Shure M91, M75

[MCM_Fan]

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!

You inspired me re-install the M73E/N31E on my MCS 6700. I have lots of cartridge/stylus combos mounted on headshells for this table - perfect for trying different things.

I'm running a pair of KEF LS50 speakers in this system, and while the little KEFs are truly amazing in so many ways, they aren't known for their bass. This cartridge/stylus combo makes the little guys sound a lot bigger than they are.

 

[TnSquatch]

You inspired me re-install the M73E/N31E on my MCS 6700. I have lots of cartridge/stylus combos mounted on headshells for this table - perfect for trying different things.

I'm running a pair of KEF LS50 speakers in this system, and while the little KEFs are truly amazing in so many ways, they aren't known for their bass. This cartridge/stylus combo makes the little guys sound a lot bigger than they are.

I'm glad to tried your M73E/N31E combination. Sounds like this combo allowed your KEF's to push out some lower frequencies that your previous cartridge/stylus could not.
I have 3 different Shure carts & two ADC's. I now have 3 Dual tt's, two 1229's & my new acquisition, the 1009 SK2 & 5 cartridge carriers/sleds with all 5 mounted. I like being able to change out cartridges quickly. On these Duals, i can drop one, lock-in a different one rebalance the tonearm, re-set the tracking weight & re-adjust the anti-skating PDQ.
I have favorites for specific genres of music, so if i want to go from prog rock to jazz, blues or folk, i can quickly accomplish the cart/stylus change.
Typically though, i set each table up for a genre & listen like that.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Interesting... Are you talking about the styli plastic housing, "grip" part not being able to fit the actual cartridge body, or the magnets not lining up properly?


Right, got that. But you misunderstood my question, how to tell carts apart? Here, let's take M91 E & M75 6s for example. Both visually the same, both clip-mounted. Are they compatible between each other, is M75 going to accept N91 stylus & vice versa?

M91E (also compatible with 91ED styli)


M75-6s

M 91 bodies accept M 75 styli also. M 75 bodies unless Easy Mount (what is in your bottom photo) accept only M 75 and their direct relatives (including M 70 options)

 

[KentTeffeteller]

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.

Trekkie I understand completely your search for the first GOOD cart you heard, I have done the same thing, sometimes with success, sometimes not. It would be fun to still have my old Realistic (BSR) Lab-6 turntable...I think.

Wasn't there a rebadged M 44-7 and M 44-C in between? I seem to remember one, between Shure M3D/M7D and M 75 family rebadges.

 

[MCM_Fan]

I'm glad to tried your M73E/N31E combination. Sounds like this combo allowed your KEF's to push out some lower frequencies that your previous cartridge/stylus could not.
I have 3 different Shure carts & two ADC's. I now have 3 Dual tt's, two 1229's & my new acquisition, the 1009 SK2 & 5 cartridge carriers/sleds with all 5 mounted. I like being able to change out cartridges quickly. On these Duals, i can drop one, lock-in a different one rebalance the tonearm, re-set the tracking weight & re-adjust the anti-skating PDQ.
I have favorites for specific genres of music, so if i want to go from prog rock to jazz, blues or folk, i can quickly accomplish the cart/stylus change.
Typically though, i set each table up for a genre & listen like that.

I have used the M73E/M31E/M32E with the N31E styli extensively. I had just swapped it out recently for a Realistic R700E (M75) with a NOS Ne95ED stylus. Same deal, I have multiple cartridges mounted and properly aligned on several headshells for the MCS 6700. So swapping is an easy matter of popping one off, another on, rebalancing the arm and setting the proper VTF and AS. Takes about 5 minutes tops.

 

[Trekkie4]

M 91 bodies accept M 75 styli also. M 75 bodies unless Easy Mount (what is in your bottom photo) accept only M 75 and their direct relatives (including M 70 options)

That was exactly what I was hoping to find out, thanks! I worked it out in the meantime, and probing both M75B Type2 & M91ED confirmed to have the same internals

On a side note, I might give it a try with elliptical N 75ED/T2 inside M91ED ... although with that being said, I'm not sure if that combo would make any noticeable difference comparing to "original" carts which I'm already using

 

[marcmorin]

That was exactly what I was hoping to find out, thanks! I worked it out in the meantime, and probing both M75B Type2 & M91ED confirmed to have the same internals

On a side note, I might give it a try with elliptical N 75ED/T2 inside M91ED ... although with that being said, I'm not sure if that combo would make any noticeable difference comparing to "original" carts which I'm already using

The N75ED type ll stylus, and the N91ED stylus (Shure) are the same, with a different grip.

