Shure M91, M75

[johnjhazel]

These older carts were manufactured (and mainly sold) in the States, so it makes perfect sense. It would also make sense to import one or two into Europe, if it wasn't for all the additional fees, associated with transport & customs.

International shipping is expensive. The big E is the cheapest that I have found. And right now, USPS International First Class is not available online.

 

[zoombrewer77]

Sitting here thinking about the M91 I’ll likely never use, and wondering how much it would cost just to send it to you. More than a stylus for it, I’m sure.

 

[MCM_Fan]

Sitting here thinking about the M91 I’ll likely never use, and wondering how much it would cost just to send it to you. More than a stylus for it, I’m sure.

I'm not sure exactly where the OP is located, but USPS has an first class international package shipping service that runs $14.25, for up to 8 ounces to most European countries. It doesn't include tracking or insurance, but I've had good luck using it for shipping small, inexpensive items. If you list the value as $15 or $20, it will also minimize and customs/duties he'll have to pay. And I occasionally see one, without stylus, sell in that range on eBay. So, you wouldn't be falsifying anything on the customs form.

 

[Trekkie4]

It's not really a secret, in fact I used to have it in my profile...

I'm from Croatia, in Europe. Shipping from EU to US (and vice-versa) is of course always an option, in fact I sent more than couple of packages myself, to a friend of mine who lives on Florida. Unfortunately even without the customs, delivery cost was just absurd & beyond ridiculous. So it all comes down to price vs value, and staying on budget. Which is of course, always easier said than done.

 

[MCM_Fan]

That Shure download is very interesting...my first year at RS, we had the M3D, "RS120" and "RS 220" carts. Never knew what the latter two were, here it show them as M31 and M32, not as top-of-the-range as we made them out to be! These were superseded by all the iterations of M75.

You mean like these:

From left to right: NOS Shure Pacific M73E w/NOS N31E stylus, NOS Shure M31E w/NOS Shure N31E stylus, Shure M32E, Shure Realistic RS120E, Shure Realistic R120E

Maybe not "top-of-the-range", but still very enjoyable, at least to me. You could say I'm a fan. Great vintage Shure sound with very impactful bass. Great cart/stylus combo for classic rock and 1970s era progressive rock. The M75 is technically better, but the M31E/M32E/M73E/RS120E is still a great sounding cartridge. Other than the restrictive shape of the body/stylus grip, it's identical to the M55E.

The best thing about them is NOS genuine Made in the US N31E styli are reading available and very affordable. You won't find any other NOS Made in the US 0.2 x 0.7 light tracking Shure stylus for less than twice the money.

I'm pretty much set for life on the styli. In addition to the two NOS N31E styli shown above, I have 3 more waiting in the wings:

In case it's not obvious, due to the Pfanstiehl packaging, those are genuine precision manufactured Shure N31E styli:

I track mine at 1.65g on an MCS 6700, which was made by Panasonic, with the same midweight tonearm that was used on many Technics direct drive models from the late 70s through early 80s. For some music, I prefer the M75 with the NOS Ne95ED stylus, but for some records, the N31E and it's twins, really rocks the house. Plus, with so many NOS styli on hand, I'm not the least bit worried about playing less than pristine thrift store vinyl with these guys.

 

[Trekkie4]

It's such a shame that Shure left cart-production business... I realize there are people out there who don't like the way they sound, but IMO they left a huge legacy. Not to mention a gap in the market.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

If I understand correctly the M75 stylus will fit in an M91 body; an M91 stylus will not fit in an M75 body. This probably meant that back in the day you couldn't upgrade your cart by simply buying the newer stylus. You would have to spring for the whole new cartridge. Makes total business sense.
If I'm wrong someone should be along shortly.

Which is correct. M 75 styli fit M 91 series, but M 91 styli do not fit M 75 cartridge bodies.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Shure M91 GD wasn't just the first /good/ cart, it was literally the very first cart I used, and remembered

The fact that it sounds amazing is of course a huge plus, and TBH it kinda spoiled me down the road, because it set my "standards" for the future. So nowdays, whenever I listen to a certain cart, or compare it with some other model, I always have M91 & M94 in my mind. Which is probably the reason why I dislike AT-95E, from all the 4 carts in my collection, bright-sounding AT95 is the least similar to Shure!

