08.04.2011 A Prince Among Paupers...

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Shure M97xE Phono Cartridge

Shure M97xE Phono Cartridge
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A Prince Among Paupers...A New King For Vinyl Lovers!

Written: Jun 25 '07 (Updated Jan 25 '11)

Product Rating: Pros: Price! Performance! Looks! Presentation! Durable!

Best...Best and more BEST!

Cons: Extreme high frequency tracking ability although very Epinions.com ID:
good is only half of V-15 V. sam-pro
- Top
The Bottom Line: There is not a better modern phono 500
cartridge for your turntable at three times the price.
Member: Peter J
Sammon II
Location: The
sam-pro's Full Review: Shure M97xE Phono Cartridge Bloomfield Burying
Ground, USA
Every once in a blue moon a product arrives on the audio scene that belies its meager price.
Such is the case with the transducer up for review here today. The amazing thing about the Reviews written: 226
product is that it not only is a bargain but it also warrants the longest break-in period for a Trusted by: 123
component I've ever witnessed...about 200 hours! This is at best...almost 1/4 of a diamond members
needle's life. This one's may be even longer. It is that rugged and durable! About Me:
Every once in awhile
Until recently...the Shure V-15 series of phono cartridges reigned supreme among moving something great arrives
magnet types for about forty years. The following amongst audiophiles of all pocket books was at relatively low cost to
unprecedented. Historically, the company's number two cartridge was referred to as a prince you...Priceless!
because everybody knew that the V-15 was king!
View all reviews by
When the first V-15 was introduced in 1964...the company's number two was the M3D which sam-pro
had already been introduced in 1958 as the first true stereo cartridge. The M3D was Shure's View sam-pro's profile
first phono cartridge to track as low as 2 grams yet could survive a five gram TTF quite easily.
When the V-15 Type II was introduced...the M91E became prince. With the introduction of the
Type II Improved in the late 60's...the M91ED became second in command although a few of
us knew that the co 's M75ED T2 was the real prince!
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us knew that the co. s M75ED T2 was the real prince!.

In 1973 Shure introduced the V-15 Type III and stated "Anything Two could do Three can do
better". The M95ED was then crowned prince. In 1977 era IV was amongst us with the Type IV
introducing a new stylus shape known as the Hyperelliptical and the M97HE became number
two. Both Era IV cartridges featured a new means of attacking record warps via "The Dynamic
Stabilizer."

In 1981 yet another V-15 was unveiled and with the introduction of the Shure V-15 Type V and
a significant leap in high frequency reproduction...Era V was here and so was the ML-
140HE...Shure's new number two which incidentally was a very underrated pickup that could
be purchased for $92 street price and found its way into my home back in 1983 even though I
also purchased the new Type V MR stylus...Micro Ridge which sported the longest footprint of
any Shure needle ever.

Somewhere after you and I decided that the phono cartridge had no further worth to us and as
the digital compact disc won our hearts over...Shure...along with other needle makers felt
compelled to cut back cartridge and styli production and the V-15 Type VMR along with all the
former number ones and twos ceased to be.

Then...in 1997 because of the outcries of the few remaining vinyl junkies and even fewer true
analog audiophiles...The V-15 was brought back in the form of the V-15 VxMR. At this point
Shure introduced its next number two...the M97xE which now stands alone as Shure's reigning
king because alas...Shure recently deemed it necessary to once again eliminate its champ
due to scarcity and rising costs of the materials needed for the VxMR.

That brings us to where we are now...a review of Shure's latest king and former prince...the
M97xE. I purchased several of these carts back in late 2002 or was it it early 2003? I don't
remember for sure {Shure?} but my intent was to keep vinyl alive as much as possible and I
passed them on to some audiophile friends while keeping one for myself that eventually left the
premises.

I was excited about the product but didn't get to really keep any 'til recently when I made my
latest purchase from a vendor who asked me to make an offer. After turning down my initial
offers...my third bid was accepted and I received my cart for $50 plus in keeping with my New
Year's resolution that I made publicly here on EPINIONS. I did give the last one of my original
batch a two hour test in my PE 3048 table back in 2003 but put it away as I thought I heard
enough to at least feel hey that's pretty good. I was wrong...way wrong because I totally
disregarded the break-in period and should have known better!

