Shure m97xe: upgrade necessary?

MadLucas

MadLucas

Well-Known Member
HEY ALL!

So, I have a Shure m97xe cartridge/stylus, almost two years old, just over 500 hours of listening (I track, I know, I'm THAT guy).

I replaced this 2 years ago because the sound kept cutting out on one channel after a few minutes, and then one record was disgustingly fuzzy and unlistenable. When I replaced the whole cartridge/stylus package, the issue disappeared completely :) [For those wondering, the problem started at about 750 hours.]

HOWEVER, Shure has ceased production on their needles and cartridges and I am trying to think ahead so I am prepared for when the time comes.

I am unclear about a few things, and have a few questions:

1. Could the sound cutting out on the old cartridge (which I kept) be due to a problem with the magnet? Would replacing the stylus fix the issue, or is the magnet in the cartridge itself and therefore useless to me anymore?
2. Is what I described in question one a common issue, or a rarity and the current one I am using is probably okay?
3. If the answer to 2 is "probably okay," what stylus would you recommend me swapping for now that they are out of production? LP Gear? Jico? Are others compatible?

If all signs are pointing to me giving up and moving on to something not Shure at all,

1. Comparable products?
2. Upgrade that won't destroy my bank account every 3 years?
 
MadLucas said:
HEY ALL!

So, I have a Shure m97xe cartridge/stylus, almost two years old, just over 500 hours of listening (I track, I know, I'm THAT guy).

I replaced this 2 years ago because the sound kept cutting out on one channel after a few minutes, and then one record was disgustingly fuzzy and unlistenable. When I replaced the whole cartridge/stylus package, the issue disappeared completely :) [For those wondering, the problem started at about 750 hours.]

HOWEVER, Shure has ceased production on their needles and cartridges and I am trying to think ahead so I am prepared for when the time comes.

I am unclear about a few things, and have a few questions:

1. Could the sound cutting out on the old cartridge (which I kept) be due to a problem with the magnet? Would replacing the stylus fix the issue, or is the magnet in the cartridge itself and therefore useless to me anymore?
2. Is what I described in question one a common issue, or a rarity and the current one I am using is probably okay?
3. If the answer to 2 is "probably okay," what stylus would you recommend me swapping for now that they are out of production? LP Gear? Jico? Are others compatible?

If all signs are pointing to me giving up and moving on to something not Shure at all,

1. Comparable products?
2. Upgrade that won't destroy my bank account every 3 years?
Click to expand...

It sounds like your first one was defective. Shure’s quality control from their factory in Mexico wasn’t great.

If you want to keep using it, the LP Gear Hyperelliptical is roughly equivalent to the Shure, JICO SAS is a solid upgrade.

If you want something different, the A/T VM95ML is a solid choice.
 
I’ve always just replaced my styli with the standard elliptical and most recently used LPGear’s elliptical one this past summer. I’ve actually been looking at getting their new vivid line one for $115, about $85 cheaper than the Jico. LP Gear N97xVL ViVid Line upgrade for Shure N97xE stylus

In addition to a possibly faulty cartridge, if your stylus was manufactured wrong or completely bent, then you could have possibly had major mistracking if the stylus wasn’t making contact with the groove correctly. I’ve had my m97xe for almost 10 years with no issues and almost daily play. Still sounds great too.
 
Yup, sounds like you got a crappy one first round, the QC on those things was suspect. Mine has small bits of copper wires sticking out of one of the pins (thankfully was fine, but still come on...)

If you keep your records clean and treat your stylus well, I would recommend moving to an advanced profile. I have to agree with @HiFi Guy yet again on his two recommendations of SAS for that cart or AT VM94ML. I've never tried the SAS, but I have used the m97xe with an older NOS Shure styli (stock n97xe one isn't great) and it did improve the sound. As for the 95ML, I think it way better than the Shure in stock form. I guess it would come down to a few factors namely your attachment to the brush on the Shure from a warp handling / compliance matching standpoint, and repeat cost. 95ML styli are $150 each, vs the SAS hovering around $200.
 
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