My first good cartridge was the Shure M75 EJ, installed as a practical downgrade on my AR XA/91, recommended by my dealer I bought the AR from (and if I wanted the M 91 ED, it would have been supplied for free within the warranty period by him).

 

[bobins08]

When I was a young teenager in the 70s the M91ed was everywhere, the M95ed was to but to a lesser extent, and the V15 series, well that was for people with more to spend.

Always like the fullness of Shure.

 

[Trekkie4]

This arrived, earlier today...


Once again, no technical info that I know of... Judging by the price tag, I'd say this is conical in shape, but it comes with good reviews & user feedback. For any of you wondering, the product code is 4 250013 714876.

I'm also planning to do additional tests & electrical comparisons between M75B & M91ED bodies, when (& if) I get the 91ED cart.

 

[Trekkie4]

Bump!

Time to revive this topic once again (and hopefully for the last time)

I received this in my mail, earlier today... FINALLY!!


And while I'm still waiting for the black-painted hex mounting screws to arrive, the assembly is pretty much done... M91 had been aligned & configured, and have to admit - sounds outstanding! I would even dare to say better than elliptical counterpart M75 ED/T2, probably due to less surface noise, "pops & clicks".


But still, enjoying my new old M91 isn't the reason for reviving this thread. Remember my initial question - How does M91ED compare against M75 and is it just the same cart in a different shell, or is there more to it?

Just for kicks I measured out the inductance:
M91: ~600
M75-6: ~720
M70: ~650

Interesting.

So I took my meter & did some testing:

Shure M75B Type2
L Channel = 633
R Channel = 641

Shure M91ED
L Channel = 623
R Channel = 616

All the indicated values are in ohms, and are pretty much the same. Most importantly, both channels are nearly identical on both carts

With that being said, not sure what to say about @mythless's M75-6, but if someone else is willing to test their 75-6 carts & confirm different inductance, I would kindly ask them to report back in this thread & share their findings

 

[MCM_Fan]

Bump!

Time to revive this topic once again (and hopefully for the last time)

I received this in my mail, earlier today... FINALLY!!


And while I'm still waiting for the black-painted hex mounting screws to arrive, the assembly is pretty much done... M91 had been aligned & configured, and have to admit - sounds outstanding! I would even dare to say better than elliptical counterpart M75 ED/T2, probably due to less surface noise, "pops & clicks".


But still, enjoying my new old M91 isn't the reason for reviving this thread. Remember my initial question - How does M91ED compare against M75 and is it just the same cart in a different shell, or is there more to it?

So I took my meter & did some testing:

Shure M75B Type2
L Channel = 633
R Channel = 641

Shure M91ED
L Channel = 623
R Channel = 616

All the indicated values are in ohms, and are pretty much the same. Most importantly, both channels are nearly identical on both carts

With that being said, not sure what to say about @mythless's M75-6, but if someone else is willing to test their 75-6 carts & confirm different inductance, I would kindly ask them to report back in this thread & share their findings

Cool! What stylus are you running on your M91 (the one with the purple grip)?

 

[Trekkie4]

Cool! What stylus are you running on your M91 (the one with the purple grip)?

The one from my previous post, above


it's a generic (conical) stylus, which came without any details or technical specifications, but it had plenty of good reviews online.

And now that I actually have it up & running, I can understand why - it sounds just like you'd expect. Probably a Jico or EVG, re-distributed through 3rd party sellers & companies. It is mainly targeted as "Dual stylus replacement", but obviously it's compatible with all M91 & M75 carts, for as long as you can fit them under the plastic shroud. Anyhow, feel free to look it up, the product number is 4250013714876 & it usually sells for around $15.

 

[MCM_Fan]

The one from my previous post, above


it's a generic (conical) stylus, which came without any details or technical specifications, but it had plenty of good reviews online.

And now that I actually have it up & running, I can understand why - it sounds just like you'd expect. Probably a Jico or EVG, re-distributed through 3rd party sellers & companies. It is mainly targeted as "Dual stylus replacement", but obviously it's compatible with all M91 & M75 carts, for as long as you can fit them under the plastic shroud. Anyhow, feel free to look it up, the product number is 4250013714876 & it usually sells for around $15.

Thanks for the details. I didn't recognize it from your previous post. The one in the plastic box looks like it has a black plastic grip. The one mounted on your cartridge has a purple plastic grip.

