New Here Hi yall trying to sort out Shure stylus & cartridge's

[TomyCanHearU]

Hi I have a vintage pioneer pl-516 that I enjoy very much mated up to klipsch r51. I have no preamp other then what is in the amped speakers on phone mode.

Im running a green stylus that I got from needle Dr. years back. I want to get a quality stylus and cartage. Im looking at the N95ed sas/s jico "up grad" it says on LP Gear. I dont know what cartridge to mate with it or how to figure out compatibility as well as will the money I spend on these be lost with out a preamp?

 

[HamboneF18]

You’ll need a good phono preamp. It could be part of an integrated amp, receiver, or you can go with a separate/stand alone phono preamp.

You need to identify your Shure cartridge before getting your stylus. A few pics and quite a few of us can nail down your Shure cartridge model based on appearance. Then we can also share our experiences with various styli.

 

[ETI_5000]

Welcome to AK.

After some investigation, I found that you do have a phono input as well as a line input on your active Klipsch speakers, so you should be good to go with your turntable and Shure MM cartridge.

Chances are you have the N95EJ stylus, which is a light green stylus for the M95EJ cartridge, and which had a 0.4 x 0.7mil elliptical stylus tracking at 1.5-3g. The recommended tracking ideal force for that stylus for best performance was about 2g or slightly above, and it would have been a reasonably good compliance match for your Pioneer s-shaped tonearm.

The bad news is that at that tracking force (2g) it was the best stylus for the cartridge to match that tonearm – the thinner, higher compliance ones, which tracked at 0.75g-1.5g (1.25g recommended), including the N95ED and N95HE, wouldn’t have matched the medium mass s-shaped tonearm on the PL-516 quite as well as the N95EJ did. That includes the best stylus you can fit, the Jico SAS replacement for the N95ED or N95HE, which tracks at 1.25g, It may just sneak in above the 8Hz lower limit resonance (the top of the warp frequency range) to stay above warp frequencies, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

So whether or not you try the N95ED or N95HE SAS stylus and get the results you want may be pure chance, due to the much higher compliance (lower tracking force) of the SAS stylus.

So it’s up to you whether you think it’s worth spending the money to try the N95HE SAS stylus from Jico. If you can afford it, it’s probably worth trying, but there could be some consequences from its much higher compliance. The good news is that barely used SAS styli have a ready market on various online markets, so it can be sold if it doesn’t work as well as you expect it to – just blame the tonearm!

 

[HamboneF18]

If your cartridge is the M95, and you need a heavier VTF for your higher mass arm, the Swiss nude elliptical would be a great match that sounds great. Mine tracks at 2.0-2.2 grams.

A good source for your consideration is here.

 

[Crab33]

You say have a green stylus and are looking at the Jico N95 SAS but do you actually have an M95 body? Other Shure cartridges also had a green stylus, like the M70EJ and M75EJ. It's probably best if you post a photo of your current cartridge.

On the subject of the M95, I have found that the lighter tracking M95ED (original stylus) works very well on medium-mass arms, such as the older Pioneer PL-12D. And the aftermarket styli are often not as compliant as the originals and need a slightly higher tracking force. So I think an aftermarket N95ED or N95HE stylus may well be OK with the PL-516. Having said that, the Jico SAS edition looks to have a very fine cantilever, so I would be inclined not to go there, especially at the price. At that sort of price, you could buy a good modern cartridge.

 

[HamboneF18]

At that sort of price, you could buy a good modern cartridge.

But it won’t have the Shure M95 “voice”, and won’t have the low mass boron cantilever. And, it may not have a nude MR tip.

 

[Crab33]

But it won’t have the Shure M95 “voice”, and won’t have the low mass boron cantilever. And, it may not have a nude MR tip.

No, it won't have the Shure M95 'voice' but it isn't clear to me that the OP has heard the M95, as all that we know is the current stylus is green and don't know which cartridge it is. I would question whether it's worth spending $299 on an MR stylus with boron cantilever for the PL-516. The AT-VM95ML cartridge with MicroLine stylus can be had for $169, albeit with aluminium cantilever, and is probably a better match compliance-wise. However, I think a cartridge should be bought according to the desired sound signature, so that needs to be investigated. Basically, we need clarification.

 

[ETI_5000]

You say have a green stylus and are looking at the Jico N95 SAS but do you actually have an M95 body? Other Shure cartridges also had a green stylus, like the M70EJ and M75EJ.

He did mention in his first post that he was thinking of upgrading from the green stylus his (unnamed) Shure cartridge came with, to an N95ED SAS stylus. So I assumed that he had an M95 cartridge. However, if he has a different model cartridge, the other green styli from Shure include, with the stylus grip colours as described by Shure:

N15 or NPS 5 (bright green)
N70EJ (light green)
N72EJ (light green)
N75EJ Type 2 (light green)
N93E (light green)
NDC-HE (dark green)
SS90 (green)

There are too many cartridges which use those styli to list them all. There are also four green 78 styli, but unless his Pioneer PL-516 turntable has been modified, it doesn't have that speed, so we'll leave them out.