Had I actually kept that last one for myself longer...I might have had a more enthusiastic
reaction in my comparison report on this site and made the important discoveries that now
have manifested themselves to me in a fashion I never imagined possible...especially from
Shure.

"The M97xE is a superb smooth-sounding phonograph cartridge designed to provide

long hours of undistorted listening, without fatiguing the ear. Its highly precise tracking
ability and flat frequency response are made possible by Shure's unique Type II low-
mass thin-wall aluminum alloy stylus cantilever, combined with a precision-crafted,
finely polished, elliptical diamond tip".

This is precisely what you'll read everytime you see someone selling the M97xE on the
internet. It is a quote directly from Shure Incorporated. Yet it is exactly what you get as Shure
continues its tradition of no bs high-fellootin' outrageous claims but rather honest
straightforward common sense ones instead. How refreshing is this in an industry where
everyday some flowery descriptive reviewer finds infatuation with a product ten times the
Shure's price...or more! You really have to stop and wonder...isn't it just possible...even
remotely so...that some of these items are just out and out ripoffs???

The Shure M97xE is going to be an extremely important contributor to vinyl's comeback. Just
take a ride over to Ebay or Amazon.com and you will understand why it's the number one
seller for phono pickups here in the U.S.A. The OM5E by Ortofon is a best selling phono
cartridge in Europe and it too will be an important part of vinyl's return.

However...as excellent as it is...it's just not quite the equal to the M97xE. This is in total
contrast to my initial reaction. Don't get me wrong...the OM5E is still a favorite of mine but it
doesn't break in or age as well as the Shure.

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The Shure M97xE is like a fine wine that only gets better with age. I once stated in a report
that compared a whole slew of cartridge and styli in the under $100 category that the M97xE
lacked that special emotion that makes a cartridge truly something special. I'm prepared to eat
those words. I also stated that the pickup could very well be the "sleeper" in the bunch. Well in
the words of the Emperor of Japan after the bomb..."I fear all we have done is to awaken a
sleeping giant."

Setup

The cartridge arrives to you in a nice silver case that is sealed by Shure in plastic so as to not
cause any doubt by the owner as to whether the cart has been tampered with or used by the
dealer for customer demonstration. The model number appears on the box with the word
"Audiophile" stamped in big letters right below it. This is opposed to earlier versions of the
model that were packaged in a small non-sealed plain silver cardboard box minus the
protractor.

Inside the newer sealed box is an aluminum case {You have to pay almost twice the price of
the Shure to get this kind of treatment from Stanton with their 681 EEE II} that neatly serves as
a classy home to cartridge and toolkit which contains the necessary hardware plus a
screwdriver and stylus dustbrush. All of this is surrounded by rubber with slots for the
appropriate items.

Beneath the rubber tray is a two-point stylus protractor and instructions for mounting the
M97xE. Yay to Shure for being the only manufacturer I know of that supplies this overlooked
item with their economical high performance cartridge and boo to them for not explaining how
to use it!

Okay...no problem...I will explain it to you here in full detail. You really have to at least credit
Shure for supplying the protractor as it is critical to phono cartridge setup and vital to the
sound quality itself. All phono cartridge manufacturers should be so attentive to their
customer's needs. With the cartridge featuring a .002 x .007 elliptical (nude-mounted?)
diamond that is superior to the company's former longer footprint hyperelliptical
gem...alignment is critical and must be precise in order to obtain the full benefits of this
cart...especially on inner grooves where distortion is inherent and can rise rapidly.

When pulling the M97xE from its tray...you'll notice the aluminum mounting block right away
as it is quite striking in appearance and pictures just don't do it justice. It has a highly polished
chrome-like appearance along with such a solid feel but what's with the very interesting and
unique symbol embedded in the front of the attractive aluminum block? It is sexy-looking
however.

You immediately get the sense that Shure constructed this cartridge much better than the
older M97's along with superior bonding of the cart body to the aluminum block. This quite
effectively reduces or even eliminates unwanted resonances.

