Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Shure M97xE Phono Cartridge by fscerri

Model:	M97xE
Category:	Phono Cartridge
Suggested Retail Price:	$89.00
Description:	MM phono cartridge
Manufacturer URL:	Shure
Model Picture:	View

Review by fscerri on July 20, 2013 at 02:52:28
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for the M97xE

This is a revamp to the earlier review of the Shure M97xE I had written. Quite a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then and my opinions have been modified somewhat. I had previously promoted resistive loading at a higher 62 k. Whilst doing that does extend the upper treble, there is a significant and unacceptable downside, that of a substantial midrange droop, which is unfortunately quite audible.

I now recommend the ‘standard’ 47 k loading, but the loading capacitance for the best results is somewhat critical. ‘Officially’ Shure recommends 200 to 300 picofarads ‘overall’ but my own testing and listening indicates that 250 to 300 picofarads ‘overall’ is the sweet spot. ‘Overall’ means tonearm wiring and interconnect capacitance, and the input capacitance of the phono stage itself. These are all additive and make up the ‘overall’ loading capacitance value.

A capacitance meter will allow accurate measurement of the wiring capacitance but the phono preamp input capacitance may be harder to determine. 100 and 220 picofarads seem to be de facto ‘standards’ with some phono stages. Consult your manual or contact the manufacturer for more information. My own DIY phono stages have low input capacitance which makes it relatively easy to estimate the ‘overall’ capacitance value.

With a typically high inductance moving magnet cartridge like the Shure M97xE this is very important, and excessive input capacitance will roll off the upper treble very quickly leading to perceived ‘dull’ audio. There is an additional reason why this is doubly important with the Shure M97xE as denoted in the ‘x’ designation. The ‘x’ denotes the Shure Audiophile Response curve and the correct capacitance loading is critical for this reason. I have to admit that I love the sound of the M97xE loaded in this way, as Shure intended. It has a very musical and non-fatiguing sound that sounds wonderful with the standard supplied Shure elliptical stylus. It is a shame that the Shure M97xE is so ‘capacitance sensitive’ but get this right and there will be no complaints with its sound!

Product Weakness:	Poor treble when it's not!
Product Strengths:	neutral and musical sound when 'loaded' optimally.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: LM1875T chip stereo amplifier
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): DIY P06/P99/P88 stereo preamps
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Various
Speakers: Richter Merlin 2 ways.
Cables/Interconnects: High quality DIY.
Music Used (Genre/Selections): All genres.
Room Comments/Treatments: None.
Time Period/Length of Audition: Deveral years.
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition): Yes.

Amplifier:	LM1875T chip stereo amplifier
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	DIY P06/P99/P88 stereo preamps
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Various
Speakers:	Richter Merlin 2 ways.
Cables/Interconnects:	High quality DIY.
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	All genres.
Room Comments/Treatments:	None.
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Deveral years.
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition):	Yes.