 

[HamboneF18]

No, it won't have the Shure M95 'voice' but it isn't clear to me that the OP has heard the M95, as all that we know is the current stylus is green and don't know which cartridge it is. I would question whether it's worth spending $299 on an MR stylus with boron cantilever for the PL-516. The AT-VM95ML cartridge with MicroLine stylus can be had for $169, albeit with aluminium cantilever, and is probably a better match compliance-wise. However, I think a cartridge should be bought according to the desired sound signature, so that needs to be investigated. Basically, we need clarification.

I’m one of those people that don’t particularly like the sound of the VM95. The Shure M95, using a nude elliptical, or the Jico SAS/B, is a very good sounding cartridge. The SAS/B, if the arm is a match, adds up-dated tech to the M95. And that tech is a very audible improvement. If not a match, the Swiss nude elliptical is very good, and compares favorably to the N95HE stylus, but has a lower compliance. And, instead of $220, the Swiss nude is $45.

I have the VM95EN, don’t care for it. I have the M91, M95, M97, Me97, M97xE, and others. I have the SAS/B VN5xMR stylus which I tried out on the M95, and it’s a potent combination. I much prefer that over the VM95.

 

[Crab33]

This quote makes me think the cartridge might not be an M95... "Im looking at the N95ed sas/s jico "up grad" it says on LP Gear. I dont know what cartridge to mate with it". This was the OP's first post yesterday with no return, so we may never know.

I love the M95 - the M95ED is one of my favourite cartridges. I'm sure it sounds fabulous with the SAS/B (although I've seen reports that the SAS stylus can make a cartridge sound brighter), but I'm just not sure it's the right stylus for that turntable with at least a medium-mass arm, the delicate cantilever and, if I'm not mistaken, the arm-height not being adjustable (the latter would also be preferable for the ML stylus). The Swiss nude is probably a splendid alternative, if you can get a good example.

I have the AT-VM95E and think it's a real bargain - wonderful sound for the money. I have tried the AT-VM95ML, which I thought was a fine cartridge but a little lacking in dynamics for me - lots of other people think it's marvellous though.

Unless the OP returns, I think this thread is pointless continuing.

 

[HamboneF18]

Pretty much pointless. But just to add, I have a medium mass tonearm. With the viscous damped brush on the Jico VN5xMR (I added silicone grease to the hinges) it has no problems on my tonearm, whether that stylus is on the M95, M97-E4, M97xE, Me97, or M91.

 

[Pete B]

I just got a Shure M75HE type 2 with the correct Shure stylus of unknown wear state.
I think this is a nude hyper-elliptical, but not sure.
Wondering what is the M75EJ, I see a nude replacement for it that's not too expensive,
assuming I'll need one soon.
Have to try googling for the specs.

HE type 2 is hyper elliptical but high tracking force at 1.25 to 2.5g:
https://pubs.shure.com/guide/M75HE-J/en-US

Looks like the EJ is a high tracking force 1.5 - 3g elliptical:
https://pubs.shure.com/guide/M75E-2/en-US

 

[HamboneF18]

Unless that stylus is obviously damaged, clean it and play it before you toss it. If it sounds good, it’s still good. After that, there were various styli available that had different recommended VTFs, different tip geometries. There are many aftermarket styli available for the M75, some great, some awful.

 

[Pete B]

It's an M75HE type 2 do you know if it is nude, I think it is based on what I've read.
I will certainly try it.

 

[Crab33]

It's an M75HE type 2 do you know if it is nude, I think it is based on what I've read.
I will certainly try it.

The original N75HE stylus was nude, I'm sure, but most (or all) aftermarket replacements will be bonded. If you want a fancier stylus, you could go for a Jico SAS for the M75 but it will be expensive.

The N75EJ stylus was orignally bonded but some manufacturers are now making nude versions. It is lower-compliance and heavier-tracking than the HE and suits a turntable with a medium-to-high mass arm. If your turntable has a low-to-medium mass arm, you would be better looking at an N75ED stylus, as it has similar compliance and tracking force to the HE.

If you are in this thread because you have the PL-516, I imagine it has a medium-mass arm so you could go either way - the EJ should be fine.

 

[HamboneF18]

It's an M75HE type 2 do you know if it is nude, I think it is based on what I've read.
I will certainly try it.

An original Shure N75HE stylus was nude. It debuted when the nude HE stylus came out for the 1978 V15 Type IV, 1980 with the M97HE, and Shure back-fitted older carts with HE stylus tips. 1983 heralded Shure’s nude Micro Ridge stylus.