Consider the dear old Shure 97xe...it's £70! And it's great.

[anubisgrau]

Only today a serious dealer in pricey cartridges remarked to me that with some well-known makes, (not Ortofon) every sample sounds a bit different. I've found a lot of sample variation among expensive cartridges in the past, which is another reason I like low-priced but seriously good cartridges.

It cannot be a Koetsu!

[walpurgis]

I like low-priced but seriously good cartridges.

Such a thing does not exist, unless one has a seriously lucky second hand buy.

[struth]

Suppose it depends on a definition of low priced

[Marco]

Why are we quoting banned members, daftees? Pasky-chops is hardly likely to pop back and answer you!

Marco.

[Marco]

Well, I've just installed the Shure, and first of all put my recently purchased NOS N55E stylus on it, which I bought from LP Gear, in the States. It's literally just been popped into the Denon headshell and roughly set-up, in terms of VTA, dialled in at 1.6g (VTF range is .75 - 2g). Bias has been set at 1.3g.

I always prefer that approach (not fiddling too much with things to start with), until I get a proper handle on what a cartridge is doing, and whether it shows any promise - certainly enough to warrant spending a long time optimising it. Then if I consider the effort is worth it, I will then do the necessary tweaking and set things up properly... In that respect, I find first impressions so important.

In this case I think it will be worth the effort, as first impressions are rather promising indeed, certainly pointing towards a very nice sounding cartridge. I shall comment more later, after some suitable tweaking. I think that I'm going to like this one, though... Even at this early stage I can hear that, without doubt, the Shure is an unmitigated a bargain!

Marco.

[dmckean]

I use that same NOS N55E stylus on my M44G body and have had really good results. It's been years now since I've mounted that cart though.

[Marco]

It's rather good, Dave. Really hard to fault - just seems to get on with effortlessly digging the music out of the grooves.... Still tweaking things a little though, so will comment when I've got a proper handle on its sonic and musical prowess!

One thing's for sure, this is a bonafide hi-fi cartridge, not a 'DJ' one - and a bloody good one at that!

Marco.

[Marco]

So, after some fiddling last night and this morning, I've now got the M55E really singing... It seems to be happiest tracking at 1.7g (thus allowing the requisite amount of detail retrieval and solidity), with the bias set at 1.5g, and the arm absolutely parallel with the record surface.

The (superb quality) 6N headshell wires have also been neatly 'dressed' in the Denon headshell, and alignment and azimuth of the cartridge fastidiously optimised. The cartridge output pins were also thoroughly cleaned with Deoxit, as after all the cartridge was second-hand and rather old.

As usual with these types of cartridges, I obtained some sonic benefit from removing the supplied cheap plastic stylus guard, which if left in situ, simply vibrates and colours the music, causing some blurring and muddling of voices and instruments, an effect which is completely gone once the stylus guard has been removed. I am also confident that the M55E likes a bit of mass, as supplied by the partnering 14g Denon PCL-300 headshell and chunky (non-ferrous) stainless steel allen bolts used.

As a result, I suspect that the Shure wouldn't sound quite right, or reveal its full sonic potential, housed in the rather flimsy and lightweight headshells it would've found itself in during the 1960s and 70s. Adding some more mass in that way (mainly by using a heavier, very inert and solidly constructed headshell), simply gives the sound that the cartridge produces more 'heft' and authority, as well as underpinning music with a seemingly unflappable solidity.

I just love how this cartridge has been 'voiced' in a way that simply sounds "right". As such, it possesses a rather judiciously judged tonal balance and overall presentation. The sound is very detailed, but not in your face, with plenty of 'body' and bass authority, but never veers towards warm or cuddly. It's just a rather refined and finessed listen, but not a boring one in the slightest - essentially it sounds as 'exciting' as the music demands!

Musically, it's very relaxed [but never dull or shut-in], unflustered and rather addictive, pulling you into the music in a way that makes all genres interesting and involving to listen to. It plays jazz and classical music with the same enviable ability as it does rock and dance, so one simply can't 'label' it for use for any one purpose. The M55E (with NOS N55E stylus) is just a superb all-rounder and, quite frankly, makes a veritable mockery of some of the designs produced today, touted by so-called audiophiles as 'superior'.

I think that I paid about £50 for the NOS stylus and £40 for the cartridge itself, so for under £100 it sounds as good as most MM carts I've heard at up to around £500. I kid you not... It would certainly spank an Ortofon 2M Black in the musicality stakes (which sounds rather sterile and 'hi-fi-like' in comparison)! I'd imagine it also helps using a brand new stylus (which obviously has still to run in).

The Shure also tracks like a limpet, with zero signs of sibilance, or any obvious distortion with 'difficult' material. It just sails through every piece of music you throw at it, with consummate aplomb. This is a cartridge that, quite simply, allows you to 'relax into the music', without sitting on edge listening out for 'hi-fi effects' or wondering when the sound is going to break up at any minute. That just doesn't happen with the M55E: it's a music lover's (on a budget) dream.

TBH, I could quite happily live with it is as my everyday cartridge, thus saving the stylus life of my expensive moving-coils, which I could bring out on 'special occasions'/when archiving vinyl to digital (for the RPi), or just when I just fancied a wee change... Yes, it is *that* good!

Whether or not the modern (current production) M44 (which I believe is the replacement for the M55) sounds anything like this, I've no idea. Perhaps at some point, I'll buy one and do the comparison. However, in the meantime, I intend to enjoy this ridiculously good cartridge (considering the paltry sum it costs) over the Xmas holidays, and revel in its smile-inducing music making.

Is this Shure a goodie? You betcha - and a 'giant-killer' too, to boot! The M55E/NOS N55E (improved) stylus combo represents SPPV at its best. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a cost effective way of obtaining genuine musical satisfaction from their record collection. Therefore, my advice is to nab a vintage one on ebay, if you can, and sit back and giggle out loud at just how talented this old timer is!

Marco.

P.S I'll take some pics and post them later.

[Wakefield Turntables]

It would certainly spank an Ortofon Black in the musicality stakes (which sounds rather sterile and 'hi-fi-like' in comparison)!

Ortofon black MC or MM?

[Marco]

MM, lol. As good as the M55E is, it's not in any way inside high-end MC territory!

I've just made the necessary amendment.

Marco.