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Sansui SR-4050c Cartridge Upgrade???

Billy1973

Billy1973

Member
I recently acquired a Sansui SR-4050c turntable. It currently has the stock cartridge and stylus, I would like to upgrade to a different cartridge but not break the bank. The stock set up sounds great, but I would like something a bit warmer. Does anyone have any thoughts on a great cartridge to upgrade to at an affordable price, something around the $300 or less?
 

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I always like Shure cartridges with the Sansui TT. Like the M91ed, I have a M97he on my SR2050c and it is stellar . You can find M91's on on ebay for reasonable amounts . You could even improve it a lot with a Jico SAS or other Line contact stylus. V15's are always good too.
 
No lack of warm with any of the shures I have used. Actually lots of body , kind of fat sounding . Dynamic and rich .
 
billyz said:
No lack of warm with any of the shures I have used. Actually lots of body , kind of fat sounding . Dynamic and rich .
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Thank you for the suggestion. I will definitely look into picking one up.I notice a few of them on Ebay with aftermarket stylus, and some with head shell and aftermarket stylus. Have you tried the aftermarket stylus for the Sure M91/M97?
 
I put an aftermarket stylus on a V15 III , it was an EVG I believe. It was on a cheap table I fixed up for my Daughter. It sounded good but I was not expecting much and never compared it to a better stylus . I would make sure the replacement is at least 2x7 elliptical. I have the Jico SAS on my V15 IV and it is fantastic.
If you can find a m91ed , ED is the elliptical stylus. HE is hyper elliptical, close to a shibata or line contact etc. The G is spherical , might be good for mono. I am sure others will have more info on which aftermarket stylus are good. Sometimes older aftermarket stylus were actually made by shure .
 
There are several m91ed’s with original stylus on ebay right now for under a hundred. I also see some nice jico HE stylus for the V15 III.
I would avoid the m97xe like the plague. I tried one and it SUCKED . Maybe if you put a jico sas on it ? Not to be confused with the excellent m97he era IV , which might be a small step below the V15 IV.
 
billyz said:
I put an aftermarket stylus on a V15 III , it was an EVG I believe. It was on a cheap table I fixed up for my Daughter. It sounded good but I was not expecting much and never compared it to a better stylus . I would make sure the replacement is at least 2x7 elliptical. I have the Jico SAS on my V15 IV and it is fantastic.
If you can find a m91ed , ED is the elliptical stylus. HE is hyper elliptical, close to a shibata or line contact etc. The G is spherical , might be good for mono. I am sure others will have more info on which aftermarket stylus are good. Sometimes older aftermarket stylus were actually made by shure .
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Thank you again for the information. I have read a little on Audio Technica, Ortofon, and Nagaoka.
 
billyz said:
I always like Shure cartridges with the Sansui TT. Like the M91ed, I have a M97he on my SR2050c and it is stellar . You can find M91's on on ebay for reasonable amounts . You could even improve it a lot with a Jico SAS or other Line contact stylus. V15's are always good too.
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Do you prefer the M91ed or the M97he? What are the major differences in the two?
 
The m97he has a more refined sound. Better stylus shape “Hyper Elliptical “ tracks better and has a stabilizer brush. Cost a lot more too. The m91ed is super enjoyable though , lots of body .
If I had to chose one it would be the m97he , just because it’s technically superior . But everytime I use the m91ed I get a smile .
 
billyz said:
The m97he has a more refined sound. Better stylus shape “Hyper Elliptical “ tracks better and has a stabilizer brush. Cost a lot more too. The m91ed is super enjoyable though , lots of body .
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There are a few M97he-ah on Ebay with new aftermarket stylus, unfortunately I don't know what they put on. I did find an aftermarket stylus from turntableneedles.com, a 771-DHE that is a HyperElliptical for $117 and a 771-DSH Shibata for $175. I guess the stabilizer brush is also to eliminate static, and the M97he-ah has a Shure head shell. I have the original head shell that came with my SR-4050c, it might be nice to mount a new cart in it, it is just the shell and no wires at this point.
 
