a boutique hotel chain or a popular wine merchant, it would appear that vinyl records are the hottest appurtenance. As with any trend, comes a wave of younger and uninitiated enthusiasts, eager to get their hands on the latest buzz items…