Shure M95ED, M55E, M91ED, M97xE

[Blackdog61]

I haven’t experimented with loading since I got the EAR clone phono stage. IIRC, it’s set to 47k and +-250pf. When I used an NAD I did experiment with loading the M55 and thought it made some difference, but I believe the differences in cartridges may be greater. That’s more tinkering than I want to do.

Today I gave the M97xE another go, both with the VL and stock styli but it didn’t take long to sour on it. First, the VL sounded overly lean and clinical. Switching to the stock stylus may have been a bit better, but it sounded lean in the low end and the overall presentation was just meh. Boring and uninvolving. Reviews generally say that it’s low end is better but that’s my experience.

The 95 was immediately better, more dynamic in the lows and mids. The M55 is on with the stock stylus and sounding warm and full. It may not be flat, but it is a very musical experience. I hear a bit more depth of soundstage with it than the others.

It may be that I’m shortchanging the setup on these carts, particularly the VL 97 and Grado which has a fine line rock. If I actually settle on one, I’ll do that.

 

[SterlingOne]

I haven’t experimented with loading since I got the EAR clone phono stage. IIRC, it’s set to 47k and +-250pf. When I used an NAD I did experiment with loading the M55 and thought it made some difference, but I believe the differences in cartridges may be greater. That’s more tinkering than I want to do.

Today I gave the M97xE another go, both with the VL and stock styli but it didn’t take long to sour on it. First, the VL sounded overly lean and clinical. Switching to the stock stylus may have been a bit better, but it sounded lean in the low end and the overall presentation was just meh. Boring and uninvolving. Reviews generally say that it’s low end is better but that’s my experience.

The 95 was immediately better, more dynamic in the lows and mids. The M55 is on with the stock stylus and sounding warm and full. It may not be flat, but it is a very musical experience. I hear a bit more depth of soundstage with it than the others.

It may be that I’m shortchanging the setup on these carts, particularly the VL 97 and Grado which has a fine line rock. If I actually settle on one, I’ll do that.

Lean on the low end? What sort of sub and sub filtering is your audio system supporting?

 

[Blackdog61]

Lean on the low end? What sort of sub and sub filtering is your audio system supporting?

I haven’t used a sub in decades. My system is in a small (approx 11’ x 13’) room using Canton 920 monitors on 24” steel stands driven by a Dynaco ST-70. Although I haven’t measured it, I sense that the bass response begins to roll off at 60-70 hz and but I can hear and feel 40hz pretty well. I’m a bass player and accurately reproducing those frequencies is important to me, but getting the midrange right is paramount.
The M97xE sounds lean compared to the other Shures in rotation, especially the M55.

 

[SterlingOne]

I haven’t used a sub in decades. My system is in a small (approx 11’ x 13’) room using Canton 920 monitors on 24” steel stands driven by a Dynaco ST-70. Although I haven’t measured it, I sense that the bass response begins to roll off at 60-70 hz and but I can hear and feel 40hz pretty well. I’m a bass player and accurately reproducing those frequencies is important to me, but getting the midrange right is paramount.
The M97xE sounds lean compared to the other Shures in rotation, especially the M55.

OK, got it. My three systems are .1’s which connect to a 15 inch JBL B380 subwoofer powered by a Sony TA-N80ES in bridged mode for 560 watts to the sub. Perhaps, this set-up is driving my impression for the M97xE’s awesome low end performance. In comparison to my V15V-MR and V15 Type III it seems the M97xE is on par to those carts in the bass region.

 

[Crab33]

In my experience, the M97xE has a fairly generous bass output but doesn't compare with some of the vintage cartridges like the M75 and M91 in sheer quantity. But the M97xE bass is tighter with more detail/texture than those older cartridges - generally better quality. In this sense, it is a bit like the M95ED, although the latter may have the edge in terms of quantity and also provides more refinement further up the frequency range (perhaps down to the bonded vs nude styli).

 

[Blackdog61]

@SterlingOne our systems and rooms are quite different. I have generally taken over a spare bedroom, preferring the ability to close the door and get into the experience with little care what goes on outside.
It may be that the M97xE has a deeper, leaner bass response and the lower octave roll off of my speakers doesn’t deliver it accurately. In the speaker world, the Rogers LS35a bumps the 80-100hz region to fool the listener into thinking it actually has a good low end. The midrange is beautiful, as is the overall experience but it has limitations.
In my experience, accurately capturing that bottom octave is done with big SS amplification and the room must support it. I like tubes and the small room simply won’t support the low end. When I bought these Cantons, the seller offered the matching sub but I passed. These things integrate very well with the room.

 

[Blackdog61]

The order has been set:
M95ED
M55E (wood body)
M91ED
M97xE

I have a Stanton 681 EEE with original stylus which Joseph said showed no wear and he declined to touch it. It is a tad smoother than the 95 and might be slightly down at the frequency extremes. It sounds beautiful but the 95 is more dynamic.

The 91 is a bit more colored and has the occasional brightness which is off putting. The original stylus has some miles on it.

The 55 is like a vintage tube amp but since I’m running tubes, it might be too much of a good thing. It would probably be great with an SAS.

M97xE? Why?

