Shure M97HE Phono cartridge Review

The Shure M97 series of phono cartridges brings some of the unique features of the company’s top-ranking V15 Type IV to the low and middle price ranges. The five M97 models share a common body, and- their replaceable stylus assemblies include an integral hinged “dynamic stabilizer” that gives them an exceptional ability to track warped records (this was one of the major innovations of the V15 Type IV). The styli of the M97 cartridges also feature Side-Guard, a safety feature that Shure originally introduced in their professional-series cartridges. The Side-Guard design causes the stylus shank and tip to withdraw into the plastic stylus housing if the pickup is scrubbed laterally across a record. Careless handling that could damage most cartridges is unlikely to harm the stylus assembly of an M97.

The Shure M97 series includes a pair of spherical- and elliptical-tip models that track at forces between 1.5 and 3 grams and another pair fitted with nude-mounted styli that track between 0.75 and 1.5 grams. Heading the line is the M97HE, featuring the “hyperelliptical” stylus shape that is used on the V15 Type IV and a few other Shure cartridges. It is rated to track at forces between 0.75 and 1.5 grams. There is also an accessory elliptical-tip stylus for playing 78-rpm records; it can be plugged into any M97 body. (Any of the lower-price M97 cartridges can be upgraded later by plugging in an appropriate new stylus.)

The hyperelliptical stylus contacts the groove wall over a larger area than the usual elliptical tip, minimizing both record and stylus wear. It also has a very small radius for tracking the high-frequency groove modulation and is claimed to result in lower distortion, especially at the higher frequencies, than either elliptical or spherical stylus tips.

The dynamic stabilizer resembles a small hinged brush that rides on the record just ahead of the stylus. Its pivots are viscous-damped, however, which dramatically smooths out the low-frequency arm-and-cartridge resonance and improves the tracking of warped records. The brush is formed of some 10,000 extremely fine carbon fibers that actually fit within the grooves and drain off electrostatic charges that accumulate on the record surface during play. (The electrically conductive fibers are connected to the system ground through the cartridge connections.)

The stabilizer absorbs a force of 0.5 gram, and the vertical tracking force must be increased by that amount to compensate for its presence. The stabilizer can be locked in its “up” position if its use is not desired, and when swung fully down it serves as a stylus guard. The M97HE stylus also has a telescoped cantilever, formed of aluminum-tubing segments of different diameters, to provide high stiffness and low mass; this improves tracking at high frequencies. Price: $112.50.

Laboratory Measurements

We tested the Shure M97HE in a tone arm having the relatively low mass of 11 grams. The recommended cartridge load is 47,000 ohms in parallel with 200 to 300 picofarads (pF). Frequency-response measurements with several values of load capacitance showed little difference between 250 and 340 pF, but a 475-pF load (which would have been ideal for older Shure cartridges such as the VI5 Type III) resulted in excessive loss of output above 10,000 Hz. We used 340 pF for our other tests.

The response to a CBS STR 100 test record was smooth and peak-free, with a slight drop in output at the 20,000-Hz limit. From 40 to 20,000 Hz, the response was within ±1 dB on one channel and ± 2 dB on the other. The 1,000-Hz square wave of the CBS STR 112 record was reproduced with no overshoot or ringing, a slightly rounded upper leading edge, and a flat top—about as good a square wave as one is likely to obtain from a phono cartridge. The channel outputs were approximately 4 millivolts at a 3.54-cm/sec velocity, with a relatively large unbalance of 1.4 dB (though still within the 2-dB rating).

The channel separation was well matched between channels. It was about 20 dB at middle frequencies and 25 dB or more between 10,000 and 15,000 Hz. The vertical angle of the stylus was a relatively high 26 degrees. Our tracking measurements indicated that the M97HE could play high-level test records very well at I gram, including the 70-micrometer level of the German Hi Fi Institute test record (a total downward force of 1.5 grams was used to compensate for the force of the stabilizer brush). Tracking-distortion measurements were made with Shure’s “Audio Obstacle Course” records. At 1 gram, the cartridge tracked almost everything on the ERA III record (there was a slight rattle on the maximum level of the drum section). It was less successful with the ERA IV record, where we heard the “hardness” that signals the imminence of mistracking on the maximum levels of most bands and a definite mistracking on level 5 of the harp and harp/ flute sections. However, when we increased the force to the rated maximum of 1.5 grams, the M97HE was able to play everything on both records without audible mistracking. Since the hyperelliptical stylus exerts less pressure on each unit of area of the groove wall than an elliptical stylus at the same force, we strongly recommend using 1.5 grams with this cartridge (because of the stabilizer, the tone arm’s downward force should be set at 2 grams).

We also measured the low-frequency arm/cartridge resonance of the M97HE in the 11-gram arm, with and without the stabilizer in use. The results dramatically demonstrated the value of this deceptively simple device. When the stabilizer was raised from the record, there was a “doublehumped” resonance centered at about 10 Hz, with each peak having a 3-dB amplitude and with the total effect of the two spanning the frequency range from 5 to 20 Hz. With the stabilizer lowered there was a single resonance at 10 Hz with a barely measurable amplitude of about 1 dB. Its effect was also limited to the range below 15 Hz. For all practical purposes, the stabilizer eliminates the effects of the low-frequency arm resonance, producing a flat bass response as well as effortless tracking of even severely warped records.

Comment

The Shure M97-series cartridges make it possible to enjoy the most important advantages of the VI5 Type IV at a fraction of its price. Although we did not test the lower-price M97 models, we would expect them to offer performance very similar to that of the M97HE, at least in respect to their ability to track record warps and in their general frequency-response characteristics.

The M97HE, by any standard one might wish to apply, is a very fine cartridge. It cannot be faulted in respect to flatness of frequency response, frequency coverage, tracking ability, or low distortion, whether judged by measurement or listening. Probably the major difference between it and the V15 Type IV is the required tracking force; the Type IV will track higher levels at 0.75 gram than the M97HE will at 1.5 grams. We doubt that most people would be able to hear any difference between them; the price difference, however, is large enough to permit the M97HE to appeal to a much wider group of audiophiles.

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