 

[petemcfc]

Another lesson learnt,+1 for future reference.

 

[TnSquatch]

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.

Shure Brothers produced many great cartridges & styli. Back when i was a teen & just getting into stereo equipment, in the early/mid 70's, Shure, ADC & Pickering held the lion's share of the market for the blue collar working stiff.
As i aged & my income grew, i remained their loyal customer.
The old adage, "they have more money, than sense", remained with me too. I could never bring myself to spend hundreds or thousands on carts/stili.
I was a concert musician for many years & had great hearing & audible discernment. Even whilst listening with great cans, the difference in sound reproduction between these companies offerings vs 'high end/high dollar' offerings was never justified, for me.

 

[Trekkie4]

Shure Brothers produced many great cartridges & styli. Back when ai was a teen & just getting into stereo equipment, in the early/mid 70's, Shure, ADC & Pickering held the lion's share of the market for the blue collar working stiff.
As i aged & my income grew, i remained their loyal customer.
The old adage, "they have more money, than sense", remained with me too. I could never bring myself to spend hundreds or thousands on carts/stili.
I was a concert musician for many years & had great hearing & audible discernment. Even whilst listening with great cans, the difference in sound reproduction between these companies offerings vs 'high end/high dollar' offerings was never justified, for me.

Shure really blows my mind away... Most folks would probably comment, be amazed by the higher output (compared to most modern carts, sold nowdays), but what I really find fascinating is the stereo image, stereo separation! And these are the replacement styli I'm talking about - to be perfectly honest I don't think I ever got to hear original, "HI-TRACK" stylus before.

Best bang for the buck! I'll admit, finding the actual carts can be tricky (and initially expensive), but once you own the actual cartridge, finding & fitting the replacement stylus is the least of your worries. And usually cheap! Like I said, best bang for the buck - I honestly can't think of a better deal, better package! Not to mention the pure nostalgia, which is always a huge bonus by itself

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for newer Shure carts... Although I have to admit that my M94 E used to sound really nice with its original stylus (replacement one is OK, but only just "OK", nothing exciting) it simply cannot compare with older, "Stereo Dynetic" models such as M70, M75, M91 & similar IMO.

 

[TnSquatch]

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.

Got the N31E stili....the sound is stunning, much better than the old stylus, before the cantilever snapped off. I put on ELO's 'Face the Music' Lp for my initial listen. Spectacular !

 

[T68]

Trekkie4: can't agree more about the bang for the buck.
I got a M75 body for $12 and equipped it with an $25 aftermarket elliptical stylus of shady origin (sellers claim Jico but nothing on the stylus or box indicates).
Man, this combo really sounds sweet and plays well with my Little Bear preamp.
It's so good I haven't bothered getting my other vintage cartridge find into operation. A Stanton 680.

 

[Trekkie4]

Trekkie4: can't agree more about the bang for the buck.
I got a M75 body for $12 and equipped it with an $25 aftermarket elliptical stylus of shady origin (sellers claim Jico but nothing on the stylus or box indicates).
Man, this combo really sounds sweet and plays well with my Little Bear preamp.
It's so good I haven't bothered getting my other vintage cartridge find into operation. A Stanton 680.

Same here... I got my "M75B" cartridge locally, (it had a badly damaged genuine N75 C stylus) for around $15. ED/T2 stylus was closer to $35-40 however, but only because I went for "Jico" - there was plenty of other & cheaper ones to choose from.

"M91ED" on the other hand was a lot more expensive & harder to find... I've been quite literally searching for this one for years & years. Eventually I had to admit to myself that I will never find one locally, so I imported one from Greece, for around $37,50 (including shipping & handling). Stylus on the other hand was dirt cheap, for around $15 or less.

