Shure M97xE Break-In Necessary?

[Mark Ricotta]

Hi Everyone. . .

According to Shure, this cartridge needs no break-in period. I am replacing a Shure M97xE with the same cartridge. . .both new stylus and cartridge. The new cartridge has about 20 hours on it, but still sounds flat, hollow and about 10 db light when comparing it to the one I replaced. (I still have that one. . .replaced it because I felt it is just starting to get to the point of sibilance, etc.) (Turntable is a Pioneer PL-550. . .Rotel RA-1570 integrated amplifier, and GoldenEar Triton Five Towers, Oppo BDP-105D)

Thoughts, please. Whether I am playing a standard LP or 180-gram, I am not getting any life out of this new cartridge and stylus. I am tracking at 2 grams with the Shure brush down (so, actually 1.5 grams). I also usually get one "skip" per LP, even with new LPs. Very frustrating.

Any thoughts, please, on break-in time to set-up considerations.

Always a pleasure to communicate with the people on Audioholics. Thank you, everyone.

Markinrockford

 

[lovinthehd]

Perhaps the new cartridge is faulty if it is 10dB down. You measured this with what? I haven't noticed any particular change with time for my fairly new M97xE.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi Everyone. . .

According to Shure, this cartridge needs no break-in period. I am replacing a Shure M97xE with the same cartridge. . .both new stylus and cartridge. The new cartridge has about 20 hours on it, but still sounds flat, hollow and about 10 db light when comparing it to the one I replaced. (I still have that one. . .replaced it because I felt it is just starting to get to the point of sibilance, etc.) (Turntable is a Pioneer PL-550. . .Rotel RA-1570 integrated amplifier, and GoldenEar Triton Five Towers, Oppo BDP-105D)

Thoughts, please. Whether I am playing a standard LP or 180-gram, I am not getting any life out of this new cartridge and stylus. I am tracking at 2 grams with the Shure brush down (so, actually 1.5 grams). I also usually get one "skip" per LP, even with new LPs. Very frustrating.

Any thoughts, please, on break-in time to set-up considerations.

Always a pleasure to communicate with the people on Audioholics. Thank you, everyone.

Markinrockford

There is no break in. Shure have excellent quality control. I have used Shure cartridges since the 1970s. I have never had a dud cartridge.

My first thought is that your set up is incorrect.

The next possibility is that the arm has a problem.

The least likely possibility is that the cartridge is faulty.

My first question is to ask you why you bought a new cartridge? Why did you not just buy a stylus replacement?

There is nothing to wear out in the cartridge body. It just has two static coils and they either conduct or not. If they don't no sound at all on that channel.

My overwhelming feeling is that you have not set up the turntable properly. Turntables have to be set up obsessionally or you get very bad results.

So, make sure the cartridge connections are correct. Since you have a 10db level drop, I suspect they may not be.

First make sure your turntable is perfectly level in all plains with a spirit level.

Now you need to carefully set the arm height so the tracking angle is correct. Now make sure the cartridge is vertical so the azimuth alignment is correct.

Now set the correct overhang with an alignment protractor so the tracking error is optimal. Small errors here are disastrous.

Now set the correct tracking force. Set the counter weight to the null point of balance. Now set the desired tracking force.

Check that the arm calibration is correct with a stylus force gauge.

Now set the anti skate correctly.

Make sure the arm moves smoothly in the vertical and lateral planes with no glitches.

Now see what results you get.

If there is still a problem then put back the old cartridge and see what happens. Now put in the stylus assembly from the new cartridge in the old cartridge body and wee what happens.

If there is a drop in level then you have a faulty cartridge assembly.

These steps will sort out the problem.

The fact you have skipping to me makes it overwhelming likely your turntable is not set up correctly or you have a problem with the tone arm. My feeling is strongly the former.

Getting good performance from a turntable is not easy or straightforward. You have to be fastidious.

