comments:
The Audio-Technica AT-441Sa is a very good cartridge, and well worth keeping and finding a new stylus for. Unfortunately, this particular cartridge has few replacement stylus choices online and in stock, including 3rd party clones. Buying a new stylus is something that has to be done routinely when buying any used turntable, and is baked into the total cost. Always buy a new stylus, although there may be exceptions if it looks sharp enough under a loupe. But really the first thing to assess is if the cartridge is even good enough to buy a new stylus for, or if replacements are readily available. I have found vintage used cartridges that were worth way more than the used turntables they were installed on, so always do some research that way. Some discontinued cartridges by Audio-Technica, Ortofon, Shure and other popular brands usually have loads of replacement stylii available, including good 3rd party clones. Decapo Audio, Thakker, and LPGear are all good sources. Avoid AliExpress in particular, and sometimes Amazon, too many shady sellers selling cheapo knock-offs. That standard recommendation for a replacement cartridge is the Audio-Technica AT-VM95E. It sounds good, will work with most tonearms, and can be upgraded to better styii without changing the cartridge. Many will recommend the much cheaper Audio-Technica 3600L, but this is often a common mistake, because it is a low compliance cartridge designed to run ideally at a high tracking force of 3-3.5 grams. This is why it is pre-installed on many budget turntables with cheap, heavy tonearms. The correct purchase is the Audio-Technica AT91 (Yellow stylus) or AT91R (Red Stylus) that track at 2 grams, order those instead even though the (White stylus) 3600L is much cheaper. Same cartridge, different compliant stylii. Installing a new cartridge is a skill, loads of YouTube videos showing how. You will require a stylus weight scale and a protractor, neither are expensive. Here is one example, there are cheaper ones: https://www.amazon.com/Hudson-Hi-Fi-Turntable-Cartridge-Protractor/dp/B08ZCGX6YC
Hudson Hi-Fi Turntable Cartridge... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZCGX6YC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share