My first decent turntable - Sansui P50

I just picked up my first half decent turntable having used rubbish Ion turntables for a few years. I got a Sansui p50 for a decent price but on plugging in I found the sound to be awful, distorted. I put this down to the stylus. I would presume this is the only thing it could be? Are there any diagnostic checks to do to determine the problem?

I am looking to replace the whole cartridge, any recommendations? I hear the AT95 is a good choice. 

Thanks