LP Tunes Vivid Line Replacement for Shure NDC-HE NDCHE Stylus

Quite honestly, I couldn't believe my ears. Incredible channel separation and detail I'd not experienced with any other stylus in my arsenal. Playback of Queen -The Prophets Song, Jethro Tull - Baker St. Muse and Songs from the Wood...simply incredible compared to my best, yet lesser, ATN130. I've used this in my Shure V-15 II and the Shure made Realistic R47XT with extremely good results. I can only imagine what it would be like if it was a nude bonding (which I would have paid extra for if it was available, BTW). With that being said, there is a CON that needs to be stated. Before I mounted the stylus I looked at it through my USB microscope and noticed loose metal filings around the shaft of the bond area, protruding down to the diamond. Easily cleared with a brush but at this price point something you would not expect to see in a higher end new stylus. Regardless, I'd buy again as a replacement for the R47XT. I'll be saving my pennies for a JICO SAS for the V15 II in the future.

This stylus arrived well-packed and reasonably fast. It works wonderfully and has really brought life back to some old records. I have it mounted on a R47XT cartridge and it sounds even better than the old Shure 5x I had been using previously. Recommended.

I reviewed this NDCHE replacement already 2 years ago. I ordered another one, as I have 4 turntables in use and more stashed.
WOWSERS! This newer Vivid Line replacement is even better now, with improved bottom end that is much tighter and has way more impact. I am normally not a base fan at all, because I have an overly sensitive ear, but this stylus does everything so right and causes no fatigue for me. It just sounds great, with present midrange and clean details in the treble that many other styli simply don't deliver.
I seriously wonder now, if Nagaoka had a hand in making this, because it sounds remarkably like some MP110 cartridge reviews by HiViNyws on Youtube, except I like the fine detail better on this LP-Tunes stylus, and the old Shure Designer body (= M95 and Realistic R47XT) simply plays in a class by itself with the Vivid Line styli mounted!
As I wrote above, this is an update, for the rest, see my previous review from 1 Nov 2019.

A absolute perfect stylus 😊

There are plenty of raving reviews of the Jico SAS stylus out there describing its character, and every owner loves it, as do I. But the new and improved SAS is more than double the old price now. So here is my new Vivid Line at far less than the old SAS price, mounted on an over 30 year old Realistic/Shure R47XT cartridge body.
Right away: This Vivid Line goes toe-to-toe with my SAS, and sounds wonderful!
To get there, the engineers apparently put in a lot of thought and cumulative experiences in compromises worth decades into this stylus line. The cantilever is not a hair thin affair like on my SAS, or AT-OC9ML. It is however much thinner than a few old very fat Shure styli I have, and thus appears to hit a sweet spot. The interesting part is the diamond mount. I first thought I was eyeballing a straight nude. But with another peek I saw that the tiny diamond is mounted on a barely noticeable super-short shank, so almost appears nude. It certainly sounds like one! It is also missing the solder blobs in the cantilever pipe, that attach the suspension wires present in Jico SAS styli. Does it matter? Apparently not, as the sound differs a little on the Vivid Line, but it actually sounds very good! Out of the box, compared to my well broken in SAS, it has a stronger presence in the midrange, and bass is dry and cracking and stronger, but pleasant. It does not hammer your ear like most el-cheapo cartridges and replacement styli do. Instead it is well behaved, and delivers music in a delicate way, with as much fine detail and rhythm as the SAS or my AT-OC9ML. A first run of Grace Jones' Slave to the Rhythm was a very enjoyable and totally fatigue free experience, which rarely happens with new equipment. It does sound a little raspier and not quite as smooth in the midrange, but the difference is small.
I am simply floored and very grateful, that this sound quality can be had at this unbelievable bargain price of far under 100 bucks.