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Help with new stylus for Shure M95ED cartridge. Pioneer PL550

L

luddewho

New Member
Hello everyone!

I'm new to this forum (and the world of turntables) and need your help deciding what stylus i should get.

A while back i bought a vintage turntable, a Pioneer PL-550 in really good condition from my friend's dad. Problem is the stylus is as old as the TT so i really want to buy a new one. The cartridge is called Shure M95ED (High-Track) and the Stylus box that came along only says "Shure N-95"

I've been googling a lot and reading posts on this forum and others but I'm still confused about a lot of things..

I've narrowed it down to a price range up to around $100 and googled for stylus that would fit my M95ED, but I'm more uncertain about what will work well with my Pioneer PL-550.

As i understand, for the M95ED cart, the Jico N95ED SAS stylus is a great choose but it is unfortunately too expensive for me. The other two i was looking at is the Jico N95ED or the more expensive Jico M95HE. As i understand it will work with my cartridge even though it says it is for M95HE cart? And if so, is it worth the extra cash?

Both of these i can buy in EU (I'm from Sweden) from Thakker. I emailed them to ask if it was Jico stylus and they said yes, even though they have no logos and come in unmarked boxes according to some forum posts I've seen. Can o trust Thakker that i get real Jico stylus? I've read about counterfeit Stylus and when they have no logos i get a bit suspicious..

Last but not least, will these two stylus work well with my PL-550?

Thanks!

https://www.thakker.eu/tonnadeln/n-95-ed-nadel-fuer-shure-m-95-ed-nachbau/a-5548

https://www.thakker.eu/tonnadeln/n-95-he-nadel-fuer-shure-m-95-he-nachbau/a-5563
 
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Thakker is a reliable provider.

Any version of the N95 will work. The differences are in cut of diamond. The Jico hyperelliptical is excellent...I have several.
 
spark1 said:
Thakker is a reliable provider.

Any version of the N95 will work. The differences are in cut of diamond. The Jico hyperelliptical is excellent...I have several.
Click to expand...

Is it worth the extra cash over the regular N95ED in your opinion? :)
 
The M95ED/HE is a very nice rig. Agree with spark1. Another possible consideration is the overall condition of your vinyl. The HE might pick up more a bit noise if played on average condition vinyl.
 
Thakker is a very reputable supplier that I have used many times - possibly the best dealer of turntable parts in Europe. I had an N95ED stylus from them that had Jico printed on the box, but that was a few years ago and I don't think they are allowed to use the name any longer - they now sell their Japanese styli under the name "Thakker Japan". But I can't believe the current price of 68 Euros - I think mine cost less than 30 Euros. The basic Jico elliptical that I bought was pretty good but I think it would be worth investing in the hyper-elliptical, if you don't mind the price.

Alternatively, you may want to try this first, which is a nude elliptical (the Jicos are only bonded) made of synthetic diamond and is significantly cheaper:

https://www.thakker.eu/tonnadeln/th...uer-shure-m-95-ed-nudeline-swiss-made/a-10026

I think some people have had very good results with these Swiss nudes - I have their Ortofon OM stylus that is good but had a Shure N97ED stylus that was less good and needed a much higher tracking force than the original.
 
jbjsr said:
The M95ED/HE is a very nice rig. Agree with spark1. Another possible consideration is the overall condition of your vinyl. The HE might pick up more a bit noise if played on average condition vinyl.
Click to expand...

That maybe a problem as i have a lot of colored vinyl that looks far better than they sound. I also have a lot of old vinyls with a fare share of surface noice, but i have a bunch of high quality 180g blacks as well so it's a mixed bag. Is the HE a lot more senestive? I'm not super picky about sound quality but i still want it to sound good.
 
Crab33 said:
Thakker is a very reputable supplier that I have used many times - possibly the best dealer of turntable parts in Europe. I had an N95ED stylus from them that had Jico printed on the box, but that was a few years ago and I don't think they are allowed to use the name any longer - they now sell their Japanese styli under the name "Thakker Japan". But I can't believe the current price of 68 Euros - I think mine cost less than 30 Euros. The basic Jico elliptical that I bought was pretty good but I think it would be worth investing in the hyper-elliptical, if you don't mind the price.

Alternatively, you may want to try this first, which is a nude elliptical (the Jicos are only bonded) made of synthetic diamond and is significantly cheaper:

https://www.thakker.eu/tonnadeln/th...uer-shure-m-95-ed-nudeline-swiss-made/a-10026

I think some people have had very good results with these Swiss nudes - I have their Ortofon OM stylus that is good but had a Shure N97ED stylus that was less good and needed a much higher tracking force than the original.
Click to expand...

Ok! Sounds like Thakker is a safe bet then. :)
Thanks for the tip about the Swiss nude, I'll have to think about this a bit but now it feels safe to order from Thakker. Cheers!
 
N97 styli will also fit your M95 cartridge.

The N95 Swiss nudes do track heavier than originals, but not a deal-breaker. 1.5-2.0 grams tracking of the Swiss nude should be fine on that arm. And they sound very good. They are quiet in the groove also, very similar sounding to the original HE styli. I use the Swiss nudes for both critical listening as well as for records that are not in pristine condition. They track well below surface scratches and scuffs. But they pick up great levels of detail on new/pristine records. I like it better than the Jicos I have. Also low cost of ownership/use.
 
Other than the stylus guard, the N97ED nude and N95ED nude are the same stylus.

The nude elliptical (Nudeline, Black Diamond, EVG Swiss) is my favorite M95 Stylus, right below:

5614725F-349C-4A12-A07C-EDEE8E2DB085.jpeg


Black Diamond (Nudeline and EVG) Nude on the M95:
EC948E36-CADE-4686-8FCE-F7295645CCC2.jpeg
 
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