Customer Reviews
Can be too "laid back" for some systems 
2008-05-31
I have all solid state gear, and even so, this cartridge sounded much too laid back and warm for my tastes to the point of being bland. I like a little more involvement in my music. I suspect it would sound even more dull with tube gear. I currently run the AT440MLa which has enough "sizzle" for me (without being overly bright).
It's not a "bad" cartridge; some folks love them for the warm sound.
Phono cartridges are inherently subjective so reviews don't really mean much. It's too bad somebody doesn't rent cartridges so a person could try out several. That's the only way to know.
Shure M97xE phono cartridge 
2008-05-26
This MM cartridge has a warm sound and good presence-best for older vocal music.
It seems however to deliver a lesser output than the specs quote-about 30% lower than my several other MM cartridges-but not a major problem for my Sony CD burner to deal with.
Good value for the price.
Good Cartridge, Poor Manual 
2008-05-12
It arrived promptly from Amazon in perfect condition and it was a bargain price. Setup was a bit uncertain because the manual is not detailed and does not describe how to adjust it for optimum sound. I compared it to an Ortofon M15 E Super and an AT ATP-2 by first recording a WAV file from each cartridge using a track off Paul Simon's "There Goes Rhymin Simon." I used this album because of its clean sound and because I also have the commercial CD. Listening blind (on my medium quality computer speakers, headphones or Klipsch speakers), I can't reliably tell which track is which. Interestingly, the commercial CD does have a distinctly different and somewhat more processed sound.
The Sure M97XE cartridge when mounted on a Stanton head shell (cheap from Amazon) works well and tracks beautifully when set to the recommended 1.75 grams tracking force (with the stabilizer brush down) and the anti-skate dial set to 2 on my AT-PL120 turntable. It can also be set to 1.25 grams with the stabilizer brush up, but I detected no improvement in sound quality.
Wonderful Cartidge - albums come alive again! 
2008-05-04
This cartidge is a premium product and at Amazon pricing, a tremendous value! First and foremost the sound of my albums from this cartridge is wonderful; warm and clear. The stylus brush attached to the body works well - picks up dust deep in the grooves that is not easily removed with other methods. Mounting is precise using the included cardboard alignment protractor. Build quality and packaging is TOP NOTCH! Sound is TOP NOTCH! Highly recommended. Analog even with its flaws just blows away most digital recordings.
sure as shure 2008-04-17
I dont now who the chap falling asleep is,but I have just purchased this cartridge and find it superb!!
I fitted it to my Technics 1210 tone arm Kef Q1 speakers & Denon 3000v,and found it a fantastic performer.
I am one of those crazy englishmen that has collected Northern Soul for at least fourty years,and believe me,you just do not get music in most instances,much louder than that!!
This cartridge picks out all the high soaring strings while still retaining the bass line-perfect.
Perhaps turning up the old amp would help the gentleman.
Good cartridge for the price 2008-07-21
I purchased this cartridge to replace a shure m70ej which I had installed on a rebuilt sanyo tp-1030, as a good replacement stylus for the m70 can be hard to come by. The m97xe tracks excellently, and gives crisp highs, along with strong bass. I find the midrange to be somewhat lacking. Although this cart sounds good, it lacks the warmth of the cartridge it replaced. Those of you who use the LAST preservative might find an improvement in performance, I certainly did. To be fair, I haven't played this cartridge enough for it to be considered broken in, but some AT's I've purchased sounded great out of the box. Ease of installation and the included protractor helped with the score on this product. Most purchasers will be happy with this item, unless you're a hardcore audiophile with 3k dollar tube amps and moving coil cartridges.
Perhaps a little too warm... 2008-07-15
Overall, the Shure M97xE is a pretty good cartridge. It sounds nice and the dynamic stabilizer works well with old, dusty records, but I tend to find myself turning up the treble on my stereo when I use it. Excellent for softer and more vocal music, but much of the music I listen to is neither particularly soft or vocally based.
Continuing the Shure tradition 2008-07-02
When I needed to replace my old Shure V15 Type 5 cartridge, I was disappointed to see that it was no longer available. However, the M97xE seems to match the performance of the old cartridge quite nicely -- considering that the V15 series was a "gold standard" for phono cartridges for many years, that is a solid compliment.
Never heard LPs like this before 2008-06-22
After the stylus of my prior Audio Technica AT120 cartridge became inexplicably "mis-aligned" (read bent), I began my search for a new cartridge.
Enter the M97xE, I installed this cartridge in my JVC JL-F45 turntable and initially expected to listen to my albums pretty much the same way I had before. Was I wrong.....
Long story short this is the cleanest sound I have heard from my records in a good long while. I have now listened to music from all across the board with this, from modern power pop link the Ting Tings, to Neil Diamond, to Led Zeppelin, to the beatles, to Queens of the Stone Age. This is by far the best balanced I've ever heard out of my turn table.
Giddy up!
A decent cart for little change. 2008-06-15
I was able to procure this little goody from a work bonus. At 60 bucks it is not going to break the bank. That said I will try to perform a fair comparison. It is not a $3000.00 benz micro cartridge. Of course I don't have a VPI turntable either. When compared to all the current carts in my arsenal I would consider this one to be the most listenable. I had a Grado blue cart for quite some time and the one is much more forgiving to aging vinyl. Side by side on a 180g vinyl it sounds much more transparent than the grado. Oh yeah and the grado is around 160 bucks. It out performed my previous audio technica PB33E. Much more midrange and treble clarity. Not all the noise my grado had either on less than perfect wax. After fitting the aforementioned AT cart with a shibata stylus the results were similar. Still yet this shure was less noisy consistently. I have a technics SL22 BD and a fisher MT-6330 direct drive table. I have also listened to this cart on a sumiko project debut III table as well. You will be pleased. Its not quite a V15 but its not expensive either. If you need a decent cart for the price and like listening to your vinyl then you can't go wrong here.