Which LittleBear are you using? I got my "T8" from the picture below, although (as of recently) I went back to using internal preamp inside LP-120. Nothing wrong with T8, it's just that internal preamp gives better & fuller sound than through the external unit. Unless the internal preamp is removed entirely, which is something I don't intend to do ... for now.

 

[T68]

I'm using a Little Bear T10 which I'm really happy with!

 

[GerardG]

Shure Brothers produced many great cartridges & styli. Back when i was a teen & just getting into stereo equipment, in the early/mid 70's, Shure, ADC & Pickering held the lion's share of the market for the blue collar working stiff.
As i aged & my income grew, i remained their loyal customer.
The old adage, "they have more money, than sense", remained with me too. I could never bring myself to spend hundreds or thousands on carts/stili.
I was a concert musician for many years & had great hearing & audible discernment. Even whilst listening with great cans, the difference in sound reproduction between these companies offerings vs 'high end/high dollar' offerings was never justified, for me.

I feel exactly the same way. Shure, Pickering, Empire all sound wonderful to me. I'm lucky to have found a small supply of OEM styli for each over the years and have enough to more than last the remaining years I have on this Earth. Indeed I've not purchased any styli or cartridges for at least three years.

Though not having a musician's ear for sound and music I have listened to high priced carts and could never justify the much greater cost. Not saying there isn't any just that, for me, it was not worth the expense. If others find it is justifiable then great, enjoy. It's all good.

Gerard

 

[TnSquatch]

I feel exactly the same way. Shure, Pickering, Empire all sound wonderful to me. I'm lucky to have found a small supply of OEM styli for each over the years and have enough to more than last the remaining years I have on this Earth. Indeed I've not purchased any styli or cartridges for at least three years.

Though not having a musician's ear for sound and music I have listened to high priced carts and could never justify the much greater cost. Not saying there isn't any just that, for me, it was not worth the expense. If others find it is justifiable then great, enjoy. It's all good.

Gerard

Thanks Gerard, for responding to my opinion ....& yes, Empire too!
Yes, it is all good. We all have our favorites & preferences. It all boils down to what brings us pleasure.

 

[Trekkie4]

From all the carts that I've heard/owned (other than Shure M75, M91, M94) I would say that Stanton 500 is my favorite. My next-door neighbor owns one, which probably came stock with his Thorens TD-110. In fact, I replaced the stylus for him, we picked up a generic 500E stylus for around $25 locally. And have to say, it sounds pretty darn good!

I suppose that 3600L also deserves a mention, as it kinda resembles Shure carts. It has a good sound, and one heck of a "bang for the buck" ratio. But other than that, it noticeably falls behind both the Stanton & Shure carts. Especially when it comes to stereo separation & output voltage.

 

[GerardG]

Thanks Gerard, for responding to my opinion ....& yes, Empire too!
Yes, it is all good. We all have our favorites & preferences. It all boils down to what brings us pleasure.

We do have our favourites. I've never heard an ADC sing but if I ever find one for reasonable cost I'll try it.

Gerard

 

[GerardG]

From all the carts that I've heard/owned (other than Shure M75, M91, M94) I would say that Stanton 500 is my favorite. My next-door neighbor owns one, which probably came stock with his Thorens TD-110. In fact, I replaced the stylus for him, we picked up a generic 500E stylus for around $25 locally. And have to say, it sounds pretty darn good!

I suppose that 3600L also deserves a mention, as it kinda resembles Shure carts. It has a good sound, and one heck of a "bang for the buck" ratio. But other than that, it noticeably falls behind both the Stanton & Shure carts. Especially when it comes to stereo separation & output voltage.

A few years back I had a line on a NOS Stanton 500 with original stylus but never pulled the trigger on it. I regret that but I may find one again. One can never be certain.

Gerard

 

[Trekkie4]

A few years back I had a line on a NOS Stanton 500 with original stylus but never pulled the trigger on it. I regret that but I may find one again. One can never be certain.

Gerard

Don't know what's the situation like over in Canada, but around here you can find Stantons 500 from time to time. They're somewhat rare, true - but regularly pop out every once in a while & for reasonable price... Especially when you least expect to find one lol. Most of them are sold with Thorens turntables however.