 

[beekeo]

related question -- I had bought an M97xE 6 or 8 years ago because it was a good performance value at about $80.
I'm now looking around for an upgrade, or a more specialized cart (for acoustic or jazz, etc), and now I'm seeing the M97xE selling for over $200 in used condition! top end is close to $500 NIB
what's the deal is it no longer in production or something?
I know I kept the original packing for a couple years, but I've moved twice since then and I'm sure it's gone, could make a quick buck lol

but on-topic: good to hear a nice variety of opinions that can help guide my shopping!

 

[beej]

related question -- I had bought an M97xE 6 or 8 years ago because it was a good performance value at about $80.
I'm now looking around for an upgrade, or a more specialized cart (for acoustic or jazz, etc), and now I'm seeing the M97xE selling for over $200 in used condition! top end is close to $500 NIB
what's the deal is it no longer in production or something?
I know I kept the original packing for a couple years, but I've moved twice since then and I'm sure it's gone, could make a quick buck lol

but on-topic: good to hear a nice variety of opinions that can help guide my shopping!

If I recall correctly Shure stopped making phono cartridges, including the M97xE, in 2018.

 

[Blackdog61]

related question -- I had bought an M97xE 6 or 8 years ago because it was a good performance value at about $80.
I'm now looking around for an upgrade, or a more specialized cart (for acoustic or jazz, etc), and now I'm seeing the M97xE selling for over $200 in used condition! top end is close to $500 NIB
what's the deal is it no longer in production or something?
I know I kept the original packing for a couple years, but I've moved twice since then and I'm sure it's gone, could make a quick buck lol

but on-topic: good to hear a nice variety of opinions that can help guide my shopping!

Shure quit the phono business, I bought mine the day I read the news. My advice is to buy one of the M95EDMs on EBay and spin some vinyl.

 

[beekeo]

ah, well that makes more sense

 

[Blackdog61]

Broke the cantilever on the 95 a few minutes ago. I dropped it on the XA earlier today when it slipped off the armrest but it sounded fine and played a few hours. At the end of its last side it started breaking up, looked ok under the lupe and then just disappeared.
Oh well, I have other carts to play with before deciding what to do. Three weeks………….

 

[KentTeffeteller]

I am a classic Shure lover, and have owned Shures for many years. Jico styli being one's best friend when owning a classic Shure. That said, I love M-44/M-55 family for selected applications (I have one installed on my Dual 1019, A M-55E). And the V 15 Type II/M-75 my all time favorite classic Shure due to it's versatility. I like the M-95 and original M-97 family cartridges a great deal.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

I am a classic Shure lover, and have owned Shures for many years. Jico styli being one's best friend when owning a classic Shure. That said, I love M-44/M-55 family for selected applications (I have one installed on my Dual 1019, A M-55E). And the V 15 Type II/M-75 my all time favorite classic Shure due to it's versatility. I like the M-95 and original M-97 family cartridges a great deal.

A note: I also own a V 15 Type II. Which will soon get a Jico M-75 EJ stylus installed which is compatible. As this suits my need for Classic Shure goodness. And an all time favorite cartridge. Reason why I plan on going N-75 EJ (I have Cerebral Palsy of mixed type, mostly athetoid. And muscles which never have an off switch. Live in a house with wood floors which are springy. I need closer to 2 grams tracking force with my Technics SL-1200 Mk II to keep skip resistance high).

 

[Blackdog61]

I have the M97xE on it now with a Vivid Line stylus and it sounds very good. Alignment is tricky with this thing and my earlier dislike was largely due to poor alignment. I’ll likely go with this for now, although it will be a placeholder.

 

[Crab33]

Broke the cantilever on the 95 a few minutes ago. I dropped it on the XA earlier today when it slipped off the armrest but it sounded fine and played a few hours. At the end of its last side it started breaking up, looked ok under the lupe and then just disappeared.
Oh well, I have other carts to play with before deciding what to do. Three weeks………….

That's a real shame, as it was a genuine Shure N95ED stylus, wasn't it? You could look out for another NOS stylus, otherwise I guess you're going down the Jico (or Tonar) route.

 

[Thorsten R.]

Having made more experience with my NOS M95ED I also think it´a real shame. Mine has settled now, I have aligned it on my CEC BD-3200 using a very light headshell, a mirror, corc platter mats of diverse thickness and a test LP. Furthermore I have dismantled the CEC again, checked and added-up the lubrication. And dampened the two subchassis (table and motor) with bituminous pads (THAT helped!). The M95ED sounds so sweet no matter what sort of music I listen to.

 

[Blackdog61]

I had it for three weeks. It was strange the way it played for several hours after the injury. When I looked at it under the lupe, the stylus itself looked perfect but I don’t remember inspecting the entire cantilever. Repositioning the lupe to do that, I thought ‘where did it go?’ and then I found the stub. It has several stress fractures and I guess it was weakened and finally let go.

My XA just got a locking armrest and I’m fitting it with a lifter in the next week or so. Honestly, I’m a bit accident prone and don’t trust myself right now with anything irreplaceable.

 

[Blackdog61]

Impatience is a dangerous thing. Remembering that the original M97xE stylus guard came off recently, I had an idea. It fits perfectly and sounds divine. Now, to be very careful. Very careful.

In case anyone is wondering, the top of the stylus guard wouldn’t quite fit under the plastic of the cartridge body.

 

[Blackdog61]

I believe it’s an improvement.