The black main body of the Shure has the letters..."M97x" stamped on it in white. This is
important to note so as to differentiate between an older "M97" cartridge body and the modern
"M97x" one. Styli {needles} are not interchangeable between the old and new but the fact that
"M97x" appears on the modern cart's body with the "E" nomenclature appearing on the stylus
assembly signals to me that Shure may very well offer improved styli for this model down the
road.

Mounting the M97xE is a small chore to some but I found that ten to twenty minutes should
suffice using the supplied screws and nuts. Mounting the cart in fixed headshells may take a
bit longer but mounting the cart in the Pioneer PL-518's removeable headshell wasn't bad at all
and somewhat easy although the tiny nuts are perhaps a bit too small as they spin in the slots
of my particular unit but I was able to hold them in place to fully tighten them anyway.

In the PE 3048 which uses a Dual 1200 series headshell...the nuts were barely large enough
to hold in the slots which made tightening and mounting much easier. The color-coded
cartridge terminals are in a different order from top to bottom when compared to older Shures
so please beware of this and don't hurry the install thinking you know...when in reality you
don't! Follow the clearly illustrated instructions.

How To Use The Shure M97xE Stylus Protractor

Start by having the cartridge exactly midway of the headshell. Note the "A" and "B" points of
the protractor. "A" is near the inner grooves of a record so keep this in mind when aligning the
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the protractor. A is near the inner grooves of a record so keep this in mind when aligning the
cartridge. This protractor differs from previous two-point types in that on most others you must
keep the platter stationery during the swing from point "A" to point "B" and that the points are
reversed while definitely not being in straight line with each other. On this new protractor it is
not necessary to shim the turntable platter in order to prevent slight movement but DO make
sure power is off to the turntable itself!

Place a record on the turntable then place the smooth cardboard protractor's hole over the
record spindle while resting on top of the record. Note that vertical tracking alignment VTA is
perfect by placing the stylus on the record and noting that the cartridge body is not tilted too
far back or too far forward. It should be just right with the overall body being perfectly parallel to
the record surface both front-to-back and from side-to-side.

If the rear of the body hits the record during a slight warp...then VTA is probably not set
correctly. This little injustice will also make the M97xE sound somewhat surface noisy and
cartridge brilliance along with clarity will also be affected. Add angled shims if necessary or
adjust tonearm height. On most classic "S" shaped tonearms without VTA this can be
accomplished simply by slightly forcing the headshell downward and clockwise or counter
clockwise while tightening the collar.

Use of an inexpensive aftermarket headshell such as the Stanton H4-S or the Phanstiehl HS-
1B will greatly aid you in this situation as these types are well constructed and feature a
slightly sloped cartridge mounting slot. There may very well be others that are similarly built
but I feel that these two represent the best of what is currently out there at reasonably low cost
to you.

Swing the tonearm and cartridge over the record/protractor. The idea here is to start at point
"A" making sure that the cartridge body is parallel to the protractor's lines while the stylus tip
rests directly on the point itself. Square it up!

The easiest and safest way to accomplish this is to swing the Dynamic Stabilizer all the way
down making sure it clicks into the "Guard" position. Note the white cue line on the stabilizer.
Make sure the bottom of this line touches the point "A" precisely while maintaining perfect
parallel alignment. The bottom of the white cue line is directly under the stylus tip. Move the
platter so that the cartridge can be set at point "B". Then move cartridge and tonearm to point
"B" and adjust the body so that the sides of the stabilizer appear parallel to this set of lines
again keeping the stylus cue mark perfectly on the point.

Repeat the process back and forth until the cartridge is perfectly parallel while the bottom of
the white cue mark rests precisely on each of the two points. Then re-tighten the hardware
while re-checking alignment afterward. Do not be concerned if you windup with the cartridge
body turned slightly inward as opposed to perfectly straight. This may take some time and
practice. When the cart is perfectly parallel to the sidelines of both points "A" and "B" while
the stylus is set to directly on the points themselves...then you've reached perfect alignment!
Congratulations...you are aligned!

For those of you who might have received this cartridge in its earlier form without the
protractor...don't fret...your M97xE is just as good as the newer version but you need to
download the free two-point protractor from www.enjoythemusic.com. Use smooth photo
printer paper and set the image as per instructions. It'll look different from the Shure version but
will be just as effective.

