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Shure M97xE High-Performance Magnetic Phono Cartridge
Studio : Shure
by Shure
Brand : Shure
Model : M97XE
Publisher : Shure
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Color : black
EAN : 0042406060370
UPC : 042406060370
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 126 reviews)
List Price : $140.00
Our Price : Too low to display
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High-performance phono cartridge with finely polished elliptical diamond tip
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Accurately reproduces difficult musical passages, particularly in high-frequency range
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Viscous-damped dynamic stabilizer maintains uniform distance between cartridge and record
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Side-Guard system prevents stylus damage if cartridge accidentally slides across LP
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Die-cast-aluminum mounting block; includes mounting hardware and leaning brush
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Product Description |
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Standard mount / Elliptical stylus / Low mass / Tracking force: 0.75 to 1.5 grams / 20Hz - 22kHz frequency response |
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The Emotion Inspiring M97xE |
Shure's M97xE is a love it or don't cartridge. Reasons for loving it or not have already been written aplenty, so I won't dwell on those aspects. The truth seems to be that this cartridge was not designed for strong high frequency presence, and that quality. or the lack of it, seems to be the point around which all opinions are circling. From my experience I found it lacking in high frequency presence. Through initial breakin time, and new Shure stylus and more breakin time, it didn't have the sizzle I got from most of my other cartridges. I had been tracking my M97xE near the heavier end of it's specs and doing most of my listening through a set of Grado SR125 headphones which do a nice job of finding high frequency sounds if they are in the music. I was aware of this diminished high frequency issue when I bought the cartridge, however I couldn't resist knowing for myself what all the discussion was about.
A few "fixes" have been offered online from hobbyists to brighten the sound of the M97xE. A few brave souls are replacing components inside their outboard phono preamps (or phono stages, to some) to less restrict the cartridge signal. This is an option I am less inclined to try, mostly because I do not need to use outboard phono preamps. Another less invasive offered option is to replace the factory stylus assembly with a Jico SAS stylus. Reportedly it does brighten the sound, but users say the stylus can be "fussy" to set up correctly, and it is a bit on the expensive side (a matter for any potential buyer to evaluate for his or her self).
Recently I took another look at my M97xE. It's spec sheet told me the unit uses a .2 mil x .7 mil shaped stylus. The .2 mil spec told me this stylus should be doing a super job of sampling subtle sound information in the record's groove walls. So if the stylus is finding the sound information, I asked, why am I not hearing it? Another spec, for tracking force, told me this cartridge can be used as low as .75 grams (however Shure's optimum tracking force is 1.25 grams). Many reviewers had said the M97xE was a good tracking cartridge, and there was that low factory .75 gram limit on tracking force, so I decided to try some lighter tracking experiments with my M97xE on my Technics SL-1210. Long story short, with my phonograph, the Grado headphones, and my hearing, at around 1.1 grams the M97xE changed it's personality. The curtain suppressing high frequency sounds parted and I began hearing cymbals and subtle sounds at levels comparable with other Shure cartridges I have to use (M75, M95). When tracking force was increased to the factory optimum 1.25 grams this openness began to disappear. I am being cautious about going lighter. I am going to stay put, get used to what I hear at this setting, and see if there are any negative effects. So far I am hearing none.
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The Best Affordable Cartridge Available |
First, let me say that the reason I am giving the Shure M97xE cartridge a five-star rating is that this product delivers 100% on its intended mission. Shure set out to design an audiophile-grade cartridge that would be suitable for a budget-minded consumer. You will certainly find better cartridges than this model, but you can expect to pay over $400 for them. My goal in purchasing the M97xE was to find the best possible cartridge available on a $150 budget to replace the now discontinued Audio Technica AT477LC after my stylus broke. From all the research I did prior to buying, I found that this cartridge typically sells at most retailers for about $120 USD. At the time of my purchase, Vinylrecordsandhomeaudio was charging well below $100, so it was an easy decision to buy.
Now, about the sound quality: I can't speak for classical music because I have never been a fan of classical music. However, I can tell you that this cartridge excels both at classic rock and modern electronic music. One of the first tracks I enjoyed with this cartridge was Bruce Hornsby and the Range's Mandolin Rain, and I was blown away by this cartridge's ability to reproduce nuance that I'd never even heard before. The very subtle mandolin accents shone through with crystal clarity and let me experience the song as I never had before. Building on that subtlety, I also heard the full introduction to Fever Ray's When I Grow Up with feeling that I didn't even know the album had.
In short, I would recommend this cartridge to anyone in need of a replacement cartridge or anyone looking to step their aging turntable up to the next level. My four-decade old Thorens turntable now brings music to live better than any piece of audio equipment I've ever heard. In fact, we are considering buying a second M97xE to replace the cartridge on our Technics turntable as well.
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Just.. meh... |
Keeping in mind that I was using this largely for digitizing and archiving Electronic Dance music, Alternative and some rock, I have to say that I found the M97xE to be entirely flat and lifeless. It is the perfect cartridge for people who are looking at a pitch perfect, flatline EQed version of the music they want to listen to, but I just don't know many of those people. I want my lows to sound (naturally) low, and my highs to be vibrant. After a while, my ear began to think that the Shure sounded excellent, but after ripping a track several different ways, including one with no processing at all, then comparing to a WAV, and even a high quality mp3 I had of the control track, there was just no arguing. I could not coax the M97xE to give me a performance of my records that I wanted to keep.
After sending the Shure back, ordering a new Ortofon Concorde, and receiving the new cartridge today, I remembered why I always played on Ortofons to begin with. My lows now punch, and my highs sparkle. I paid a bit more, but my archived copies will show the difference. |
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A great Pickup |
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The peformance of this pickup is outstanding. Whit a 1.25g tracking force and the viscous damper stabilizer it deliver a great signal, specially in high frecuencies. I used it in a belt driven Technics turntable (SL-B2). Really nice..... |
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I can hear the difference |
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I bought this to replace a Stanton 500 V3 cartridge. I use an old (80's vintage) Mitsubishi linear-tracking LT-22 turntable. Primarily, I convert my LP's to mp3's. I was awestruck when I first listened to this cartridge on my turntable. The sound is excellent, and I found the set-up easy (it helped to have an instruction book for my LT-22). I found Vinylrecordsandhomeaudio's price to be fabulous & highly recommend this cartridge. I am totally pleased. |
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