I agree that a vintage Shure should give a warm sound, notably the M75 and M91 ranges, but my personal preference is for the M95, which has a more open and refined sound with a touch of warmth. However, the performance you get from any of these cartridge bodies depends on the quality of the stylus you fit - for an aftermarket stylus, I would go for a hyper-elliptical (I have a Bliss hyper-elliptical stylus from Turntable Needles which is good quality).

As someone else pointed out, among modern cartridges the Grado Prestige cartridges are known for their warmth, but there is the issue of hum - they are unshielded and pick up EM emissions from the motor on some turntables. My experience of the budget Nagaoka cartridges is not one of warmth, but I understand the MP-200 to be mellow. Sumiko cartridges also have a reputation for warmth. Another one with a slightly warm balance is the Denon DL-110 - this is a high-output MC cartridge that can be used with an MM phono-stage, but one drawback is that it doesn't have a replaceable stylus.
 
Billy1973 said:
There are a few M97he-ah on Ebay with new aftermarket stylus, unfortunately I don't know what they put on. I did find an aftermarket stylus from turntableneedles.com, a 771-DHE that is a HyperElliptical for $117 and a 771-DSH Shibata for $175. I guess the stabilizer brush is also to eliminate static, and the M97he-ah has a Shure head shell. I have the original head shell that came with my SR-4050c, it might be nice to mount a new cart in it, it is just the shell and no wires at this point.
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Be careful of the “ah “ model . It is a different mounting system. I am sure the M95 is also great sounding , just never tried one . I am sure there are many other Shure cartridges that sound good . I only have experience with the m91, m97,and v15’s. Which ever one you get, I would make sure the stylus is at least elliptical and preferably Hyper elliptical and nude mounted.
 
I too had hum issues with the Grado. There are many many great / good cartridges. Shure is not the only one. I personally have enjoyed a few Empire, Dynavector , AT, and others. I love my Koetsu, but that is another league. I think the m91 is a killer due the supply and cost and availability of superior aftermarket stylus’ .
 
billyz said:
Be careful of the “ah “ model . It is a different mounting system. I am sure the M95 is also great sounding , just never tried one . I am sure there are many other Shure cartridges that sound good . I only have experience with the m91, m97,and v15’s. Which ever one you get, I would make sure the stylus is at least elliptical and preferably Hyper elliptical and nude mounted.
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Thanks again for the input. Very much appreciated. I will keep researching what I can find. Right now I am hunting for a M91 or M97he. From what I can tell is that the "ah" model has its own head shell, kinda a plug and play system. Looks like it has one adjustment screw on the top of the head shell.
 
billyz said:
Be careful of the “ah “ model . It is a different mounting system. I am sure the M95 is also great sounding , just never tried one . I am sure there are many other Shure cartridges that sound good . I only have experience with the m91, m97,and v15’s. Which ever one you get, I would make sure the stylus is at least elliptical and preferably Hyper elliptical and nude mounted.
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thanks for this -- am looking for a replacement stylus for an M91 on my ELAC Miracord 50H.

Any thoughts on matching compliance to the tone arm on that?
 
Billy1973 said:
I recently acquired a Sansui SR-4050c turntable. It currently has the stock cartridge and stylus, I would like to upgrade to a different cartridge but not break the bank. The stock set up sounds great, but I would like something a bit warmer. Does anyone have any thoughts on a great cartridge to upgrade to at an affordable price, something around the $300 or less?
Click to expand...
Do you have the original cartridge that came on the Sansui? What is it?
 
Buanadha said:
thanks for this -- am looking for a replacement stylus for an M91 on my ELAC Miracord 50H.

Any thoughts on matching compliance to the tone arm on that?
Click to expand...
Don’t want this thread to get too hijacked but you can find stylus’ for shure and many other makes at this sight.
https://www.turntableneedles.com/N9...Cartridge-etc--our-Needle-761-DHE_p_4093.html

Have no experience with “bliss” but they might be good .
They also list a shibata stylus for the m91 for more $$.
 
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