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Shure M97xE High-Performance Magnetic Phono Cartridge
- High-performance phono cartridge with finely polished elliptical diamond tip
- Accurately reproduces difficult musical passages, particularly in high-frequency range
- Viscous-damped dynamic stabilizer maintains uniform distance between cartridge and record
- Side-Guard system prevents stylus damage if cartridge accidentally slides across LP
- Die-cast-aluminum mounting block; includes mounting hardware and cleaning brush
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Product information
Item Weight | 0.387 ounces |
---|---|
Product Dimensions | 22 x 4 x 6 inches |
ASIN | B00006I5SB |
Item model number | M97XE |
Customer Reviews |
4.5 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #93,421 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments) #24,943 in Music Recording Equipment |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | June 3, 2006 |
Material Type | Synthetic |
Size | 6.00 x 4.00 x 22.00 |
Color Screen | No |
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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
M97xE Audiophile Phono Cartridge
Overview
The M97xE is a superb smooth-sounding phonograph cartridge designed to provide long hours of undistorted listening, without fatiguing the ear. Its highly precise tracking ability and flat frequency response are made possible by Shure's unique Type II low-mass thin-wall aluminum alloy stylus cantilever, combined with a precision-crafted, finely polished, elliptical diamond tip.
This cartridge is able to accurately reproduce very difficult musical passages, particularly in the high-frequency range, where audio modulations are the smallest and most concentrated, and stylus tip movement is consequently the most rapid.
Features
- Stylus Mass: Very Low
- Diamond Stylus Tip: Elliptical
- Sound Accuracy: Very High
- Record Wear: Very Low
- Key Features: Dynamic Stabilizer Brush
Dynamic Stabilizer
The Shure exclusive viscous-damped Dynamic Stabilizer maintains a uniform distance between the cartridge and the record under difficult playing conditions, even those caused by warped records or mismatched tonearm mass. When such stabilization is not required, the stabilizer brush can be locked up into its detent position, which, under ideal playing conditions, can provide even better sound quality.
Side-Guard Stylus Protection System
The innovative protection system helps to limit stylus damage if the cartridge accidentally slides across a record. This unique feature responds to side thrusts on the stylus by momentarily forcing the stylus cantilever and tip upward so that the cantilever does not bend sideways.
Die Cast Aluminum Mounting Block
Ensures secure, vibration-free attachment to the tonearm.
Included Accessories
Headshell screwdriver, Stylus cleaning brush, Mounting hardware, Stylus guard.
Already own a Shure M97xE Audiophile Phono Cartridge? Need a Replacement Stylus?
Check out the N97xE Replacement Stylus for M97xE here.
Phono Cartridges
Clear, Accurate Sound Reproduction.
The way music was meant to be. A complete line of phonograph cartridges for vinyl record listening, sampling and archiving. Each lightweight, user-replaceable cartridge features high trackability, warm, natural sound reproduction and low record wear.
Currently Selected Model/Type M97xE
Audiophile M92E
Value M78S
78 RPM Application Accurate Sound Reproduction
Sampling and Archiving Home Audio Listening Wide Groove Record
Listening and Sampling Stylus Mass Very Low Low Low Diamond Stylus Tip Elliptical Biradial Wide Spherical Sound Accuracy Very High Very Good Good Record Wear Very Low Low Low Key Features Dynamic Stabilizer Brush
Record Needlz
Dependable Performance for Demanding DJs.
An extensive range of DJ Needlz for scratching, mixing and spinning in any performance situation. Each versatile needle features the unique sound characteristics developed by Shure for low record wear, high skip resistance, and reliable record cueing.
Model/Type WHLBTurntablist M44-7
Turntablist M44G
Club/Party M35X
House/Techno SC35C
Standard Application Mix/Spin Scratch Scratch/Mix/Spin Mix/Spin Scratch/Mix/Spin Skip Resistance High Ultra High Very High High Very High Output High Ultra High Very High High High Record Wear Very Low Ultra Low Ultra Low Very Low Low Sound Emphasis Spherical
Solid Drop Bass with Flat Mids and Accented Highs Big Bass Detailed Highs and Lows Extreme Clarity and Deep Drop Bass Clarity throughout the Frequency Range
From the brand
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the sound quality, quality and value of the cartridge. For example, they mention it sounds like a musical recording, is of very high quality and is suitable for a budget-minded consumer. Customers are also impresseded with the performance, saying it works optimally and plays everything well. They mention it's easy to install.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the sound quality of the phonograph cartridge. They say it has a warm, pleasant sound, with clear highs, ample mids, and rich bass. They also say it sounds like a musical recording, and is not too bright or muddy. Customers also say the cartridge has s a relaxed quality that makes listening to LP's enjoyable, and the vocals are crisp without getting distorted. They mention that it has far less surface noise, which allows for lengthy periods of listening without driving them nuts.
