JICO SAS Stylus For Shure M97XE
- Thread starter Jim Creek
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Ilikevinyl
Cool Breeze
Get One! It makes the M97xE come alive! Not boring at all. Nice rich & natural sounding with extended high frequency details. Money well spent!
G'day all, I have both the supplied Shure elliptical and the Jico SAS for my M97xE's. The Jico SAS stylus is a superb stylus but essentially reverses the intent of the Shure Audiophile Response Curve (a 'softened' upper treble).
I like both, but each to their own of course. The main issue with the Shure stylus is that optimum capacitance is somewhat critical in order to avoid perceived 'dull' sound. Regards, Felix aka catman.
I like both, but each to their own of course. The main issue with the Shure stylus is that optimum capacitance is somewhat critical in order to avoid perceived 'dull' sound. Regards, Felix aka catman.
Ilikevinyl
Cool Breeze
Jim Creek
Jazz, Wine, Electronics
Thanks for your input. My ears don't find the stock M97XE dull at all. It's not as forward as my AT95e cart but not dull. Perhaps it's my system. The built-in phono preamp on my Marantz PM8004 has an input capacitance of 47K. My DIY speakers are voiced slightly to the bright side though.
speedle
Peanut gallery owner
Does every single DIY with those RS180's have to be bright? 
I digress though. The SAS on my V15 Type IV added some brightness. Not much, but certainly some. Or maybe it thinned out the bottom, I'm not really sure. Loads of detail, air, and 3 dimensionality in return though, I'll say that.
I digress though. The SAS on my V15 Type IV added some brightness. Not much, but certainly some. Or maybe it thinned out the bottom, I'm not really sure. Loads of detail, air, and 3 dimensionality in return though, I'll say that.seminole54
AK Member
What you will probably find with the SAS is that you will get the JICO "house sound" which is slightly forward with more emphasis on the top end than the bottom end. This seems to be sort of a consensus, whether it is a Shure or a Stanton/Pickering, which are the popular choices for this stylus because of the lack of availability of the NOS originals. If you like the sound of the M97xe and can get it loaded correctly then there is not reason to spend in excess of $100 on an aftermarket stylus. Your Marantz has a resitance loading of 47K, what the capacitance of it and your TT combined you will have to find out, but it needs to be below 250pf, the lower the better. I just checked there online spec sheet and it is useless in this regard.
This agrees perfectly with my assessment based on a back-to-back audition. And I was using a V15VxMR-SAS to run this comparison in the M97xE body.catman said:
Speedle puts his finger on a perennial problem. Is this cartridge bright or is it bass-lite? It's very easy to be fooled by this; ask me how I know.speedle said:
As much as I enjoy my SAS styli, seminole54 makes an important point: the N97xE stylus is technically very capable; it tracks difficult material without drama at 1 gram and supplies damping to tonearms that don't have it. As always, none of this says that you have to like it, or that you're going to. But the SAS will be brighter, so if you like the sound of the 97xE as-is, there's a chance you might not like the SAS.seminole54 said:
beatcomber
AK Member
Try doing a forum search for "M97xE SAS." I'm sure you'll find lots of positive reviews on this site.
An added benefit is since the diamond is so much smaller it seems to sit down in the grooves giving a great reduction in surface noise. My original copy of Let It Bleed is scary looking when you pull it out of the sleeve and scarier when touched by the ellipse. Drop the SAS on it though and a high percentage of noise is gone making that record a joy to hear.
Set up is rewarded as well. in my system I could not get IGD dialed out of it. With the SAS I very very rarely hear just a smidge of it. I assume this is the small diamond as well but stopped trying to figure it out long ago and just listen to the the music.
Set up is rewarded as well. in my system I could not get IGD dialed out of it. With the SAS I very very rarely hear just a smidge of it. I assume this is the small diamond as well but stopped trying to figure it out long ago and just listen to the the music.
JazzVinyl
Super Member
I have the JICO SAS and M97 too. And I was going to say a reduction in surface noise and more "air" around the instruments (along with a some high end clarity/sparkle) I love it, and thought it was well worth the expense.
Yeah for less surface noise!
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ssmith3046
Super Member
I use the Jico SAS stylus on my V-15 III and V-15 II. I've used it on the III for several years and just added it to the II and it's the only stylus I'll ever use. Plenty of bass, airy mids, high end is great, and the extra detail brought out of the grooves is amazing.
I might be buying a Shure V15 Type V and I was looking at the JICO SAS stylus for it. It says that it's also good with Microgroove Lps. Anybody care to comment on this?
Jim Creek
Jazz, Wine, Electronics
Does every single DIY with those RS180's have to be bright?
Actually it's all about voicing within the crossover. I didn't design them I just built them. Jay Kim designed the x-over with optional voicing options. Those RS180s = low low low distortion drivers.
ssmith3046
Super Member
So far I've found the SAS on my V-15 III and II make all my albums sound great. From Dynaflex to 200g pressings
So far I've found the SAS on my V-15 III and II make all my albums sound great. From Dynaflex to 200g pressings
Yeah but I'm specifically interested in pre-1967 Microgroove LPs that were cut differently. If I understand correctly the JICO SAS is a smaller diamond tip. Generally larger, conical tips are required for Microgrooves, no?
speedle
Peanut gallery owner
Yes indeed. (see avatar)
As for the SAS, I'm so darned afraid of damaging it, I hardly play anything but modern pristine albums with it. Get something cheaper for older vinyl.
