Shure M97xE or M91ED which one should I keep?

dpg3

Well-Known Member
I have a turntable I'm selling and one of these carts is going to be on it.
I was researching this a bit last night and was surprised that M91ED cart was considered superior to the M97xE by many people. Now most of those posts were from 2014 and earlier. So in 2018 what is the consensus, which cart would you keep and you can't keep both.

The cart I keep is going on a ELAC 50h ll turntable I just bought. Heard many say that the M97xE is a great match for the ELAC. I have the M91ED on it right now and I like the sound of it. The M97xE is on another TT and I like the sound of it as well. So that is the problem I like them both but one has to go on the turntable I'm selling. I know I could just buy a cheaper cart and put it on the TT for sale but not interested in doing that.


Some eye candy of the new ELAC TT.
DSC00987.JPG DSC00979.JPG DSC00982.JPG DSC00966.JPG DSC00970.JPG
 
I have a turntable I'm selling and one of these carts is going to be on it.
I was researching this a bit last night and was surprised that M91ED cart was considered superior to the M97xE by many people. Now most of those posts were from 2014 and earlier. So in 2018 what is the consensus, which cart would you keep and you can't keep both.

The cart I keep is going on a ELAC 50h ll turntable I just bought. Heard many say that the M97xE is a great match for the ELAC. I have the M91ED on it right now and I like the sound of it. The M97xE is on another TT and I like the sound of it as well. So that is the problem I like them both but one has to go on the turntable I'm selling. I know I could just buy a cheaper cart and put it on the TT for sale but not interested in doing that.


Some eye candy of the new ELAC TT.

The Shure M 97xE has a damping brush on the front, more suitable for a heavier tone arm like the one on the Elach 50H II.

The Shure M 91ED has higher compliance, more suitable for the turn table with a lighter tone arm. :)
 
I run an M91 on my Miracord 46 and love it. It sounds great and tracks well. Haven't tried the M97, so I can't comment on that model. I would +1 for the suggestion to keep both Shures and sell the other table with the AT3600. The AT3600 cart will work well with the Miracord too and it is no big let down.
 
Depending on your phono pre, the M91 likes to see 400-500 pf capacitance. While the M97 works best into about 250 pf. Might be something to consider.
 
Is it an older M97 or is it newer? If its one of the newer bodys kick it down the road. If its an older body I would have a hard time getting rid of either.
 
The M91ED is one of the finest cartridges that Shure ever made.

And one of the most versatile. It not only accepts it's own styli, but also the N93E and it's variants (2215, etc.), N75 types and N72 types, etc. Basically. you can choose the stylus (both NOS and aftermarket replacement) to match your budget, your taste and your tonearm.
 
And one of the most versatile. It not only accepts it's own styli, but also the N93E and it's variants (2215, etc.), N75 types and N72 types, etc. Basically. you can choose the stylus (both NOS and aftermarket replacement) to match your budget, your taste and your tonearm.
And there it is, the M75 ez mount is essentially the same Swiss Army knife Shure.
 
And there it is, the M75 ez mount is essentially the same Swiss Army knife Shure.

The ultimate in versatility. This is a Shure 2215 in the EZ mount style:

Shure_N72_EJ_1.jpg


The 2215 was an OEM version of the M93E, which is the same body as an M91E, but with a different stylus (0.4 x 0.7 mil ellipitical with a recommended VFT of 1.5-3g). It's shown here running a NOS N72EJ (same stylus as the original 2225/N93E, but with a different grip). It looks a little weird, but works perfectly and sounds great. By changing the stylus from the N91ED to the heavier tracking N93E (or in this case, the N72EJ) it's a better match for heavier tonearms.
 
Depending on your phono pre, the M91 likes to see 400-500 pf capacitance. While the M97 works best into about 250 pf. Might be something to consider.
I don't have a phono pre, I'm running it through the phono of my Sansui AU-7900 amp.
 
Is it an older M97 or is it newer? If its one of the newer bodys kick it down the road. If its an older body I would have a hard time getting rid of either.
It looks exactly like the one here. I didn't buy it, it came with a turntable I bought a few years ago.
61Q7E65mVGL._SL1275_.jpg
 
I'd like to thank everyone for their very informative replies, which will help in my decision making.

The original N91ED stylus that came with the turntable, was bent when I was putting the ELAC TT in my shelf, very tight space. No worries it needed replacement anyway. Went to my local store and picked up a generic Pfansteihl stylus DE-4761. Just wanted something so I could play my vinyl and it sounds OK.
8599-Shure-N-91-ED-Nadel-fuer-M-91-ED-Original-NB-01.jpg s-l16001.jpg
 
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The ultimate in versatility. This is a Shure 2215 in the EZ mount style:

Shure_N72_EJ_1.jpg


The 2215 was an OEM version of the M93E, which is the same body as an M91E, but with a different stylus (0.4 x 0.7 mil ellipitical with a recommended VFT of 1.5-3g). It's shown here running a NOS N72EJ (same stylus as the original 2225/N93E, but with a different grip). It looks a little weird, but works perfectly and sounds great. By changing the stylus from the N91ED to the heavier tracking N93E (or in this case, the N72EJ) it's a better match for heavier tonearms.
I'll have to keep that in mind. It's good to know that it is so versatile!!
 
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