"...neutral-warm sounding sonics contribute to a very high degree of pleasurable music listening enjoyment over harsher and sharp or brightly sounding..." Read more
"...beat up record with unbelievable clarity, precision, timing, a deep soundstage that makes the listener feel as though he/she is "really there," and..." Read more
"...so there's no need for me to try to convince you that this cartridge sounds good. My opinion: it sounds great!..." Read more
"...In this table, the distortion issues were much reduced as the cartridge installed nicely (though I still had unacceptable levels of sibilance)...." Read more
Customers like the quality of the phonograph cartridge. They say it's a very high quality product with special features. Customers also say it sounds great and has lots of drive. They mention that it comes in a nicely finished aluminum case and is highly recommended. Overall, customers are satisfied with the performance and recommend it to others.
"...However, the Shure is a much more excellent and accurate tracker and will allow you to listen to music for a much more longer period without getting..." Read more
"...be expected to play that beat up record with unbelievable clarity, precision, timing, a deep soundstage that makes the listener feel as though he/..." Read more
"...The cartridge itself is extremely nice. Shure has a great reputation for awesome "audiophile quality" cartridges...." Read more
"...that has a built in pre-amp, and have been enjoying some amazing studio quality vinyl every day since...." Read more
Customers like the value of the cartridge. They say it's a solid 5 for the money, suitable for a budget-minded consumer, and does an adequate job for very little money. Some say it’s one of the greatest bargains in audiophile history, providing great sound for the best price possible.
"...is so surprisingly great in the audiophile sense and for it's "good deal" price range !..." Read more
"This is a reasonably inexpensive cartridge of very high quality with special features, including its built-in record cleaning brush which improves..." Read more
"...and can echo all the glowing reviews here - this cartridge is a fantastic value, the least expensive option its class, and it's sonically superior..." Read more
"I recently put together a new sound system. My goal: great sound for the best price possible...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the performance of the cartridge. They mention that it works well, it plays everything well, and it excels. Some say that the brush thing seems to work well, while others say that it just sounds dull. Overall, most are happy with the quality and performance of this product.
"...that unlike other namebrand cartridges , the Shure plays beautifully straight out of the box and does not require drastic long hours of a "breaking..." Read more
"...even ran it on my Shure Audio Obstacle Course Era III lp and it scored extremely well--tracked all but the very harshest level 5 tracks...." Read more
"...It also does remarkably well with sibilants and inner groove tracking...." Read more
"...This cartridge works best on a turntable that allows adjustment of Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA), also known as Stylus Rake Angle (SRA)...." Read more
Customers find the installation of the cartridge to be easy. They mention that the directions are easy to follow, and the replacement procedure is as easy as assembling Lego pieces. They also appreciate the installation kit and the alignment protractor. Overall, customers are satisfied with the ease of installation and the sound quality of the product.
"...the Shure plays beautifully straight out of the box and does not require drastic long hours of a "breaking in" sound period..." Read more
"...This is my first real cartridge installation, and it was honestly extremely simple!..." Read more
"...this table, the distortion issues were much reduced as the cartridge installed nicely (though I still had unacceptable levels of sibilance)...." Read more
"...With the Thorens very accurate and easy to use overhang gauge, I installed the cartridge and adjusted the stylus and anti-skating settings...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the clarity of the product. They mention that it has crisp highs, clear mids, and rich bass. They also appreciate the subtle mandolin accents that shone through with crystal clarity. The EQ levels out beautifully, while still leaving all the wide, detailed sound. Customers also say that the high-output design produces unbelievable clarity.
"...the following statements, "Wow, that's how music should sound like;crisp, clean, smooth and natural...." Read more
"...cartridge will be expected to play that beat up record with unbelievable clarity, precision, timing, a deep soundstage that makes the listener feel..." Read more
"...Clear highs, ample mids and rich bass is what I now hear in my vinyl collection...." Read more
"...Highs are extended and smooth without being harsh. The bass & mids are superbly presented, too...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the tracking of the product. For example, they mention it's an excellent, decent, and accurate tracker. They appreciate the hydraulic brush, which improves the tracking. They also say it does a good job at tracking high frequencies and warped records. They like that it glides through some pop and rock.
