M97xE - I'm on Board!

AJD1964

Well-Known Member
I just received my new M97xE yesterday, and it performs MUCH better than I expected. I am so used to my AT's and their sound, now I really see the difference. Not that the AT sound is a bad thing, but I've now realized they are seem very CD like, and I always had to hold the treble pot back to 10:00 position. The M97xE is NOT dull at all on my system as some do find. I am using the cart right now with my Dual 1219/SX-750/Forte-1 set-up. Got lucky with the original interconnects I suppose.

I've only played 3 albums so far (This is Moody Blues, Let it Bleed, and Go-Gos debut) and one mono 45 ('63 Tymes Wonderful Wonderful) with it so far. The M97xE has very silky smooth detail, HUGE bass, and pleasant high end with NO fatigue. I can now run my treble pot at center flat position. This is the sound I was hoping to get with an NOS stylus I found for my V15-II, but it was a dud maybe due to it's age. Maybe now I've found that real "warm" vinyl sound. Can't wait to try it on my Jazz LP's.

The only negative I've noticed, and it is VERY minimal, is that I heard extremely slight LP inner grove breakdown on the "Let It Bleed" track of that album. Unless a record was previously trashed, I've never heard IGD with my AT440-MLA before, and that is the only cart I have so far that I can say that about. I may still have tweaking to do with the M97xE however.
 
The only negative I've noticed, and it is VERY minimal, is that I heard extremely slight LP inner grove breakdown on the "Let It Bleed" track of that album. Unless a record was previously trashed, I've never heard IGD with my AT440-MLA before, and that is the only cart I have so far that I can say that about. I may still have tweaking to do with the M97xE however.

It's possible (and likely) that the fineline diamond on the AT440MLa dug so deeply into the groove that it was able to access a "virgin" section of the groove wall, free from wear. The .2 x .7mil diamond on the Shure is excellent, but not quite as fine as the AT's tiny stone. That said, I'll take an M97xE over an AT440MLa any day, I just like it's warmer character better.
 
Big bang for the buck the M97xE is... Fiddle with alignment some more and see if you can eliminate the IGD


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You should read through this thread below

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/inner-groove-distortion.424586/
 
I bought one a couple of years ago with it mind to upgrade the stylus but I liked so much the way it came out of the box I really felt no need to upgrade it.
The post above is spot on, there's a bunch of expert info to be had on this.
 
My M97xE and replacement styli have always sounded pretty good right out of the box, but a little break-in time can make a difference. I put a new stylus on mine on July 1st and found that it took about 15 albums of play to really hit its stride in terms of best tracking and that smooth, open, detailed sound I'm used to with massed strings. I have to agree that my AT440ML was great at clean tracking of the inner groove; I just couldn't take its tonal balance in my system. But I also hear no issues with inner groove play with my M97xE once it's had a few albums of break-in time on it. In the past I've liked changing cartridges once in a while when the stylus is due for replacement (or sometimes before), and for my RP3 I've already tried cartridges from Sumiko, Rega, AT, and Shure. At this point, though, I can't see any reason to ever replace the M97xE in my current system--it simply makes everything I throw at it sound great, and with the simplicity of a user-replaceable stylus that's extremely affordable (currently $59 from many sellers).
 
I always wanted to try one of these but I have been very satisfied with my Stanton 681 EEE with a Jico Shibata. Has anyone ever had both and did a comparison?
 
I always wanted to try one of these but I have been very satisfied with my Stanton 681 EEE with a Jico Shibata. Has anyone ever had both and did a comparison?

I had a 681/JICO Shibata a few years ago. It tracked beautifully, had great energy, and extracted a lot of detail, but I also found it much brighter and leaner in the mids than I liked, so I sold it.

The M97xE is very different, much more laid back and warm, with a rather smooth top end, thick mids, and plump, full bass. On some systems it can sound dull and sluggish, particularly if the capacitance isn't optimized at 250-300pF.
 
^^^^Good to know, I may get one someday...appreciate the info. I too have been liking more mids as of late in my rigs. But what kind of stylus do you use with the M97xE?

And what does the capacitance isn't optimized at 250-300pF mean? I currently have the 681 w/Jico Shibata on a Technics SL-D2 hooked up to a Marantz 2235B.
 
The M97xE is very different, much more laid back and warm, with a rather smooth top end, thick mids, and plump, full bass. On some systems it can sound dull and sluggish, particularly if the capacitance isn't optimized at 250-300pF.

I thought I saw one of your posts about some interconnect RCA cables "green-something" that you use.
Are those made at a capacitance value that is good for the Shures?? If so, I would like to get some, if you advise.
 
I thought I saw one of your posts about some interconnect RCA cables "green-something" that you use.
Are those made at a capacitance value that is good for the Shures?? If so, I would like to get some, if you advise.

Perhaps you're thinking about parallel resistive loading plugs? That's a different animal, and not applicable here.

Before you can adjust the capacitive loading, you need a multimeter or something that measure the capacitance from the headshell to the RCA plugs... but if you like what you're hearing now, don't worry about it!
 
Perhaps you're thinking about parallel resistive loading plugs? That's a different animal, and not applicable here.

No, I was thinking maybe I should get better phono cables from the Dual to the receiver, since they are original. I'm assuming it's not just a measurement from head-shell to RCA connector under the Dual, and includes the RCA cables. My DVM does not measure capacitance, so maybe I should start there. But you are right - If it's good why worry!
 
I bought a few M97xEs years ago when they were on sale at Amazon. Like your experience, I was so pleasantly surprise with its performance. It replaced my Grado Platinum Reference. It provided very balanced sound. The most impressive aspect is its tracking ability. I was using Grado Platinum Reference, Denon DL103R and AT440mla, none can track Telarc Tchaikovsky 1812. M97xe tracked it in flying color! I won't say it is giant killer but it can hold the ground to many more expensive carts. I use it on the system for casual listening. For my main system, I use more Denon, AT or ADC for more accurate reproduction.
 
No, I was thinking maybe I should get better phono cables from the Dual to the receiver, since they are original. I'm assuming it's not just a measurement from head-shell to RCA connector under the Dual, and includes the RCA cables. My DVM does not measure capacitance, so maybe I should start there. But you are right - If it's good why worry!

Oh, I see!

I have gotten excellent results using a 1m pair of modest ($35) AudioQuest Evergreens with a Dual + M97xE. I did measure the capacitance, and it was right in the sweet spot.
 
I bought a few M97xEs years ago when they were on sale at Amazon. Like your experience, I was so pleasantly surprise with its performance. It replaced my Grado Platinum Reference. It provided very balanced sound. The most impressive aspect is its tracking ability. I was using Grado Platinum Reference, Denon DL103R and AT440mla, none can track Telarc Tchaikovsky 1812. M97xe tracked it in flying color! I won't say it is giant killer but it can hold the ground to many more expensive carts. I use it on the system for casual listening. For my main system, I use more Denon, AT or ADC for more accurate reproduction.

I have a couple of older upper-tier Joe Grado Signature models, and as much as I like the M97xE, it is outclassed by the Grados. Perhaps there was a compliance issue or something that held back the Grado's performance for you, I dunno, but no matter... as long as you found something that works! I'm just surprised that the M97xE supplanted your Grado Platinum.
 
Sounds like the m97xe would pair well on a ADC-LMF1. I am tempted to try. Are the quality issues solved with this cart?
 
Sounds like the m97xe would pair well on a ADC-LMF1. I am tempted to try. Are the quality issues solved with this cart?

Probably still hit or miss, although both of my M97xE's are A-OK. I once bought a replacement stylus with a crooked cantilever, which had to be returned.
 
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