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Shure ME97HE new he stylus question

jopav

jopav

Active Member
Hi,
An Shure ME97HE is on it's way, which I recently bought without stylus. I would like to make from it an nice and cost effective cart/stylus combo. So the question would be which HE or VL stylus is recommended by Shure cartridge experts here to reach similar results as with original NE97 stylus or M111HE stylus (those are almost impossible to find now NOS)? To add a little help I would like to mention that there are Ed Saunders HE stylus for V15xMR and V15RS (60$ and would fit), HE stylus from JICO (80$ for M104/105 and would fit - without a brush), or maybe Vivid Line stylus from LP gear for M110/111 (would also fit). The budget would be around 80$ and I would avoid current n97xE stylus and JICO SAS. Please take in consider also ME97HE's inpedance/inductance factor.

Thanx in advance,

Josip
 

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I really like my Vivid line in my M97xe. It is brighter and has a bit more mid punch than the stock one. Seems more durable than the stocker, but I haven't owned it that long.
 
malden said:
Regarding other after-market styli like Ed Saunders, Pfanstiehl and EVG, they all share the same magnet and suspension structure which are very different from Jico and OEM Shure styli.
Click to expand...

Can you substantiate this? Also, are you saying that Pfanstiehls, EVGs and Saunders styli are all made by a single company?

John
 
There's a seller on eBay offering Astatic replacement styli, made by JICO, for the M97ED. They're elliptical instead of hyper-elliptical but have the a whisker thin two piece cantilever like the original. I own two. I got one to replace a NOS N97HE and liked it so much I bought a second one. Very good styli! They're also only $34.00.

Check eBay for an "Astatic SH134=ED".

(I don't believe the N97xE styli will fit the earlier M97 Era IV body without surgery but it should fit the "Me" version.)

John
 
Last edited:
boreas said:
There's a seller on eBay offering Astatic replacement styli, made by JICO, for the M97ED. They're elliptical instead of hyper-elliptical but have the a whisker thin two piece cantilever like the original. I own two. I got one to replace a NOS N97HE and liked it so much I bought a second one. Very good styli! They're also only $34.00.

Check eBay for an "Astatic SH134=ED".

(I don't believe the N97xE styli will fit the earlier M97 Era IV body without surgery.)

John
Click to expand...

Sorry to threadjack but am looking for a Me97HE stylus too. The M97ED replacements are direct fits? Thank you.
 
Last edited:
malden said:
...Regarding other after-market styli like Ed Saunders, Pfanstiehl and EVG, they all share the same magnet and suspension structure which are very different from Jico and OEM Shure styli.
Click to expand...

boreas said:
Can you substantiate this?...
Click to expand...

I looked at them all with a 4x loupe, not that hard to see. I verified it with a 40x microscope.
 
Last edited:
malden said:
I looked at them all with a 4x loupe, not that hard to see. I verified it with a 40x microscope.
Click to expand...

Again, could you substatiate this? Merely restating your assertions isn't substantiation.

What styli did you examine, what specific differences did you observe and are you able to take photos through the eyepiece of the microscope?

John
 
I have 8 Jico styli, 3 Pfansteihl, 1 Ed Saunders, 2 EVG, and a couple of dozen OEM Shure styli.
 
JICO and SHURE
magnets are square
magnets are large
suspension (gooey stuff) has brass sleeve between it and stylus shank

EVG, Pfanstiehl, Ed Saunders
magnets are round
magnets are small
suspension has no sleeve between it and stylus shank

I haven't pulled them apart, but I might in the future.

That's all I know, but it's clear that they are different.
 
malden said:
JICO and SHURE
magnets are square
magnets are large
suspension (gooey stuff) has brass sleeve between it and stylus shank

EVG, Pfanstiehl, Ed Saunders
magnets are round
magnets are small
suspension has no sleeve between it and stylus shank

I haven't pulled them apart, but I might in the future.

That's all I know, but it's clear that they are different.
Click to expand...

Thank you.

John
 
jopav said:
Hi,
An Shure ME97HE is on it's way, which I recently bought without stylus. I would like to make from it an nice and cost effective cart/stylus combo. So the question would be which HE or VL stylus is recommended by Shure cartridge experts here to reach similar results as with original NE97 stylus or M111HE stylus (those are almost impossible to find now NOS)? To add a little help I would like to mention that there are Ed Saunders HE stylus for V15xMR and V15RS (60$ and would fit), HE stylus from JICO (80$ for M104/105 and would fit - without a brush), or maybe Vivid Line stylus from LP gear for M110/111 (would also fit). The budget would be around 80$ and I would avoid current n97xE stylus and JICO SAS. Please take in consider also ME97HE's inpedance/inductance factor.

Thanx in advance,

Josip
Click to expand...

Have a look at the following:

Genuine original stylus for M97ED
Elliptical .2 x .7
Interchangeability/Upgrade Group: G :music:

http://www.stereoneedles.com/Shure.html
 
machupicchu said:
Sorry to threadjack but am looking for a Me97HE stylus too. The M97ED replacements are direct fits? Thank you.
Click to expand...

Yes, I believe so. The mounting cap on the Me97HE is quite a bit smaller than the one on the Era IV version. There's one possible fly in the ointment, though it would be easy to deal with.

The Era IV stylus has a "billboard" on top which is intended to fit into a gap in the Era IV mounting cap. Since the Me mounting cap sort of wraps around the front of the cartridge body, there's a possibility that the billboard will contact the mounting cap before the stylus is fully inserted but I suspect that this isn't the case. If it is, the solution is to remove the billboard.

John
 
jopav said:
Hi, is this stylus the one you are using http://www.lpgear.com/product/SHN097xVL.html ? Is it too bright in 97xE or just little brighter? I'm asking that because mine ME97 doesn't have rolled off treble like 97xE.
Click to expand...

Yea, that's the one. I wouldn't say it's too bright, but if this stylus gives the highs as much of a boost as I got, you may take issue with it. YMMV.
Sadly, My cart/styli knowledge and experience are a bit limited.
But I feel the ViVid line has good value and sonic improvement over Shures original needle in my case.

If you do go this route, keep us posted, as I would be curious to know if the ViVid can improve other carts as well.
 
machupicchu said:
Sorry to threadjack but am looking for a Me97HE stylus too. The M97ED replacements are direct fits? Thank you.
Click to expand...

The M97ED is part of the ERA lV family, as boreas previously stated, so it's not a direct fit.

There are actually quite a few stylus options for the Me97HE cartridge. Any stylus that looks like the current N92E or N97xE will fit without modification.
 
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