Don't be overly concerned with slight differences from one protractor to the other as there are
many points along the correct plane of proper stylus overhang. You have to understand that
these little ten cent pieces of cardboard were well thought out by their respective engineers
and not just tossed in for the hell of it. I include here even Rega's little one point guage that
concerns itself with the inner groove.

On the Pioneer PL-518 the cartridge woundup perfectly straight precisely midway of the slots
on the Phanstiehl headshell. On the PE 3048's dual-gimballed suspension tonearm..perfect
azimuth was attained with the cartridge turned ever so slightly inward and a bit further past the
midway point of the slotted Dual 1200 series headshell.

I set the tracking force TTF and anti-skate both to 1.75 grams which renders an actual TTF of
1.25 grams with the Dynamic Stabilizer/brush fully in place. The stabilizer/brush actually
pushes upward by 1/2 gram. I don't believe in keeping it up during record play as it is there for
good reason. Use it!

Ij td 't b i t th hil h th t th t bili t i th It d d f

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I just don't buy into the philosophy that the stabilizer gets in the way. It produces no sound of
its own when kept clean which brings me to yet another point. The tiny micro-bristles of this
brush pickup just about every fine particle of debris it can find. If you think that your record is
clean...well...think again!

You had better develop a ritual however...of dry cleaning the brush thoroughly before placing
the stylus on the record as the slightest amount of debris on the brush may cause the
cartridge to skate considerably when gently cue-dropping over a quick sloped lead-in groove.
Shure's 50/50 formula of isopropyl alcohol/distilled water is great for cleaning the M97xE's
elliptical diamond gem but just avoid contact with the stabilizer's brush when it comes to this
solution. Please see this report... http://www.epinions.com/content_5006532740

My ritual is to clean the stylus and stabilizer with the dry supplied brush making sure to briskly
clean the brush on the stabilizer itself. You'll be surprised how much dust can accumulate on
the stabilizer during a single-sided play. Well...better the brush than having the dust
accumulate on the highly compliant stylus!

The Sound itself!

The Shure M97xE could have easily been named the Shure V-15 Type III Point Five. That is
exactly where it would logically fall into place given its trackability spec and overall sound
quality. Thus...when Shure recommends to owners of the original first three V-15's to purchase
this new model rather than hunt down original replacement styli that sell for insanely high
prices far beyond the M97xE's street price on Ebay or settling for cheapy generics that fall way
too short of the mark...they are being quite honest and practicle. How refreshing is this from
the world's best maker of quality transducers?

They are actually trying to save you money...and grief! So way cool for my fellow "Poor Men
and Women"!!! Yes...and I DO mean you also...young lady with that ultra high frequency
hearing that has been well documented. You won't be telling your hubby to turn it down
anymore. You may very well catch yourself telling your man to crank it up! Clean! Clean!...And
double C-L-E-A-N!!

After mounting and aligning the M97xE in both the Pioneer PL-518 and PE 3048 turntables I
was able to draw some very interesting conclusions about this cart. First...it sounds great!
Right out of the box it has plenty of dynamicism but definitely is warm. "Warm" to me means
that there is more of an emphasis in the bass response just as "brilliant" would indicate there
is emphasis in the upper registers.

The real surprise is that this warmth disappears after a full 200 hours of break-in! At that point
the cartridge becomes the most neutral sounding cartridge on the face of the earth.

The first 20 hours were spent in the tonearm of my Pioneer PL-518 and the sound was lovely
but still somewhat warm with good detail and soundstaging but I found myself wishing for the
transducer to open up a bit in the highs. This too was with my oder basic Radio Shack phono
preamp/mixer which was a cut above those found in most receivers.

Then I received my new TEC TC-760LC Audiophile Phono Preamp which boasts low noise and
the flattest of frequency responses. I decided to mount the M97xE in my PE 3048 turntable
which is rubber idler driven with a great and respectable synchronous motor. The PE's tonearm
is quite similar to that of the Dual 1218 or 1228.

