EVG PM3136DE stylus, ok?

[tubeampking]

Looking to get a new stylus for my Shure M91ED cart...I've heard that the Pfanstiel was not all that good. I was wondering what others thoughts/experience was with the EV ?

 

[revox-b77]

That is pretty much the go to replacement. It is about the best bang for the buck you are going to find. Many people feel it is very close to an original. If you do not want to move up to a HE stylus or the SAS the 3136 is it.

 

[jmchrislip]

Yes, the EVG. Inexpensive too.

 

[tubeampking]

Yes, the EVG. Inexpensive too.

Thanks all...buying one right now.

 

[kcblair]

Yep, you'll like it. Used mine a lot until I funded a SAS.

 

[SSaxdude]

I had an EVG M91 too before on a turntable that I ended up selling. Nice mids, great rock n roll punch, albeit with rolled off highs. Definitely worth the low cost.

 

[kcblair]

Forgot to mention, the Shure M91ED needs 400pf capacitance .

 

[bobins08]

I can also endorse the EVG on the Shure. For a tight budget you get a lot of performance.

 

[91r100gs]

Have four EVG's for my two M91 carts. Properly broken in and aligned for VTA they can play well above their price point. The VTA can make a heck of a difference, if you are able to make that adjustment. IME they need a longer break in than most styli. I have one with about 200 hours and it sounds quite a bit better than the ones with minimal mileage. It is neat being able to do theses kind of comparisons.

 

[jmchrislip]

I agree with kcblair. Capacitance is critical with that cartridge. DB Systems sells kits that allow you to add capacitance.

 

[tubeampking]

Forgot to mention, the Shure M91ED needs 400pf capacitance .

So how do I determine if I'm running with proper capacitance?

In a head to head with various test records and a brand spanking new PM3136DE, the EVG did very well indeed. With break in time, probably better. The original Shure stylus tracked everything at just 0.75g. The EVG needed only 1g for most and 1.25 for another. That's remarkable for a $13 stylus.

Mine is tracking at 0.9g with the antiskate at about 0.75. Sounds great...very clean .

 

[Hermit418]

If it's the same stylus for the M91E, the EVG is excellent. The Pfanstiehl is terrible. I bought one and then had it replaced. The replacement had the same problem--the suspension was too soft. The cantilever would deflect too much which would throw the SRA way off in the negative. The EVG compares very well to my original Hi Track, which is not worn out. I just wanted to see which budget styli was any good while I still had the original Shure to compare to. The TEI brand stylus is also very good for less than $10. But it's not quite as compliant as the EVG and requires a little more tracking force.

Avoid the Pfanstiehl. I can usually find something decent to say about most styli, but this one really stinks.

SPOT ON! Went through the same experience via a friend who called me to hear the Pfanstiehl stylus. It sounded flat, almost dull. I recommended he try the EVG stylus from VoM and he did. Night and Day difference. Thanks to Needlestein primarily and a few others here I have come away with very good solid advice.

Pfanstiehl has some good stylus replacements but not every offering from companies work out to be the best one for the application. Sometimes you have to ask another person's advice to insure you are getting the best possible replacement before you spend the money.

Hermit

 

[marcmorin]

Capacitance is not really an issue with Moving Coil cartridges or Grado MI cartridges for reasons that go beyond my ability to retell at this time.

inductance...........go ahead, you can say inductance ..........MCs and Grados don't have much

 

[ETI_5000]

I was thinking it was inductance. I can say it. I know it's measured in Henries, but other than that, I don't really know what it is.

Inductance is the reason why a magnetic cartridge develops a voltage as the magnet (or coil) is moved, or the generators at your local power station make power, or why a transformer (such as a MC SUT) can be used to change alternating voltages higher or lower. See http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/induct.html. Put simply, they can induce a voltage. To make an inductor, just make some coils of wire – the inductance is proportional to the number of turns of wire.

Having experienced back EMF’s (reverse voltages) from relays being switched on in my younger days, while working on live circuits, I certainly know they exist – guaranteed to get you to remove your hand quickly from the wires you were touching, hopefully not injuring yourself in the process!

Wikipedia goes into inductance in a lot more detail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductance . An early use for them was in telephone magneto generators, to attract the attention of an operator in the nearby manual telephone exchange https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto . Inductors are exceptionally widely used in electrical and electronic circuits.

 

[marcmorin]

Inductance is the reason why a magnetic cartridge develops a voltage as the magnet (or coil) is moved,

Unless you don't move either, yet still want to produce a voltage through magnetomotive force instead of electromotive force. Then it follows path of least reluctance.
My cartridge of choice works this way, as well as the pickups in my guitar. Reluctance is similar to inductance but a capacitance value does not affect reluctance regarding the rise in impedance in an AC circuit with a rise in frequency in that circuit.