Shure M3D - yet another truly great classic cartridge

[Marco]

Response to 15Khz and min 3g tracking force:

http://www.cartridgedb.com/docs/shure_m3d.pdf

Thanks for that, Neil - useful link!

Marco.

[DSJR]

I will concede one thing, the old Croft of mine has a still lovely phono stage, no-label ECC83's and all...

I had a great session with the turntable yesterday (I was out today and couldn't listen to anything).

I've been looking for an Ortofon MC2000 I once bought from HiFi dave with a glued up body (over-tightening fractured the mounting lug(s)) and I can't find it anywhere. I'm visualising an M3D body in my boxes of bits as well - Damn..................... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marco]

I just wished you lived nearer, Dave - that's all, so you could hear this for yourself!!

I think part of the benefit I'm hearing is in simplifying the signal path... By using the M3D I've removed an SUT and also a pair of interconnects, which is bound to make a difference.

That's also the beauty of having a tube phono stage hard-wired into the internal preamp circuit, rather than a separate box (external phono stage) and interconnects in the signal path.

Yes, Croft tube phono stages are lovely and a bit special

Marco.

[SPS]

Glad its worked out for you marco, i'm very happy with mine i have four now, i picked another up last weekend
.. i have a couple of lp's that it strugles with the tracking, but the stylus are very very important..

i had an orgininal shure one retipped at great expense, but it did not track as well as some of the replacements that are available now...
the n21d tracks at less than 3 grams ok
mine has moved out an expensive mc..

nobody complained about lack of top end at my room at the wigwam show ..quite the opposite.. it was the m3d playing most of the day

they make the music room filling and sweet sounding.. and the bass is like nothing else i've heard..

i'm glad lots of people think they crap.. otherwise they would cost more than £80 marco..

i would say one needs a good system and a specific turntable/tonearm set up to get what they are capable of producing

[Marco]

Cheers, Steve - I'm lovin' it

Good point about the Wigwam show!

Btw, can you mail or PM me that link which showed replacement NOS styli available for the M3D?

Cheers!

Marco.

[Marco]

And I now have a brand new Shure NOS stylus winging its way to me.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stylus-for-Shu...742.m153.l1262

It'll be interesting to see what difference that makes. The one in the cartridge seems pretty good, but you never know how much use it's had

Marco.

[DSJR]

£80 for something that we shoved unloved into a drawer and forgot....WHY didn't I smuggle one home for "the collection" when I could

I know it's going to be TD125 based, but I have an arm from a Trio KD750 coming which seems it should be ok once it's re-wired and the Nagaoka headshell I've found (with w@nky headshell wires and looking very like the Sumiko) is crying out for a lower compliance cartridge to go with it, as none of my mm's will be ideal..

Marco, you're a VERY naughty man..............................................

[hifi_dave]

Dave,
When (when ?) you come over, you can have a rummage through my 'old cartridge' box. I've probably got at least a couple of M3D - we used to use them as paperweights.

[markf]

"Originally Posted by NRG
Response to 15Khz and min 3g tracking force:"

http://www.cartridgedb.com/docs/shure_m3d.pdf


Had a look at the data sheet above and it makes me think that the shure M3D is not
really a high fidelity cart isn't the spec for hifi 20 -20Khz.

[Marco]

Dave, LOL!

I've been doing some A/B comparisons between the DL-103SA and M3D... It's interesting going back to the Denon after being accustomed to the presentation of the Shure.

The difference is quite apparent, with the Denon definitely having more 'polish' and fine detail retrieval at the top end - traits of a good moving coil. However, the M3D has got more power in the lower registers and greater clarity through the midrange; the 103SA isn't exactly lacking in this area but its MM counterpart definitely has the edge, giving vocals in particular more of a 'hear through' quality with marginally more air and space surrounding instruments.

I could live with both, and indeed intend to. It'll be interesting to see what the new stylus brings to the M3D - I am expecting special things as goodness knows how much use the one in mine has had over the years.

Incidentally I tried the SC35C - only a quick listen though, and that definitely has potential. It doesn't have the sheer 'balls', scale, and midrange finesse of the M3D but for £25 it seems quite remarkable. I will be playing with it again at the weekend and optimising its set-up, so will report back in more detail then.

Right now, I must prepare for the arrival of Steve (Aquapiranha), who's coming round for a sesh, so much later, chaps!

Marco.