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

[walpurgis]

Not for years, Geoff, but I do rate them [used and optimised in the right set-up]

Marco.

I don't have an ADC set up at the moment, but each time I use one, I'm always amazed at how good they are. It's a seriously musical sound, with poise and weight and the transparency and detail are up there with the MCs.

Must rig my 10E Mk.IV up again actually. That's always a rewarding listen.

[Geoff101]

I like old Shures. Not only do they sound good but you can get a quite passable (allegedly Jico made) EVG stylus for most of them for just a few quid delivered from the states. I'm sure an SAS is much better (and I really must try one soon) but for the money, they're not bad.
The compliant nature of the proper styluses suits my SME series 2 and 3.

I've got:
M44 (new proper stylus, haven't got round to trying it yet).
M55
A couple of M75s
An AOC? branded M75
Three M91Eds (two with original stylus)
Two M95 (one with a NOS original stylus)
An RXT-4? with missing upper housing that I haven't tried
A realistic badged something
Two V15II but only with one cheap EVG stylus between them.

Things I would like to try:

Based on this thread, an M97
A decent stylus on the V15II
Later V15s

[mikmas]

Still have the original M75-6s that came with my Braun TT and used it for many years with joy ... recently displaced by a brighter and fuller sounding Ortofon from Grant.

I think the dullness of the Shure was caused by a poor replacement stylus a while back so may try a Jico stylus when I have a few pence to splurge

[Marco]

I've just been doing some more research on the Shure M44-G, which when you read into it, is quite highly regarded in some quarters. Interestingly, there are numerous stylus replacement options for it, as it also shares the same body as the M55.

Therefore, all of the following styli can be fitted to the M44-G:

N44-5 .5mil conical red grip up to 1.5g VTF
N44G .7mil conical grey grip up to 1.5g VTF (I've seen early Shure catalogues with .6mil quoted)
N44C .7mil conical light blue grip 3-5g VTF
N44-7 .7mil conical white grip 1.5-3g VTF
N44-1 1.0mil conical blue grip 1.5-3g VTF
N44-3 2.5mil conical green grip 1.5-3g VTF
N44E .4x.7mil elliptical brown grip 1.75g-4g VTF
N55E .2x.7mil elliptical yellow grip up to 2g VTF(up to 1.5g in early catalogues, same specifications as the V15-I) - modern ones may be .3x.7mil.

What I intend to do is compare the M44-G, with its stock conical stylus, against one of the above elliptical versions. The question is which one?

Jico also do a rather nice version of the N44E: http://www.jico-stylus.com/product_i...oducts_id=1012

I'm tempted to try that or perhaps an original Shure: http://www.turntableneedles.com/N44E...DE_p_1380.html

However, one other train of thought is to fit an N55E stylus, which has a smaller elliptical tip, .2x7mil, as opposed to the .4x7mil of the N44E (which I'm presuming is an advantage, as it might dig out a bit more detail?) and it also employs a lower VTF level.

Here's one here: http://www.turntableneedles.com/N55E...EM_p_4039.html

Therefore, I'm probably either going to go for the Jico N44E or the Shure N55E, as shown above. Which one would you guys buy, and why, or perhaps you have an alternative suggestion?

Marco.

[Kvaal]

I will be happy to read your opinion on the JICO N 44g. I have good results with the N 70, N 75, N 91 from JICO. I regard the JICO styli to be better than the originals.

[Marco]

Hi Johan,

I hadn't thought of the Jico N44G, as concial-wise, I was just going to use the stock stylus that comes with the M44 cartridge. However, that is also an option.

I'm specifically looking for opinions on fitting an N55E stylus to an M44G cartridge, and what advantages (if any) are likely to be gained over fitting an N44E to the same cartridge?

Marco.

[anthonyTD]

Hi Peter,
I still have a Shure M55E,Which was My Father's, that i would say the same about,and wouldnt part with, as you say, they have their failings, but in the right arm and turntable, they just ooze Quality, and play music very very well.

I today put back my trusty old Shure 97xe. I have been using some vastly more expensive cartridges recently (no names, no packdrill) and yet again, the Shure shocked me with it's sheer all-round class. As always, you can play the 'hi fi' game, saying it lacks the last vestiges of detail, is not detailed in the extreme treble and so on,and on....). But the truth is, to my ears this cartridge oozes quality. It is well-balanced, sufficiently alive and, above all, doesn't seek to exaggerate detail, the abiding sin of most moving coil cartridges.
I've used the Shure is preference to £4000 cartridges.
You never, ever, get agreement in the audio community. That would be asking too much; but for $70 the Shure is one of the great bargains .And if you don't like it...you have a useful spare kicking around.

[Marco]

Anthony, does yours have a brown shell (with yellow stylus housing) and look a bit like this:





Or a black shell (with yellow stylus housing), like this:




Given what I've been reading, 'word on the street' appears to suggest that the early brown-bodied versions are the ones to have, and are quite rare.

Marco.

[anthonyTD]

Mine has a black shell, and yellow stylus, i think i was with my Dad when he purchased it new, in the early 1970's, i have a spare new American made Needle for it, but the original one, when inspected under a glass, is still in excelent condition, and sounds fine, my Dad looked after it, and also had other cartridges too, so it wasnt used to death!
I would have thought that the black one was the earlier one though

[Marco]

Dunno, mate, I'm not an expert. Perhaps any resident Shure aficionados could clarify?

It appears to be the consensus, if one searches on Google, but that doesn't mean it's fact. I suppose the brown one looks older to me, and also, as far as I know, all Shure cartridges, apart from that one, come in black shells, so one would presume that the originals were brown, unless they just decided to introduce brown ones halfway through their production?

Marco.