Shure M44MG

[ejman]

Well, I got side tracked for a while but I just ordered this stylus http://www.export-japan.com/marketing/stylus/product_info.php?cPath=18&products_id=1010 which according to Kazuyo Shimizu of JICO tracks at .75 to 1.5 gm and should work just fine with my M44 MG. I have tons of Goodwill "special needs" records and I'm hoping that this turns out to be a good choice for these marginal sounding but good music content LP's. Will report when it comes in.

 

[illini]

Nice bass on this one (M44G); does a fine job on 12" singles, 7", etc. Just a fun cart! I also bought a N44G stylus as a backup.

 

[ejman]

Nice bass on this one (M44G); does a fine job on 12" singles, 7", etc. Just a fun cart! I also bought a N44G stylus as a backup.

Thank you for resurrecting this old thread. I see that I forgot to do the update on the JICO stylus. It works great and it's really musical with solid bass and clean highs. I have the cartridge mounted on a Dual 1019 and the combination is about the punchiest sounding combo I've heard.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

The M 44 is a great cartridge. It has several stylus options, and is fun to own and practical for vintage records and 45 RPM discs. Every audiophile should own one. Your vintage finds will thank you.

 

[ks77]

The current production Shure N44 conical "DJ" stylus is a superb choice for vintage mono LPs and, especially, vintage 45s, and it can be set as low as 1.5 grams, so it is gentle on your precious old records. At around $30, it's affordable too.

Couldnt agree more with it. Current Gen. M44-7 is a wonderful rich music cartridge and can track as light as 1.5gms to 3.0 gms. THe replacement stylus is N44-7. Its wonderful for scratched records and old mono records. would recommend them anyday.

 

[illini]

Been listening to led zeppelin and black sabbath with the m44g. And Smashing Pumpkins. Very laid back. As long as the records aren't worn on the conical styli contact area, the cart should sound great. I had to revert to microline on an ozzy record because the inner grooves were worn out on that particular record.

Of course the at150mlx rules all over it, but who cares? As long as the playback sounds good I'm happy.

I just ordered a m44-7 for comparison.

Thanks again to all who mentioned/recommended this cart/stylus.

 

[illini]

I just ordered a m44-7 for comparison.

Got it, playing George Clinton/Atomic Dog single 45rpm on Technics SL-23 at vtf=2gm. Tested perfectly on the hi-fi news test lp. Powerful bass, high output. Nice cart, recommend for mint vinyl singles.

 

[szeppelin75]

I have the M44-7, it's a well tracking cartridges for old records, 45s and mono records. very lout output.

 

[T68]

My wife just found a Shure M44mg body laying in the gravel on our driveway.
Good knows how it ended up there?! I have no memory of ever owning one. Maybe fell out from the car while moving a TT which had it loose somewhere?
I have no idea how long it's been out in the wild.
Wonder if it works? What should the coils measure on this thing?

 

[TerryMarmite]

The coils should measure the same as all M44/55 carts. Can't remember off the top of my head but vinylengine has the specs. My 1970 M44MB measures very close.

If you've got two letters printed on to the cartridge body you can identify when it was made. So mine is "KG" - G is the 7th letter of the alphabet so July. K either means 1970 or 1971 (not certain there) and you can work back or forward in years with different letters if you see what I mean.

 

[oldman54]

That's crazy, in your driveway? Coils should be 600 ohms +/-. The different output is in the stylus. Stronger magnets=more output. Those are selling for 150 and up on ebay.

 

[TerryMarmite]

That's crazy, in your driveway? Coils should be 600 ohms +/-. The different output is in the stylus. Stronger magnets=more output. Those are selling for 150 and up on ebay.

More like 630 Ohms in mine, which is what the specs are listed as on vinylengine.

People enjoy various aftermarket styli for less money. The originals here in the UK are both hard to find and expensive. Jico take a special interest in the M44 with a few different options. Then on the budget end in the US there's an EVG something (I think?) that is liked.

 

[oldman54]

Jico is making M44 carts now. Also nude conicals and ellipticals as well as bonded stylus.

 

[T68]

Can a m75 stylus be used with the m44 just to see if it still has som life in it?

 

[oldman54]

No, it will fit but shure changed the angle of the stylus. The metal capsule and internals are the same but every cart from the m70 on up have a different Stylus Rake Angle. It will work if you just want to see if the cart works. You could shim the front of the cart to get the angle right. There's a guy on here who did it. You might try a search.

 

[ejman]

Listening to my Shure M44 MG with an LP Gear vivid line stylus (the M55 fits the M44 just fine) and it sounds amazing. Punchy bass and clear non fatiguing highs. A hidden gem.

 

[HamboneF18]

ALL M44 and M55 cart bodies are the same. It doesn’t matter whether it has a stencil of a -5, -7, G, E, or anything else. They are the same. The letters after M44 or M55 (the exact same carts also!) just refers to the stylus tip shape and/or tracking force range.

And also, the M91/M70/75 are the same generators (cartridges) as the M44/55; they just have the generators mounted at 15 degrees in the headshell mount instead of flat horizontal as in the 44/55.

The N75 stylus *can* be used in the M44/55; but you have to shim the cartridge nose down/tail up 15 degrees in the headshell. I’ve done it before.

I compared the Pfanstiehl N44C stylus with a NOS Shure N44C stylus. My sample sounded virtually exactly the same as the genuine Shure stylus. Very little difference in sound.

The Pfanstiehl tracks at 3.5 grams (fine for a 0.7 mil conical) and the original Shure tracks at 3.2 grams.

1964 Shure M44C:

 

[HamboneF18]

Thanks for the specs. I just pulled the trigger on this new M44-7. Best deal that I found. I figured that at this price, why get a new stylus for an old cartridge.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ils?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1278266184&sr=8-1&seller=

The price is so high because it’s got a DJ stylus on it. Not a particularly good sounding stylus.

These are all the same cartridge. Much cheaper! An M44C is the same as an M44-7, M44-5, M44G, M44E, M44J, M55E, etc.

 

[stereofisher]

The price is so high because it’s got a DJ stylus on it. Not a particularly good sounding stylus.

These are all the same cartridge. Much cheaper! An M44C is the same as an M44-7, M44-5, M44G, M44E, M44J, M55E, etc.

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Have a cart body too.