 

[Trekkie4]

Thanks for the details. I didn't recognize it from your previous post. The one in the plastic box looks like it has a black plastic grip. The one mounted on your cartridge has a purple plastic grip.

Ah, OK... No prob

And yes, it is just the lighting (shadow) thing.To me in person, it actually looked more like dark green, until I removed it from the case earlier today. And I didn't bother taking out the stylus before, because I didn't want to risk any damage to the tip or cantilever.

 

[TnSquatch]

You mean like these:

From left to right: NOS Shure Pacific M73E w/NOS N31E stylus, NOS Shure M31E w/NOS Shure N31E stylus, Shure M32E, Shure Realistic RS120E, Shure Realistic R120E

Maybe not "top-of-the-range", but still very enjoyable, at least to me. You could say I'm a fan. Great vintage Shure sound with very impactful bass. Great cart/stylus combo for classic rock and 1970s era progressive rock. The M75 is technically better, but the M31E/M32E/M73E.RS120E is still a great sounding cartridge. Other than the restrictive shape of the body/stylus grip, it's identical to the M55E.

The best thing about them is NOS genuine Made in the US N31E styli are reading available and very affordable. You won't find any other NOS Made in the US 0.2 x 0.7 light tracking Shure stylus for less than twice the money.

I'm pretty much set for life on the styli. In addition to the two NOS N31E styli shown above, I have 3 more waiting in the wings:

In case it's not obvious, due to the Pfanstiehl packaging, those are genuine precision manufactured Shure N31E styli:

I track mine at 1.65g on an MCS 6700, which was made by Panasonic, with the same midweight tonearm that was used on many Technics direct drive models from the late 70s through early 80s. For some music, I prefer the M75 with the NOS Ne95ED stylus, but for some records, the N31E and it's twins, really rocks the house. Plus, with so many NOS styli on hand, I'm not the least bit worried about playing less than pristine thrift store vinyl with these guys.

Hello, TnSquatch here~
I am looking for a Shure replacement stylus for my M31e cartridge. Would you be willing to sell me one? I've been looking for quite a long time. I have a Dual 1009 SK2 tt that my dad bought in the late sixties, that has the original Shure M31e cart, but the stylus is broken off. I posted a WTB in our Bartertown section.
Thanks......

 

[MCM_Fan]

Hello, TnSquatch here~
I am looking for a Shure replacement stylus for my M31e cartridge. Would you be willing to sell me one? I've been looking for quite a long time. I have a Dual 1009 SK2 tt that my dad bought in the late sixties, that has the original Shure M31e cart, but the stylus is broken off. I posted a WTB in our Bartertown section.
Thanks......

I suggest you hit up Gary at The Voice of Music. He was the source for my last three NOS N31E styli. He's raised his price by 5 bucks since then, but still an insanely good deal for a NOS, genuine Made in the USA, Shure 0.2 x 0.7 mil elliptical.

 

[TnSquatch]

I suggest you hit up Gary at The Voice of Music. He was the source for my last three NOS N31E styli. He's raised his price by 5 bucks since then, but still an insanely good deal for a NOS, genuine Made in the USA, Shure 0.2 x 0.7 mil elliptical.

Thank you so much for your help. I thank you not only for quickly replying, but for caring....not many folks around any longer that are willing to help a brother out. Again, much obliged. My given name is Bryan.
Late Entry: I went to VOM, Gary had it in stock, & it's been ordered....2 of them! The original lasted nearly 50 years, so these will outlast this old man.Whomever gets this after i depart, will be in good shape....thanks to your kindness.~

 

[MCM_Fan]

Thank you so much for your help. I thank you not only for quickly replying, but for caring....not many folks around any longer that are willing to help a brother out. Again, much obliged. My given name is Bryan.

Bryan,

You're welcome. Glad I could help. We're all in this together. There is strength in numbers. The more of us spinning records, the better. Enjoy that M31E cartridge with your NOS N31E stylus. It's a fun combination.

 

[TnSquatch]

Oh, i will ! I listened to it several years before it got damaged. That is a hot cartridge/stylus combination. High output, at least to my ears. I have 3 different Shure carts & a couple brick ADC's....it's my favorite of the pack. Tracks lightly too. I switched it from the Dual 1009 to my 1229 & it's very punchy on both.
Thank you again!