 

[lovinthehd]

Good point on the skipping (I skipped over that ). I haven't gotten mine to skip, and it tracks even the worse warp fairly well. I'd go thru setup details as TLS guy suggests, assumed you had already done so....as to stylus vs cartridge I know sometimes they're almost the same price....altho in this case seems to be about a $30 spread.

 

[mtrycrafts]

.... I also usually get one "skip" per LP, even with new LPs. Very frustrating.

Any thoughts, please, on break-in time to set-up considerations.

Always a pleasure to communicate with the people on Audioholics. Thank you, everyone.

Markinrockford

Stick with CD playback. No skips, pops, mistracking, 10 dB drops, etc.

 

[Mark Ricotta]

Perhaps the new cartridge is faulty if it is 10dB down. You measured this with what? I haven't noticed any particular change with time for my fairly new M97xE.

I honestly didn't measure the decibel level with anything. Just a guess with my own ears. It does, however, sound less "full" that the previous one that I owned. My audio guy told me it would take about 60 hours of break-in to get full performance from the Shure, and I'm wondering if anyone else can verify this. Your experience, I see, is that this claim is not correct.

Thank you for your feedback.

Markinrockford

 

[Mark Ricotta]

There is no break in. Shure have excellent quality control. I have used Shure cartridges since the 1970s. I have never had a dud cartridge.

My first thought is that your set up is incorrect.

The next possibility is that the arm has a problem.

The least likely possibility is that the cartridge is faulty.

My first question is to ask you why you bought a new cartridge? Why did you not just buy a stylus replacement?

There is nothing to wear out in the cartridge body. It just has two static coils and they either conduct or not. If they don't no sound at all on that channel.

My overwhelming feeling is that you have not set up the turntable properly. Turntables have to be set up obsessionally or you get very bad results.

So, make sure the cartridge connections are correct. Since you have a 10db level drop, I suspect they may not be.

First make sure your turntable is perfectly level in all plains with a spirit level.

Now you need to carefully set the arm height so the tracking angle is correct. Now make sure the cartridge is vertical so the azimuth alignment is correct.

Now set the correct overhang with an alignment protractor so the tracking error is optimal. Small errors here are disastrous.

Now set the correct tracking force. Set the counter weight to the null point of balance. Now set the desired tracking force.

Check that the arm calibration is correct with a stylus force gauge.

Now set the anti skate correctly.

Make sure the arm moves smoothly in the vertical and lateral planes with no glitches.

Now see what results you get.

If there is still a problem then put back the old cartridge and see what happens. Now put in the stylus assembly from the new cartridge in the old cartridge body and wee what happens.

If there is a drop in level then you have a faulty cartridge assembly.

These steps will sort out the problem.

The fact you have skipping to me makes it overwhelming likely your turntable is not set up correctly or you have a problem with the tone arm. My feeling is strongly the former.

Getting good performance from a turntable is not easy or straightforward. You have to be fastidious.

 

[Mark Ricotta]

Wow. Thank you. I will get the necessary measurement tools and do these things.

 

[highfigh]

Wow. Thank you. I will get the necessary measurement tools and do these things.

Your turntable shouldn't skip unless the LP has some kind of damage to the groove(s). Being older, it's more likely that the arm's pivot needs to be cleaned and lubed or the anti-skate needs to be adjusted.

 

[lovinthehd]

I honestly didn't measure the decibel level with anything. Just a guess with my own ears. It does, however, sound less "full" that the previous one that I owned. My audio guy told me it would take about 60 hours of break-in to get full performance from the Shure, and I'm wondering if anyone else can verify this. Your experience, I see, is that this claim is not correct.

Thank you for your feedback.

Markinrockford

10dB is a lot. Audio guy? Whassat?

 

[TLS Guy]

Wow. Thank you. I will get the necessary measurement tools and do these things.

If you register for free on the Vinyl engine, you can download an alignment protractor free. I think however an alignment protractor is included with the Shure cartridge.

 

[lovinthehd]

If you register for free on the Vinyl engine, you can download an alignment protractor free. I think however an alignment protractor is included with the Shure cartridge.

Yes, it does come with one.