This straight low mass tonearm boasts some of the lowest bearing friction ever which in turn is
quite vital to the success of a highly compliant cartridge such as the Shure M97xE. The
cartridge sounded even warmer but still with great detail and dynamicism.

Then...right around the 100 hour mark I clearly could hear a change as I was playing one of my
all-time favorite LP's...The Beach Boys "Sunshine Dreams". Right in the middle of "Friends"
the high frequencies became more prominent and downright clear! This also meant that the
soundstage became deeper and...believe or not...wider and taller!...And oh...the DETAIL!
There's heaps of it with this cartridge in command of your precious vinyl.

Shortly afterward I listened to Fleetwood Mac's double LP of "Tusk". There's just no

comparison if you own the CD version. All that strummin' and pickin'...and oh, the mids! You
can not only hear but feel the emotional changes in Stevie Nick's voice on "Sara". Then listen
to their "Mirage" album's "Empire State", "Can't Go Back", "Gypsy" and the magnificent "Hold
Me". The same can be said for ELO's "Face The Music"{CBS blue "Jet" full version}...emotion
and detail...it's a beauty thing...is it not?
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This was quite stunning to me as I never witnessed such a break-in period the likes of this and
by the 200 hour mark the cart had fully opened up. Was this due to the cartridge's unique
cantilever slowly breaking in or the TC-760LC's burn in period or both? I don't know but now
know not to ever judge a phono cartridge's performance on a first impression basis.

Transient response is tops! The M97xE is as fast as you could possibly want with great detail
and accuracy of musical timbre. The differential between loud and soft spots on the record is
quite incredible for a cartridge at this price point and far exceeds others costing three times its
price.

Using my vast collection of vinyl that covers many types of music...I was able to determine
that this really is a grownup Shure and not necessarily your father's Shure. The type II thin
aluminum cantilever is superior in some ways to the V-15 V's beryllium one. The Microwall/Be
cantilever becomes brittle over a period of time whereas the M97xE's cantilever gets better with
age like a fine wine.

It is true that the V-15 V had double the high frequency trackability spec and was a champion
of the inner groove but once the M97xE is aligned to perfection...you won't even give IGD a
thought. Sibilance is superb with the M97xE and the cart has the ability to tame any
harshness in the highs while maintaining its total neutrality. Yet...there is wonderful "air" to the
music as the M97xE aced all tracks on Telarc's "Fennell-Cleveland Symphonic Winds" album
which can cause a lesser cartridge to misbehave badly.

The M97xE's type II cantilever and diamond gem can really dig deep into the record groove
apparently touching parts that have not been reached by others. Such an eye/ear-opening
example to me was when I played an old Red Seal stereo "1812 Overture" LP on RCA LSC-
3051 that features full orchestra and children's chorus... The inner grooves of this thirty plus
year old monster consistently sounded bad with other cartridges...even expensive ones
exhibiting some nasty distortion and mistracking.

This may very well be the most pertinent part of this review as the recording contains many
complex musical passages near the 1812's phenomenal explosive finale. The New
Philharmonia Orchestra, Cathedral Choir and Children's Choir of St. Ambrose, Central Band Of
The Royal Air Force, Guns Of The King's Troops and Russian Church Bells all under the
direction of maestro Igor Buketoff suddenly sound cleaner with wonderful distinction and much
more dynamic than I ever thought possible even though there were many prior mistrackings.
The M97xE's discretion is first rate!

Remember...cartridge mistrackings leave permanent impressions on vinyl...and YOU! The bells

were now cleanly reproduced against the fiery background revealing an inner detail I simply
never heard before! I used to feel that this particular recording was uninteresting, totally bland
and emotionless. Funny how now that same recording is one of my very favorites with the
Shure M97xE at the helm!

The very same can be said of my beloved "Electric Light Orchestra-No Answer" LP. Even
though they are my favorite 70's band...their first album always sounded kind of less dynamic
and somewhat distorted...but oh no...not with this Shure! All of the sudden...Roy Wood's cello
is so clean clear dynamic and detailed even amongst the complex parts. It is almost as if a veil
had been lifted revealing a greater field of depth. Now that's resolution!

