Stylus Shank
A stylus shank is the body of the stylus fitted to the cantilever, the small arm carrying it. Shapes such as square or round describe its cross-section: the shape across its width.
Conical or elliptical describes the tip's profile where it contacts the record groove, rather than the shank.
Stylus Shank — Cartridge
In “nude square shank,” nude means a single piece of diamond; square describes the shank shape. A bonded stylus instead has a diamond tip attached to a metal shank. An aluminium cantilever describes the separate supporting arm, not the shank's material.
A square shank fitted into a matching hole can hold the stylus in the intended orientation during assembly. Shank shape alone does not establish better sound. If the manufacturer omits it, the shape remains unknown; do not infer it from the tip profile or cantilever.
Sources
- Stylus shapes, shanks and construction (page 7) — Audio-Technica
- AT150Sa specifications — Audio-Technica
- AT33PTG/2 specifications — Audio-Technica