Shure M91ED replacement stylus

[Bob in WI]

I was fortunate to get a SAS before the stratospheric price rise.
If I had to replace the stylus today, I'd likely try to VL.... but I prefer a more detailed sound.

"EVG sounded really good I thought but the N91VL beats it by a little"
That the EVG got beaten by a worn out stylus is not exactly a ringing endorsement.

 

[Balifly]

Here is a listing for a HE-hyper elliptical stylus.

Check with seller to confirm.
http://www.lptunes.com/Hyperelliptical-replacement-for-Shure-N-91ED-N91ED-p/shn091edlphl.htm

 

[MCM_Fan]

I was fortunate to get a SAS before the stratospheric price rise.
If I had to replace the stylus today, I'd likely try to VL.... but I prefer a more detailed sound.

"EVG sounded really good I thought but the N91VL beats it by a little"
That the EVG got beaten by a worn out stylus is not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Where did he say his N91VL was worn out? Here's the complete quote:

I have the LP Gear VL on my M91ed. It is superb.

I also have a $15 EVG stylus. It is surprisingly excellent. The VL pulls out a bit more detail though.

He said the LP Gear VL is superb. How can it be superb if it's worn out?

 

[Bob in WI]

Where did he say his N91VL was worn out? Here's the complete quote:



He said the LP Gear VL is superb. How can it be superb if it's worn out?

"I have a pretty worn out original, the EVG, and the N91VL. The original plays but has a too many hours on it I believe. The EVG sounded really good I thought but the N91VL beats it by a little in my opinion"

I misinterpreted this?

 

[Jim Creek]

"I have a pretty worn out original, the EVG, and the N91VL. The original plays but has a too many hours on it I believe. The EVG sounded really good I thought but the N91VL beats it by a little in my opinion"

That is not my quote above! That is kdooley's quote above.

I have the LP Gear VL on my M91ed. It is superb.

I also have a $15 EVG stylus. It is surprisingly excellent. The VL pulls out a bit more detail though.

The above is my quote. I never said my stylus was worn.

Please, you guys, get your shit together!!!

 

[Bob in WI]

That is not my quote above! That is kdooley's quote above.



The above is my quote. I never said my stylus was worn.

Please, you guys, get your shit together!!!

WTF??
I'm out of here. Cheers.

 

[MCM_Fan]

"I have a pretty worn out original, the EVG, and the N91VL. The original plays but has a too many hours on it I believe. The EVG sounded really good I thought but the N91VL beats it by a little in my opinion"

I misinterpreted this?

Yes, you did. You are quoting two different people.

You should probably use the +Quote or Reply buttons at the bottom of the response you are quoting. When you just cut and paste someone quote, with no attribution, we have no idea who said what unless we go back and piece it together manually. The buttons automatically assign the correct attribution and even provide a link back to the original post you are quoting. Makes it much easier for you, and the rest of us, to keep track of who said what.

 

[Sam Cogley]

"I have a pretty worn out original, the EVG, and the N91VL. The original plays but has a too many hours on it I believe. The EVG sounded really good I thought but the N91VL beats it by a little in my opinion"

I misinterpreted this?

Yes. You're conflating a comment about three styli (original, EVG, VL) into a comment about two styli - namely, you're somehow mixing the original and N91VL together.

 

[kdooley]

I was referring to the original Hi Track as being the worn out one. The EVG and the N91VL are both new.

 

[Lastplace]

I ended up ordering a Tonar made stylus for $35 shipped. I have to say there are so many options for this cart it's hard to figure out what you are buying.

 

[Jim Creek]

I ended up ordering a Tonar made stylus for $35 shipped. I have to say there are so many options for this cart it's hard to figure out what you are buying.

It's hard to go wrong with the m91ed. You can find them used on ebay for less than $30.

The stylus options are endless. And even the cheap styli sound excellent. The Tonar is a good choice.

 

[91r100gs]

From what I understand the black dot on the cantilever is not necessarily a Jico marker, but a mark relating to the level of polish on the diamond. Not sure if it is a good marker or a bad marker. Been to many years since I read this. Cant even remember if it was on AK, Steve H, or in a internet feature.

 

[91r100gs]

"Cheap and works" is o.k. for the casual listener who just wants to play a "vinyl" once in a while. But if you enjoy listening to records, especially on vintage systems then I would suggest avoiding the no-name cheapies and invest (we're talking a $50 or so investment) in an after-market stylus that is as good as the original. You'll be doing your record collection a favor.