Some old recordings are gonna surprise you with just how much dynamic range and clarity
they have. Such a recording is the 1959 Original Broadway Cast Recording of "The Sound Of
Music" on CBS Masterworks...S-32601. The stereo separation is phenomenal e.g. the children
on "So Long, Farewell"! So is the M97xE's focus. Patricia Neway's voice shines through with
such great emotion on "Climb Every Mountain" while Mary Martin's sounds so clear and
natural on "Do-Re-Mi". Theodore Bikel's acoustic guitar absolutely shines and stuns you on
the ever forgotten but nonetheless delightful "No Way To Stop It". The Shure M97xE breathes
new life into this old classic!

Popping out my Telarc Robert Shaw "Carmina" LP proved to me that the cart not only is quite
dynamic but handles percussion almost to perfection with cymbal clashes sounding very
realistic as opposed to sandpapery-like. The Love group's "Forever Changes" on the New York
based Sundazed label sounds absolutely transparent with subtle details spewing forth from the
cartridge in exemplary form! You're gonna luv the Jazz string basses on various LP's as certain
pluckings of strings will be sure to rattle your floors and windows.

Of course the Shure was able to track everything with such an impressive ease and clarity on
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Of course the Shure was able to track everything with such an impressive ease and clarity on
my "Professor Johnson" test LP. Even though the final test track represents the inner most
grooves...the very dynamic African drums and bells were reproduced cleanly with great
accuracy and correct timbre. Such a piece of equipment like the Shure tends to sound more
like a refined instrument.

Now all this sounds good so far but beware...the M97xE is only as good as the record itself
and bad recordings will immediately manifest themselves as such while mediocre ones will
sound precisely that. Believe me...there are some so-called audiophile thick vinyl pressings
that cost all of $30 that will surely disappoint you when played through the Shure while others
will absolutely stun and delight ya! Classic example...the $30 audiophile re-issue on thick vinyl
of the Guess Who's "American Woman" will make you wish that a company like Rhino had
done the remastering. Then again...MGM's Kama-Sutra old recording of The Lovin' Spoonful's
Greatest Hits sounds absolutely drone while the Rhino version of the same is clearly delightful.

I believe I prefer the sound of this cartridge at present to almost any other you can think of.
Certainly the Pickering XSV-3000 while being quite dynamic and clear especially on the inner
grooves was still perhaps a bit brilliant with a quick-wearing stylus. The same could be said of
the Stanton 881S or the Ortofon OM series and I've already explained to you the V-15 Type V's
only shortcoming.

Although I am not as familiar with moving coil designs as others certainly are...I consistently
read reports of "brilliance" in these types. This may very well be impressive to some but others
may find such a characteristic fatiguing in time.

This is a true calibration cartridge with wide flat frequency bandwidth that will tell the truth and
oh, can it ever etch! "The Birds, The Bees And The Monkees" LP on Rhino will sound so rich
yet the older Colgems version will not! Stereo separation while being very good during the first
twenty hours of break-in becomes outstanding after two-hundred hours. I wonder how many of
the few present vinyl makers will windup selecting the Shure M97xE to determine their vinyl's
actual sound quality.

Deep bass is excellently reproduced with the stabilizer in place and groove noise is kept to a
minimum but I would caution you about the use of fluids. I can easily tell when a former owner
of one of my LP's used Discwasher fluid because the damn stuff leaves a residue on the vinyl's
surface that translates into supreme surface noise. The M97xE will pickup this garbage quite
clearly and annoyingly until the forsaken stuff disappears after five, ten or even more playings.
Otherwise...on well kept vinyl or newer ones it is extremely quiet and hum is totally
inaudible....NIL!

Use a nice dry cleaning brush like the Hunt E.D.A. Mark 6. I do not use a wet record vac. I
cannot afford one. Besides...who's to say that these giant investments don't leave their own
traces of residue anyway?

Don't put the Dynamic Stabilizer in the "Up" position. Please use it...and you know what?? I
remember actually witnessing the difference the stabilizer makes when I owned my Shure V-15
Type V back in 1982 and Shure sent me their ERA V Test Record. There was a band of sub
audible frequencies that caused the cartridge to visibly and audibly warble without the Dynamic
Stabilizer in place. When engaged...the warbling totally disappeared.

