Record Player Needle Tip Shapes
The tip is the tiny diamond or sapphire at the very end of the needle, the part that runs in the groove. Its shape decides how it touches the groove walls. Here are the shapes the needles on this site use, with every needle of each shape.
Conical
A conical tip is rounded at the end, like the point of a ballpoint pen. It touches each wall of the groove at one small point.
10 needles have this tip, and 34 record player models come with one.
Elliptical
An elliptical tip is narrower from side to side than from front to back, so its contact points on the groove walls are smaller and can follow finer detail.
27 needles have this tip, and 48 record player models come with one.
- Audio-Technica AT-VMN95E · diamond
- Audio-Technica AT-VMN95EBK
- Audio-Technica AT-VMN95EN · diamond
- Audio-Technica ATN-XP5
- Audio-Technica ATN-XP7
- Audio-Technica ATN95EX · diamond
- Audio-Technica ATN3600LE
- Audio-Technica ATP-N2
- Audio-Technica VMN20EB
- Audio-Technica VMN30EN
- Grado Stylus Gold4 · diamond
- Grado Stylus Green4 · diamond
- Grado Stylus Red4 · diamond
- Nagaoka JN-P150 · diamond
- Nagaoka JN-P200 · diamond
- Nagaoka JN-P300 · diamond
- Nagaoka JN-P110 · diamond
- Ortofon Stylus 2M Blue · diamond
- Ortofon Stylus 2M Red
- Ortofon Stylus 2M Silver
- Ortofon Stylus 5E
- Ortofon Stylus 10
- Ortofon Stylus 20 · diamond
- Ortofon Stylus CC MKII Club
- Ortofon Stylus Concorde Music Blue · diamond
- Ortofon Stylus Concorde Music Red
- Rega Carbon Pro Upgrade Stylus
Microline and line contact
Microline and line contact tips have a long, thin edge that runs up and down the groove wall instead of touching it at a point.
7 needles have this tip, and 1 record player model comes with one.
- Audio-Technica AT-VMN40xML · diamond
- Audio-Technica AT-VMN95ML · diamond
- Audio-Technica VMN40ML
- Ortofon Stylus 2M Bronze · diamond
- Ortofon Stylus 30 · diamond
- Ortofon Stylus 40 · diamond
- Ortofon Stylus Concorde Music Bronze · diamond
Shibata
A Shibata tip is another long-contact shape, with a narrow edge that sits along the groove wall.
4 needles have this tip.
- Audio-Technica AT-VMN95SH · diamond
- Audio-Technica VMN50SH · diamond
- Ortofon Stylus 2M Black · diamond
- Ortofon Stylus 2M Black LVB 250 · diamond
Tip shapes as each maker states them. 44 needles have no stated tip shape and are not listed here.
We take these details from the makers' own websites and check them carefully, but makers change parts and part numbers, and we may miss an update. Before you buy, check the part on the maker's official website. If you spot an error, please tell us.