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Shure M97xe v. Grado Black v. AT95E

S

Superbad

New Member
Hey Guys,

I've been thinking about upgrading my cartridge on my Pioneer PL-12D and I think i may have it narrowed down between these three. If you have any specific experience with these cart's and a PL-12D it would be greatly appreciated.

As of right now the M97xe is on sale at amazon.com for $55 with free shipping, so that seems like it is an incredible deal.

It looks like the AT95E is around $50 plus shipping and the grado would be in that similar range.

So, if the Shure is really a great value at the moment and sounds good on the table let me know so I can jump on this deal!

Thanks

edit: Also, I guess i would have to consider the cost it would take to replace the sylus once it gets worn out. The Shure looks like its going to be around $60 which is pretty steep. On a side question...how long will a stylus generally last?
 
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It's hard to beat that price on the M97xe - I've been using one for years and I love it. Another plus is that you can get a cheap stylus (like the red one for the M92) to slip into that cartridge for playing crappy records - that way your good stylus will last a fairly long time. All of the current line of Shure styli will fit all of their current carts - even the 78 rpm stylus.

On the other hand, the Audio Technica AT440MLa is supposed to be an excellent cart for the money - it's a bit more than the Shure, but it's gained a really good rep. I'm thinking of upgrading to that one if I can find a really good price on it.

Personally, I wouldn't do the Grado. I don't want to open up old wounds, but I have personally had serious humming issues with their carts. I finally had to get rid of them and cut my losses, so I don't consider them anymore.
 
I use all 3 regularly. I like em all. My favorite is the Shure :) The AT is a good tracker and the Grado is warmer than the other 2.
 
The M97xE is a steal at that price. I'm running one on my Fons/Mayware, and its detail blows me away. Some call it "punch", but it just sounds very well defined to me, and the bass is outstanding. I like it much better than my Grado Green... which I do like.

I also love the dynamic stabilizer on the M97xE.

Maybe I better grab a spare cart.
 
I'm starting to wonder about getting an M97xE just to not only have a spare needle and cart, but to really compare it with the V15 RS and see if there really is that much of a difference between the two to my ears.
 
I'll also agree on the M97xE. The stylus will probably last close to 1000 hours, especially running it with the brush down, which you should do with this tonearm. It will stay cleaner and track better.

Don't worry about when it comes time to replace it. By then there may be other cartridge choices you'll want to explore or the stylus may be cheaper. The stylus is always going to be 80-90% the cost of a new cartridge.
 
Patriot1776 said:
I'm starting to wonder about getting an M97xE just to not only have a spare needle and cart, but to really compare it with the V15 RS and see if there really is that much of a difference between the two to my ears.
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I suspect it will be very similar.
 
I like the Shure, but I had to disengage the dynamic stabilizer. It had the tendency to slide across the first song on some records.
 
*nods* Thanks much again Howard for saying that. I now have no qualms about possibly buying an N97HE or N97HESAS replacement stylus to serve as a spare for the RS cart, or going the whole nine yards and getting a full M97xE cart if you and others think using the 97xE styli will degrade the RS' performance.
 
It might make a difference on what type of setup you are planning to run this on. I have used the M97xe as well as a few vintage further up the food chain. I have compared the M97 to a v15III with jico HE and an AT20SLa all on a pair of pl-518's. Some have said that the M97 needs to have the impedance increased to give a better top end as it tends to roll off. I have tried it with 68k ohms and 100k ohms and it did improve the top end at 68k ohms, but still not the same as the other two.

I have no experience with the others on your list. I use the M97 to test out new vinyl, however when I want to do some more serious listening I go with the other two. Currently I am using the AT20SLa more than the V15 as I think it gives a better sound stage. I like the M97 when I am in the mood for warm sounding music as it does an admirable job in this arena.

I think the best advice when choosing between different carts of similar price is to determine what you want out of the cart, listen to advice and make sure you let the experts on here (no I am NOT one of them, just a newb) know what type of music you like and your entire setup (amp, speakers, TT) as that will make a lot of difference. Once you have done that just go with your gut and have some fun cause you're gonna buy a new one pretty soon anyway. :D

Bill

Edit: Man I type slow, you all had an entire conversation summing up what to do while I was typing. Good luck.
 