Now think about that...I realize that Shure was simulating warps with those deep bass
frequencies but doesn't it stand to reason that the cartridge will also handle bass frequencies
above the sub audible ones very well also...with the stabilizer in place?

Final Thoughts

The bottom line is that the Shure M97xE represents tremendous value and one would be hard
pressed to find a significantly better performer at any price point. Perhaps the real tell-tale here
is that it is the ONLY phono cartridge I've ever owned to get significantly better with time. All of
the others seemed to have peaked after a five to ten hour break-in period only to gradually lose
their charm.

The Shure M97xE is a real long term keeper and a great champion amongst poor audiophiles.
The fact that it currently sells for about the same street price of a V-15 Type III back in 1973 is
very impressive! It is so good that I believe I will prolong the purchase of that $200 Benz-Micro
low output moving coil model that I had planned to make so as to test my new preamp's mc
capabilities.

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Please note that the very reputable www.KABUSA.com features the M97xE in their top table.
There is good reason for this as the co. realizes that no other cart even remotely near the cost
of the Shure keeps the stereo image in such great focus! As vinyl's full return is now
inevitable...Shure has once again climbed to the top!...PJS2

Associated gear

PE 3048 Turntable
Pioneer PL-518 Turntable
TEC TC-760LC Audiophile Phono Preamp
AudioSource AMP-100 Power Amplifier
Pioneer TX-5500 Mk. II Analog Tuner
Polk R-30 Towers
Kimber KWIK-12 Speaker Interconnects

Similar products that either do or do not equal the M97xE at all price points past and
present

Ortofon OM5E
Ortofon OM40 Gold
Shure V-15 RS
Shure V-15 VMR
Shure V-15 V
Shure V-15 III
Shure V-15 II Improved
Shure M97He
Shure M97ED
Shure M95ED
Shure M95G
Shure M91E
Shure M91ED
Shure M75ED T2
Pickering XSV 3000
Stanton L847S
audio-technica A-T 92ECD
Signet AM30
audio-technica A-T 440ML
Stanton 681EEE
Stanton 681EEE Mk IIS
Benz-Micro Ruby
Supex 909E
ADC XLM
ADC XLM Mk II
Grado Prestige Blue
Pickering XV-15 200E
Stanton 500EE
Stanton 500AL
Stanton 505SK
Pickering PAC
Shure M72EJ
Shure M70B
Shure M97EJ
Realistic/Shure R8X
Realistic/Shure R25EDT
Koetsu Rosewood

UPDATE:

In the initial report I stated..."In the PE 3048 which uses a Dual 1200 series headshell...the
nuts were barely large enough to hold in the slots which made tightening and mounting much
easier." Well... I just remounted the cartridge in the PE's Dual 1200 headshell with the nuts on
the bottom this time as opposed to up top. I have found this method to be superior to the
former in the sense that the length of the screws don't distort the slide-in
headshell...maintaining better contact between the headshell's rear spring-loaded pins and the
tonearm's receptacle/contacts
epinions.com/content_381850586756 8/10
08.04.2011 A Prince Among Paupers...A New Kin
tonearm s receptacle/contacts.

Re-alignment was also better this time around as it was pointed out to me by a fellow member
of Audiogon that according to my pictures the cart alignment was slightly off. Thanks and you
see..,.I do so ever appreciate your comments and take them seriously!...PJSII

UPDATE: 1/24/2011

OK ...it's time I brought you up to snuff! Just mounted the M97xE in an audiophile aluminum
headshell and a GLI PRO SL-2500 Direct Drive Turntable and the results are phenomenal!
Apparently the aluminum block of the Shure mated to this particular style SME headshell
mak es for wonderful impact, clarity and emotion! This coupled with the fact that the price just
dropped to the $55 mark again from J&R Music on Ebay mak es this cart an even better buy.

Oh...by the way...just for the record...there is not a phono cartridge on the face of the earth at
$300 or less that can touch it. I just ordered my first replacement stylus after four years with
the current price drop... I figured I should have one on hand even though the original is still
singing quite nicely!

SHURE is the BEST!!!...PJS-II

Recommended:
Yes

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