Cartridge question

elliptical, my favorite ever

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649954227-shure-m97-xe/

discontinued. IF 10 hours is true, IF not damaged, then it is a good price and a terrific sounding and performing cartridge. I like Shures's optional damped brush, which is why I have had Steve at VAS install an advanced stylus on boron on my Shure V15Vxmr body.

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my comments are based on many various cartridges over the years (I/m 74)

I’ve got 3 TTs going now; 5 tonearms, 4 active, and 5 semi-active cartridges in rotation now.

my experience:

MC does produce a bit better results than MM, it is worth all involved IF you have the interest and $ to spend. My favorite is AT33ptg/ii. In fact it lasted over 750 hrs, You need proper alignment skills to get that performance and life from advanced stylus shapes. and when worn, AT sold me a new replacement cartridge at half cost trade in program.

Advanced Stylus do produce better imaging, great musicality, track lighter, last longer.

Stiffer Cantilevers do perform better, especially bass.

Elliptical, get a body with interchangeable stylus: Stereo; Mono; perhaps 78, elliptical, upgrade to advanced stylus shape in that body .....

Dear @rocky1313  : You own a TT and 3 cartridges, so thwe first step to your question no one but you already have it:

 

listen to each one of those cartridges looking for the " best " overall quality level performance that goes with your MUSIC priotity levels. It's your room/system and no one here or elsewhere knows nothing about but additional and at the end it's you who must live with that room/system quality levels.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,

R.

viridian

"I need to be educated about the “track lighter” part of this."

I made a misleading and incorrect statement about Advanced stylus shapes tracking lighter when related directly to tracking force set for the cartridge.

you are correct, tracking downward force required has to do with compliance: cantilever suspension/cantilever stiffness/weight of moving internals .... things I don’t know about.

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As a matter of fact, the AT33ptg/ii tracks at 2.0 g. heavier than my prior Shure’s and AT favorites.

Current Cartridges: (covid era left me toooooo much time alone and some otherwise unspent money).

AT 14SA, shibata 1.25g; sep >27db; balance 1.0db

AT TR485U linear 1.25g; sep >31db; bal 1.0db

AT440ml micro-linear 1.25g; sep >30db; bal 0.75

Shure V15Vxmr micro-ridge 1.25 sep >25 db; bal 1.5db

(broke original beryllium, now boron)

Shure 97xe elliptical 1.25g; sep >25db; bal 2.0db

Grado Mono Elliptical: 1.5g

Goldring Eroica LX MC, ’gyger 2’ 1.7g; sep >25db; bal 1.0 db

Sumiko Talisman S Sapphire Tube, van den Hul 2.0g; sep > 30db; bal 0.5db

AT33PTG/II MC micro-linear 2.0g; sep >30db; bal 0.5db

AT33PTG mono body, had VAS make boron advanced ’p’ stylus 2.0g

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Advanced Shapes: Due to their shapes’ larger contact surface, the resultant effect on the grooves and itself is ’lighter’ in terms of wear.

i.e. all 3 types: IF same downward tracking force:

1. spherical least contact surface, most wear, most likely to jump out of the groove. we used to tape pennies or nickels to keep them in the groove.

2. elliptical more contact surface, less wear, longer life;

3. advanced stylus shape (any, some slightly more) even more contact surface, less groove wear/less stylus wear/longer life.

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Trackability: very dynamic music or test records were designed to document/measure trackability related to newly achievable lighter tracking weights.

Shure’s (both discontinued) elliptical 97xe and V15Vxmr Microline both tracked at 1.25g, and passed the trackability tests. Both of these channel separation >25db; channel balance 1.5db.

My shure V15Vxmr body now has two alternate stylus: Jico SAS on Boron, optional brush, not damped; and one I had Steve at VAS make me: bought 97xe body with broken stylus, he put boron cantilever with advanced stylus shape he calls ’p’, thus I kept Shure’s optional damped brush, and the stylus fits both my 97xe body and V15Vxmr body.