Well, I'm not running on any kind of high end system right now, just running it through a solid state pre-amp and through an older receiver i have. It's more just the knowledge that my cart could definitely be upgraded and this is a hobby of mine that I don't see going away any time soon. The cart that came with my table is a Shure M70bx, which I have read is a more bottom of the line offering from them (correct me if i'm wrong).

One of the major issues I have is that I haven't really had the chance to hear what difference getting a nicer cart will have on the sound. So, it's hard for me to say what a good deal is and what price is acceptable. It sounds good right now, but I don't know how good it could sound, is what I mean.

Thanks again!
 
Superbad said:
Well, I'm not running on any kind of high end system right now, just running it through a solid state pre-amp and through an older receiver i have. It's more just the knowledge that my cart could definitely be upgraded and this is a hobby of mine that I don't see going away any time soon. The cart that came with my table is a Shure M70bx, which I have read is a more bottom of the line offering from them (correct me if i'm wrong).

One of the major issues I have is that I haven't really had the chance to hear what difference getting a nicer cart will have on the sound. So, it's hard for me to say what a good deal is and what price is acceptable. It sounds good right now, but I don't know how good it could sound, is what I mean.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat as Superbad. The PL-730's hooked up to a solid-state preamp, an ART USB PhonoPlus, and a solid-state receiver in the SA-730. That's why I'm suspecting it'll be negligible negative difference now if I use 97xE styli in my RS cart.
 
Superbad said:
Well, I'm not running on any kind of high end system right now, just running it through a solid state pre-amp and through an older receiver i have. It's more just the knowledge that my cart could definitely be upgraded and this is a hobby of mine that I don't see going away any time soon. The cart that came with my table is a Shure M70bx, which I have read is a more bottom of the line offering from them (correct me if i'm wrong).

One of the major issues I have is that I haven't really had the chance to hear what difference getting a nicer cart will have on the sound. So, it's hard for me to say what a good deal is and what price is acceptable. It sounds good right now, but I don't know how good it could sound, is what I mean.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

You will not go wrong with the M97xe at that price and it will last for a long time. It will probably last longer than you will be able to stand holding off the upgrade bug :D

The difference a nicer cart has can be really impressive.
 
The M97xe is a very good cartridge very smooth and a steal for the money. I've found that on my turntable (Rega P3 with RB300 tonearm) it needs to be aligned very carefully so as not to misstrack on the inner part of the record. I don't have the other two cartridges you mentioned but I do have an AT 440mla and I find its sound a bit more "dynamic" than the Shure but it's currently about twice the money so the Shure would be a great one to start with.
 
G'day all, as I think most AK'ers would be aware, I'm a fan of the M97xE. After all, I have three all in use!

Yes the overhang needs to be properly set up, and at the very least, stick to the recommended load shunt capacitance if you're able, a phono preamp impedance of slightly higher than 47 k, also improves the high freuency response. I use 62 k in my DIY phono preamps. Regards, Felix aka catman.
 
I am also a fan of the M97xE. You should know that it needs some break in but over time it's a very nice cart and the Amazon price is a very good deal.
 
catman said:
G'day all, as I think most AK'ers would be aware, I'm a fan of the M97xE. After all, I have three all in use!

Yes the overhang needs to be properly set up, and at the very least, stick to the recommended load shunt capacitance if you're able, a phono preamp impedance of slightly higher than 47 k, also improves the high freuency response. I use 62 k in my DIY phono preamps. Regards, Felix aka catman.
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Can this impedence be checked with any multimeter by testing the phono inputs of your chosen preamp with the power on? Not that it matters since I'm using a solid-state one that I assume can't be changed in this regard, but it would be nice to know.
 
G'day mate, sadly the only way to change the input resistance of practically all phono preamps, is to physically change the existing resistor with a different one, at least in the case of going from 47 k to 62 k!

Interestingly enough, some cartidges perform better at a 'lower' input impedance. This can be done by placing another resistor (in the plug for example) in 'parallel' with the existing (internal) load resistor.

Unfortunately in the case of the M97xE the existing resistor has to be physically changed to a 62 k resistor. As this is practically impossible in most cases, unless a DIYer, it is advisable to keep to the recommended value of input shunt capacitance (200 to 250 picofarads overall) which works almost as well as increasing the value of the input 'loading' resistor. Regards, Felix aka catman.
 
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