"...However, the Shure is a much more excellent and accurate tracker and will allow you to listen to music for a much more longer period without getting..." Read more
"...Very nice overall sound quality, and it's a superb tracker...." Read more
"...including its built-in record cleaning brush which improves tracking of the stylus in the groove...." Read more
"...For what it's worth, it also glides through some (but not all) pop and scratches that are in some of my older pressings without picking them up...." Read more
Customers appreciate the dust collection of the product. They mention that the dampened cleaning brush is a plus, it allows them to sweep away any dust that their cleaning equipment may pick up. They also like the carbon fiber brush that sweeps the LP clean and does a good job of cleaning the track before the stylus comes. The integrated dust brush on the cart works well, catching a bit of dust and grit. Overall, customers are satisfied with the performance and quality of the brush.
"...following statements, "Wow, that's how music should sound like;crisp, clean, smooth and natural. Not like the harsh and flat digital sound of cd's...." Read more
"...It comes with a dust brush which will clean your vinyl while it plays!..." Read more
"...I have noticed that this record brush does appear to be catching a bit of dust and grit, even on records I had cleaned to the best of my..." Read more
"...the overall sound of the cart is punchy and alive. Highs are nice, clean and well defined...." Read more
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Over the years, I've had my share of Shures (gamut of Shure V15 carts).Earlier Shures from the 70's in their sound performance were slightly tipped upwards in the higher frequencies, but in a not too bright fashion as opposed to the new line of SHure cartridges in recent years. Truth be told, unless you have very,very sensitive and discriminating bionic hearing, the sonic differences between those and the M97xE are minimal to almost non-existant.In fact, the V15's now command a hefty price tag due to better premium materials used in it's manufacturing over the lesser Shures. However (and this is a big HOWEVER), you are mighty lucky if you can still purchase one from a hi-fi retailer (old new stock) as Shure has stopped production on the audiophile grade and highly respected (amongst casual record listeners and vinyl purists alike) V15! There is a devout following of those who swear by the Shure cartridges'groove tracing accuracy and warm or neutral musical characteristic;It's not hype but fact ( I know from personal experience).What you hear with the Shures is music and not a cartridge!
The M97xE follows in that same strong Shure reliability and musicality of craftsmanship and tradition. It's neutral-warm sounding sonics contribute to a very high degree of pleasurable music listening enjoyment over harsher and sharp or brightly sounding cartridges.I had one friend listen to my cartridge who made the following statements, "Wow, that's how music should sound like;crisp, clean, smooth and natural. Not like the harsh and flat digital sound of cd's.Dude, I wish I still held onto my turntable and record collection". It's highly remarkable characteristic is how darn well it tracks even the most difficult musical passages and fast modulations and transients in a groove! There is no harsh or grainy vocal sibilance with the Shure (no sharp or shrill "s" words). Mellow, but not coma inducing is another trademark of the M97xE which allows for lengthy periods of listening without driving you nuts or feeling like you want to pick or scratch the inside of your brain or ear canal ! The reward is that this allows you to listen to your old records with such clarity and silky ease that you will notice instruments and vocals like never before. The "mellowness" permits a lot of great detail to come through with no distortion or distraction. Surface noise is kept to such a bare minimum that I often feel this almost mimics the quietness you hear between tracks on any digital format(the Shure M97xE becomes mechanically invisible). This also largely depends on how clean your records are ( It's a great travesty to play vinyl that looks like it's been dragged through the Mojave desert sand while using this precious gem ) !
This is a superb tracking cartridge to transfer your old record albums to digital cd-r format. Take great note that unlike other namebrand cartridges , the Shure plays beautifully straight out of the box and does not require drastic long hours of a "breaking in" sound period (this is always a great topic of debate in an analog audiophile forum of turntable-cartridge enthusiasts)!
