Shure M97xE Phono Cartridge.(Evaluation)

Manufacturer: Shure Brothers, Inc., 222 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202-3696

Price: $140

Source: Manufacturer loan

Reviewer: Kevin East

The M97xE is the next-to-the-top-of-the-line of Shure cartridges, being outweighed and outpriced only by the V15 Type VxMR. Certainly Shure Brothers have been known over the years for excellent cartridges, and perhaps more importantly, cartridge value. One JAH opined many years ago about the original V15 Type V, "At its `real [street] price' the Type V simply offers more performance and sound quality per dollar than any cartridge I've even heard--period." (No. 16, Fall/Winter 1982) Of course the VxMR was dubbed a "Sensible Standard" in No. 67's recommended list of phono cartridges. The original Type V followed on the heels of the legendary M95ED, the first of Shure's outstanding "real world" moving magnet cartridges with elliptical styli that dared approach the openness and transparency of the then-favored moving coil cartridges.

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Basics: The M97xE is a moving magnet cartridge that weighs 6.6 grams. The elliptical stylus measures 0.2 x 0.7 mils and can be user replaced. The M97xE provides stereo output of 4.0 mV, a rated frequency response of 20Hz-22kHz, and channel separation of 25dB at 1kHz. In addition to Shure's patented dynamic stabilizer and slide guard stylus protections systems, the M97xE has a "de-staticizer" brush attached to the cartridge which contains over 10,000 conductive fibers designed to suck up surface static electricity and channel it to the ground. The M97xE's recommended ("optimal") tracking force is 1.25 grams. However, with the dynamic stabilizer/ de-staticizer in place, the optimal tracking force increases to 1.75 grams.