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Replace Shure M95-HE Stylus or Upgrade Cartridge?

A

aij606

New Member
I currently have a Technics SL-Q2 that I bought used off of ebay. It works great, and is equipped with a Shure M95-HE Hi-Track cartridge and a NOS Shure SS35C stylus. However, I think I might have bent the cantilever, so I'm searching for an upgrade/replacement. I've heard that the M95-HE fitted with a JICO N95-HE SAS stylus sounds great but I'm wondering if it'd just be a better idea to upgrade the entire cartridge considering the price point of the JICO SAS. Or if there's another stylus I should consider purchasing. My price range would be about 100 - 275 USD. What are your thoughts?
 
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Love the M95-HE both with an original stylus and a JICO SAS. Can't go wrong staying with the M95 and the SAS but if you want to roll the dice you could try a Grado Opus3 or an AT-VM540ML, each are at your upper price limit.
 
I wouldn't ditch the M95. It is one of the best cartridges I know and I have quite a few. Perhaps a Jico or Tonar hyper-elliptical would be a good cheaper alternative to the SAS - I haven't tried them but there are plenty of satisfied customers. The HE stylus should give you a taste of what the cartridge can do and help you decide whether to stick with it in the long-run.
 
Crab33 said:
Perhaps a Jico or Tonar hyper-elliptical would be a good cheaper alternative to the SAS - I haven't tried them but there are plenty of satisfied customers..
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I have the tonar HE on the M95 and it is a wonderful stylus. I'll eventually step up and get the SAS but for me the tonar has been the best I've heard on my own system.

Currently it's on a stock XA. It's far better than the grado I have on an SL 1300 and leaps and bounds better than the ortofon red that I started with
 
If you're in US lptunes has a Jico n95he for $96, eBay $130. Lptunes also has an ndche for $79. I have a shure 6xvl which is the same. It's very nice. The plastic on these is shorter but will work fine. They are made to fit Me95ed, Radio Shack and other Shure signature products. LPTunes is the North American dealer for Jico products. I use PayPal when ordering because there have been complaints, not from me though. Myneedlestore int. sells Tonar but they too have complaints. There a 773dhe on eBay that should fit. It says it's for a v15xmr but it should fit an m95/97, v15rs etc.
 
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