Some may call this a sleeper cartridge in two ways: Either you will want something with more brighter highs or boomy bass and claim the Shure has no "wow" factor (in that case, try the Audio Technica AT 440 ML linear cartridge) OR it is a sleeper because the overall sound quality is so surprisingly great in the audiophile sense and for it's "good deal" price range !The end result is that it will really boil down to your own personal sonic preference for a cartridge; Do you want a cart that is musically "involving" and has that familiar vinyl (almost bright) sounding characteristic that some prefer over a cd and associate with analog records? Then, the AT 440 ML would be a good choice over the Shure. However, the Shure is a much more excellent and accurate tracker and will allow you to listen to music for a much more longer period without getting ear fatigued.Some accuse the Shure of being musically or sonically uninvolving, maybe a little laidback. Make no mistake, that is also the beauty of the Shure---to be able to listen to the warm,natural fidelity of vinyl once again!
It's a great-sounding cartridge. Pretty much everyone agrees on this. For more in-depth reviews of how it sounds, others have posted plenty. I just want to address a bit how it compares to the AT-440 MLa since so many people want to compare the two, give some background into my expectations of budget carts, and offer some tips.
In the audiophile community, there are a lot of people willing to pay more money for something that gains a kind of exotic status. The M97xE has never gained the mystic exotic status, and while the AT-440mla was similarly priced, it gained a weird sort of presumption that it was better because it cost $20 more. Now, it's $120 more than the M97xe--is it suddenly three times better? No. Not to my ears.
Take my advice with a grain of salt, though. I may not be as discerning as you. I recently installed a lowly Pfanstiehl M-29 on this same deck, which is a spherical needle, and it sounds very, very good. That cartridge costs--wait for it . . . $15. I even ran it on my Shure Audio Obstacle Course Era III lp and it scored extremely well--tracked all but the very harshest level 5 tracks. The Shure M97xE tracks all with competent aplomb and the AT-440mla certainly tracked the best of them all, but none of those did as well or sounded as good as my Ortofon 320U on the WORST tracks. The 320U, incidentally, used to be available for $80 and is now priced where you can find it somewhere in the $200-$300 range due to it being discontinued.
Does this translate into real world differences that you can hear on a normal album? Again, not to me.
I swear, in the audiophile world, a cartridge and needle combination is sought that will track lps that have been buried in the sand, have had a blow-torch run over them, then run over by a garbage truck, shaped into a salad bowl by a reclaimed materials artist and then pressed flat again by a vinyl enthusiast and a $20,000 cartridge will be expected to play that beat up record with unbelievable clarity, precision, timing, a deep soundstage that makes the listener feel as though he/she is "really there," and with no listening fatigue at all; all the better if that lp is played on a turntable that costs at least $5,000 and tonearm that costs an additional $800 with oxygen free wires that cost another $100--and we haven't even gotten into phono stage, amp, and speakers (and wires), not to mention which freaking capacitors, and whether tubes or solid state.
I'm saying this to illustrate that there is a strong belief in the audiophile community that you get what you pay for with the customary caution about "diminishing returns." It's really, mostly, an exercise in flexing discretionary funds muscle. If something costs more, certainly, it must sound that much better and what started as a $20 difference in retail price based on the two difference diamond profiles: the 440-mla is micro-linear whereas the 97xE is "just" an elliptical. But, eventually, because ellipticals are plenty available and, I guess, micro-linears are not, the novelty of something different caused the price of the 440 to skyrocket. But, remember, the original technology cost cannot be that different if the 440 could originally be sold, when first on the market, for about $85.00, which is what I paid for mine.
And now, the 320U, which was about the same price, I think I got mine for $80, is through the roof. It's a fine line. It sounds good. Ortofon doesn't make it anymore. But they make others that are good.
But, seriously, the tracks on the test album that supposedly separate the "men from the boys" in the diamond stylus world, in my opinion, aren't things you should be playing anyway. The harsh recordings on the test records are like nothing I've ever heard on a real "normal" lp recording. EVER. If you ever hear sibilance from you phonograph and you have either a moving magnet or moving coil cartridge and a diamond stylus that was made within the last 20 years, you probably just need a new stylus or a new record. I know this because for a long time, I had a turntable that had a sibilance problem. This was before I knew that there were different kinds of diamond styli profiles and everything else. I finally put a new needle on it, a spherical just like the original, and the hissing that I'd heard everytime Sting uttered an S on "Nothing Like the Sun," disappeared completely. Total cost: $10. I could have spent hundreds and denounced spherical needles based on one experience.
In case you're wondering: I have a decent set up, with a decent turntable, a decent phono stage, a decent amp and decent speakers. I have tried this cartridge and others and it's nice. Get it while you can. Or get something else.