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Shure M97HE cart distortion. Help!

Shockmaster

Shockmaster

Active Member
i just picked up a used technics turntable with a Shure M97HE cart and a Shure N97HE ERA IV stylus. I put the stylus on my Kenwood KD 770D turntable yesterday and it worked and sounded beautifully. Today I turn on my TT and I get an extremely distorted and muffled sound. Unlistenable. What could be going on? The needs itself isn’t dirty. Thanks!
 
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I guess first check to see if there is a dust bunny on the stylus. If no, with the turntable off, lower the cartridge on to a record and look to see if said cartridge sinks all the way down to the record surface. If it does then you should recheck your VTF. I believe it should be aprox 1.5 grams plus 1/2 a gram to compensate for the brush. Speaking of the brush, does it move up and down freely and smoothly?
 
hoodie said:
I guess first check to see if there is a dust bunny on the stylus. If no, with the turntable off, lower the cartridge on to a record and look to see if said cartridge sinks all the way down to the record surface. If it does then you should recheck your VTF. I believe it should be aprox 1.5 grams plus 1/2 a gram to compensate for the brush. Speaking of the brush, does it move up and down freely and smoothly?
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No dust bunnies, but comparing it to my other cartridge up close it seems that the shure may have lost it’s tip. It doesn’t look like there’s much of anything left to sit in the groove on the needle, how likely is that to be the problem?
 
If there's not a stone(diamond) on the cantilever, you most certainly will hear distorted sound. If you have a magnifier you can easily see if the stone is there. HTH, Preston
 
pjsjr said:
If there's not a stone(diamond) on the cantilever, you most certainly will hear distorted sound. If you have a magnifier you can easily see if the stone is there. HTH, Preston
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Almost positive the stone is gone. I’ve noticed these stylus cost upwards of $120 or more. Is there anyway to replace just the needle in a cost-effective way, or am I limited to only buying a new stylus altogether? Thanks so much
 
An original Shure stylus for that will probably be expensive, as will a Jico SAS(but worth it, IMHO). IIRC there is a thread about replacement stylus for older Shure cartridges. A google search with Audiokarma would bring up lots of infomation. You will only need the stylus, which is pulled out and replaced with the new one. I think Jico would be the way to go and they are mentioned in many of the threads. You've been told that that cartridge is a good one and if you like the sound getting a new stylus would be the way to go. Preston
 
pjsjr said:
An original Shure stylus for that will probably be expensive, as will a Jico SAS(but worth it, IMHO). IIRC there is a thread about replacement stylus for older Shure cartridges. A google search with Audiokarma would bring up lots of infomation. You will only need the stylus, which is pulled out and replaced with the new one. I think Jico would be the way to go and they are mentioned in many of the threads. You've been told that that cartridge is a good one and if you like the sound getting a new stylus would be the way to go. Preston
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Yes indeed. They’re going for around $150+. There is a gentleman selling a NOS shure M97HE that has the original Shure N97HE ERA IV still connected. Would you say it makes more sense to just purchase the whole cartridge again instead of spend $10 less just for the stylus alone? Thanks.
 
Would depend on what level of trust I had for said individual. There are people out there who would dupe and cheat and lie:eek:. Preston
 
Shockmaster said:
Yes indeed. They’re going for around $150+. There is a gentleman selling a NOS shure M97HE that has the original Shure N97HE ERA IV still connected. Would you say it makes more sense to just purchase the whole cartridge again instead of spend $10 less just for the stylus alone? Thanks.
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Since the HE-hyper elliptical is no longer usable.

Perhaps the next best thing would be an after market equivalent like the VividLine for now. :music:
https://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LG&Product_Code=SHN097HEL
 
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