Malden,
Like you, I like the fact that Jico makes so many hi quality styli for classic cartridges. I have several myself, in my inventory of M91 styli. In trying to deal with them directly, having sent two polite (please and thank you's included) emails to them, and have never received a reply to my query. My question was what is the difference between the M91 stylus that sells for $31 and the $56 stylus.

As a consumer I feel that I should be privy to the facts of what I am buying. If the $56 stylus has a thinner cantilever, a higher level of polish on the diamond, and/or a better suspension I would gladly pay the difference. If I am going to pay $22 to have it shipped the difference in price is insignificant. I just want to know what makes it $25 better. Will not buy one till I know the difference.

Off my soap box now. Thanks for reading.

 

[malden]

Malden,
Like you, I like the fact that Jico makes so many hi quality styli for classic cartridges. I have several myself, in my inventory of M91 styli. In trying to deal with them directly, having sent two polite (please and thank you's included) emails to them, and have never received a reply to my query. My question was what is the difference between the M91 stylus that sells for $31 and the $56 stylus.

As a consumer I feel that I should be privy to the facts of what I am buying. If the $56 stylus has a thinner cantilever, a higher level of polish on the diamond, and/or a better suspension I would gladly pay the difference. If I am going to pay $22 to have it shipped the difference in price is insignificant. I just want to know what makes it $25 better. Will not buy one till I know the difference.

Off my soap box now. Thanks for reading.

I hear you. I had the same experience with them, but they have gotten better lately. Regarding styli for the M91ED cartridge, the $33.00 N91E (black grip) and the $56.00 N91ED (yellow) grip, are the same. The only difference is the color of the grip. JICO seems to be capitalizing on the fact that the M91ED cartridge is much more abundant than the earlier M91E. I don't think that's very nice, but at least they were honest about it.

 

[91r100gs]

^^^^^ Kinda what I figured.

 

[bobins08]

I can endorse the Vivid Line on the M97xE, it makes that cartridge come to life. Never heard one on the M91 and it appears there are lots of low cost options for it.

I have the EVG for the V15-II and III and they are ok, good for little investment, but not special.

 

[malden]

From what I understand the black dot on the cantilever is not necessarily a Jico marker, but a mark relating to the level of polish on the diamond. Not sure if it is a good marker or a bad marker.......

That's interesting, there is a lot of interest in cheap styli found on ebay and elsewhere, but there must be a price to pay in record wear with repeated exposure to less than perfect stylus tips.

 

[91r100gs]

I have bought 3 and inherited 1 EVG PM 3136DE's. I have used them a lot on many records and even expensive records, I have not noticed any ill effects on any that I have played multiple times. This includes 2 of my many copies of "This is The Moody Blues" that I stack all four sides at once. These have been played 75+ times over the last couple years. Yes they are played about once a week, often to fall asleep to.

On what the black dot indicates:
My "Jico HE" from TTN does not have the black dot on the cantilever but has been cleaned many times, with MoFI LP-9 stylus cleaner so it may have gone away due the alcohol in the LP-9.

Just as a curiosity I had my lady friend swap styli and not looking at what she put in, would try to identify the stylus. The only one I could identify every time was the EVG, not due to inferior sound but it sounds the most like the Grado that is on my VPI. It sort of mimics the famous "Grado Bloom"

Thinking about getting the $33 one from JIco and maybe propose a group buy, to help with shipping costs for everyone who want to order something from Jico. They have one other stylus I am interested in for $96 that is a HE and is for the M75 which will work on the M91.

Sorry about rambling

 

[malden]

On what the black dot indicates:
My "Jico HE" from TTN does not have the black dot on the cantilever but has been cleaned many times, with MoFI LP-9 stylus cleaner so it may have gone away due the alcohol in the LP-9.

Does your JICO HE from TTN have a square or round magnet?

Thinking about getting the $33 one from JIco and maybe propose a group buy, to help with shipping costs for everyone who want to order something from Jico. They have one other stylus I am interested in for $96 that is a HE and is for the M75 which will work on the M91.

I have a VN45HE (V15 type lV) from JICO, mounted in a Thoren TD 160, and it is the best sounding stylus/turntable combination I've heard. I think the key is matching the stylus to the tone-arm. The stabilizing brush helps the stylus deal with the somewhat massy tone-arm.

The M75 with a HE stylus would need a low mass tone-arm to really sing. I have a M75 with a JICO N75EJ mounted in a Empire 398 at the moment and it seems to be a perfect match.

 

[Pio1980]

That's interesting, there is a lot of interest in cheap styli found on ebay and elsewhere, but there must be a price to pay in record wear with repeated exposure to less than perfect stylus tips.

A worn tip is less than perfect, a well worn tip is bad for the record and the ears. Anything that tracks and traces without carving the groove walls is better for the record.