Comments on: Shure M97xE High-Performance Magnetic Phono Cartridge

By: jwwoods

jwwoods — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 01:21:23 +0000

I compare this cartridge to a V-15 type 4. At first I thought there was an audible difference. But then I edited together segments from one song played on a Technics SL-1200 MK2 turntable alternating which cartridge was used. Then I had trouble telling them apart by sound alone.

By: Sandra Bernuy

Sandra Bernuy — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:04:09 +0000

I want to know if this phono cartridge is compatible with sansui turntable FR-D40, because many years ago I bought a phono cartridge shure 96-XE and it was great. I don’t know it is the same or compatible model.

Thanks for the answer.

By: D. L. Green

D. L. Green — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:47:09 +0000

I’m not an audiophile but I think this cartridge is not as good as expected. It is adequate for the price.

By: T.G.

T.G. — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:11:00 +0000

I had the (mis)fortune of living with an M97xE mounted on my Thorens TP16 tonearm for almost a year. This is without a doubt the most boring, way-overly-polite, sleep-inducing cartridge I’ve ever listened to. It performs very well with chamber music, acoustic folk, easy listening, waltzes, and any music intended to be slow and polite (it does do pacing/rhythm/tempo well, but politely). Pair it with a rock LP and you get a total mess… it still plays hard rock as if it were chamber music!

The cartridge is a decent tracker, but decidedly middle-of-the-road in this department. Like many cartridges with elliptical styli, it doesn’t do so well toward the inner grooves of an LP. Surface noise is also about average. Because of the shape of the cartridge (almost no flat/square edges — see picture at top of page), I found it extremely difficult to mount correctly on the tonearm. Why Shure designs a cartridge with this ridiculous shape, I have no clue.

Overall, this cartridge is workable if you have no (and I repeat, NO) rock and roll records. If you do, I’d strongly suggest you look elsewhere — consider the Audio-Technica 440ML or one of the Grados. Actually, unless you’re into a very restrained and polite sound (not to be confused with neutrality), I suggest you look elsewhere anyway. This puppy was fine for awhile, but eventually I found myself losing interest in vinyl and turning to my CD player… not a good thing.

By: Chris Nelson

Chris Nelson — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:53:35 +0000

Arrived with the needle broken off. Can’t prove it so I threw it away. Don’t recommend it.