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Need help with older shure cartridge

signman

signman

New Member
Hello fellow analogers. I was wondering and hoping if any of you can help me with this Shure Pro7 cartridge I acquired when I picked up a used Denon DP-15F turntable for the wife. It has a Shure HE stylus attached to it. I've searched hi and low on the web but can"t seem to come up with any solid information on this cart. I know a lot of you have high regards for Shure cartridges and are very knowledgeable about them. I'm looking to find out if it is a good quality cart, whether i need to replace the stylus and if so a good recommendation and where to purchase it or whether or not you think the current one is in good shape to still be used. Also when the cart was made and offered in their lineup. Currently I have an Audio Technica AT-91 set up on the table for her but will swap back to the Shure once i can get some info and verify whether or not the current stylus is in good condition or needs to be replace. I know the cart itself is good as I tested the table with it when i first received it. I've attached some pictures in hopes that some of you may be able to help me. Thanks to everyone in advance and Happy Holidays!

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Never heard one but if it's got a hyperellipitical stylus it should sound pretty good.
LP Gear has aftermarket HE's but that's all you're gonna find out there.

The EVG ellipticals should be in the same ballpark as the AT-91 but the LP Gear HE should be something special.

For $100 it ought to be.

Have you tried it? It looks really good in the pictures.
Maybe a few dips in some magic eraser soaked in alcohol will bring back the sparkle.
 
noisefreq, thanks for the reply. i did try it out when i first got it. sounded fine. replaced it only because i wasn't sure of the stylus condition. looking at it closely it seems to be in fairly good condition but figured why take a chance until i can be sure. if i go for a new stylus i will take your recommendation on the LP Gear HE as i'd like to step it up for the wife from the AT91.
 
I believe that Pro7 is a rebranded Shure Me95HE (Encore series introduced in 1985, not original M95HE)

It should accept NE95ED and NE95HE styli as well as those for the Pro7.

You will be hard-pressed to find a comparable stylus to the genuine Shure HE that's on there, so if there is a way for you to have it's wear checked I would highly recommend it.
 
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The Pro7 was originally fitted with an elliptical stylus. Your Pro7 has been upgraded with a Pro9 (HE) stylus. The Pro series is similar to the SPS (Sound and Performance) series. The SPS HE stylus has an "N16" designation. There may be a few NOS out there.
 
The Pro7 (not to be confused with the Pro 7) is one of the many private-label cartridges Shure collectively called Designer Series, whose styli were originally prefixed NDC (yours is the NDC-HE) and are all derivatives of the original M95 but with very thin stylus grips such that M95 styli won't fit. EDIT: And neither will the N16.

The Pro7 with the NDC-HE is equivalent to an M95HE.

Radio Shack sold compatible Shure-made styli as R3X, R5X and R8X.

Shure resurrected the Designer Series in the 1980s for the Encore series with different-looking cosmetics, specifically for the ME95ED, so an NE95ED stylus-- still currently available as new old stock-- will work perfectly in the Pro7.

When trying to figure out these old models, an essential tool is Shure's 2004 Discontinued Phono Cartridge and Stylus Cross Reference Chart.
 
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tw1st, ear4audio,wualta.

Thank you for all your input and great knowledge of Shure cartridges. Up until now I've been at a loss. Plus I've visited KAB's site many times and never saw or knew there was a Shure cross reference chart on their website. Just for opinions sake, looking at the closeup of the stylus I posted, do any of you think the stylus is still in good playable condition? Looking at it closely it still looks fairly pointed and not rounded out in any way but of course that may not mean anything. Thanks again to all who have responded so far, time to go on the hunt for a replacement just in case and see if there are enough pennies in the jar to acquire one.
 
It may be considered reckless, but I tend to give used styli of unknown provenance a chance, provided that they appear in good shape visually. I only have about 60x magnification which does not allow for inspection of wear, however that is usually easy enough to hear.

Yours certainly doesn't appear heavily used, and if it were in my possession I would be auditioning it.
 
tw1st, Thanks for the reinforcement. Didn't want to play any records with it long term until getting a backup opinion. Glad to hear you'd do it if it was yours. Guess i'll mount her up, give her a run and see how she sounds. Some thing good to do on an otherwise boring holiday weekend. And worst case scenario, if I do need a new stylus, LP Gear has the original Shure ED for 66 greenbacks with the shipping. I think the penny jar should have enough for one.
 
First, make sure your diamond is perfectly clean. Unlike stylus wear, crud is easy to spot, and no specialized microscope is needed, but some magnification really helps. Once the stylus is clean, play a record with loud, closely-recorded female S sounds or cymbals. One of the earliest signs of stylus wear is an inability to track loud high frequencies. Pick a record that's not a favorite and that's easily and cheaply replaceable (I use the Bangles' Different Light, but there are many other candidates). Check your VTF (I suggest 1.5g to start) and let 'er rip.
This can also a good test of your antiskate setting.
 
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signman said:
tw1st, Thanks for the reinforcement. Didn't want to play any records with it long term until getting a backup opinion. Glad to hear you'd do it if it was yours. Guess i'll mount her up, give her a run and see how she sounds. Some thing good to do on an otherwise boring holiday weekend. And worst case scenario, if I do need a new stylus, LP Gear has the original Shure ED for 66 greenbacks with the shipping. I think the penny jar should have enough for one.
Click to expand...

PM coming
 
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