Shure cartridges discontinued

You probably won't like it. I think that I have one around here somewhere.

M~

 

Probably not, it "may" come off as dull and involving to you. I find the ATMM "bright"and clinical sounding, sonically irritating. But I loved the MC which I had. I think it was AT9, and I also had a 7, which was very good sonically.

M~

 

Have you been on Amazon’s vinyl section lately? Despite owning a well-fettled Garrard 301 I’m largely a CD man, and find a lot of vinyl evangelicalism highly annoying (to say the least), but even I couldn’t help but be impressed that there’s now a vinyl section in Sainsburys, of all places, amd that they’ve started their own label. I’d certainly call that crossing over into the mainstream ‘non exclusive’ market. No it’s not where it was in the heyday, but nor it seems is any physical format. With news of more record pressing plants being opened though it seems far from a flash in the pan to me. Hence my view that it seemed odd for Shure to pull out now whilst interest and sales are growing.

 

I still love my trusty old M91ed. I do believe that I can find replacement styli for years to come. The aftermarkets sound just as good as the factory ones IMO.

 

I just bought an extra one from Amazon for one of my vintage Thorens turn tables.

Thought it best to get one while they are still there to be got.

 

I didn't think you were going to be able to top where you referred to them as "cowardly", but then you double down by claiming a business motivated by business decisions is "weak". Will there be a Part III in your Shure Rant Series? Your fans are on the edge of their seats. I'm looking forward to hearing Shure execs called out by name.

 

Heh. After the China stuff we find the buried lede - "vinyl revival" or no, one doesn't profit selling $100 M44s. If they were made in the USA they'd be $200 M44s, and they'd sell even less of them.

 

I own ALL 3 of the mentioned ..they are all good trackers. The M97Xe is the more neutral/flat sounding..if that's what your looking for in a cart.

 

I find the Grado Black2 superior to the 2M Red and a viable alternative to the M97XE. The M97XE is no V15 for S(h)ure.

 

This sad news for me, I love my M97XE, I plan buying a few extra needles, what would be compatible to the M97XE. I have a Technics 1200. I like the warm natural sound of the Shure cart.

 

Loved that cart on my TD150

 

Believe it or not the N95ed works on the m97xe cartridge. I've sold this to a few people and they said it sounds rockin'.
I learned this after finding a few threads on google on the topic.

I had the M97xe on my Technics SL1200 originally as well, but did not like it. I personally found it very dull, plus i don't think its an idea match for that tonearm (but thats just me, if you get good results, than its all gravy baby!)

 

It's all about money for a large corporation. definitely a bean counter move. They have to please the share holders, literally.
-Bill

 

It's all in perspective. Phono cartridge sales have grown from essentially nothing to being merely pathetic. That isn't enticing for a big company to hire engineers, tool-up (or retool) and open a production line.

Shure sells microphones these days, which was really their original endeavor, so at least that has endured. The classic SM58 and others, including wireless and in-ear monitors. Guess where they are made? Most in China these days, some still in Mexico. So the former USA based company has spread itself thin as many or most others have and lost any commitment to their origins. Despite mfg claims by many different companies to have excellent QC still, most have lost tight control of that also. So their attraction to lower production costs has also just realized lower quality and lower profit in the long run. They eventually run up against untouchable Chinese lowball priced competition. ...then there is this: How to Spot a Fake Shure Microphone

It's just a huge snowball rolling downhill, collecting corporations and their venerable products as time takes it to the new bottom. Sorry to be a drag on it, but that is what is happening. Only the very leanest and most nimble companies are making a run for it against these forces. Emerging technologies still offer great profitability for US companies, if they can keep it from the thieves in the east. Trouble is now that they have their own tech centers developing and they have state funded support. We didn't do that, via tariffs or incentives, at least not to an effective level, and now we are paying a growing price each month it seems.
-Bill

 

Then try a Grado Red or Gold and you'll hear even more. The really good stuff starts with the Master, but that's a good chunk of change. Sadly, most people write them off as a company because all they ever sample is their cheap stuff. Their best efforts are quite good.
-Bill

 

Who want to crowdfund buying their stylus cutters?


SHF UNITE!

 

Yes, my Black2 is even nicer with my 8MZ stylus.

 

I once bought an M97xe and didn't like it. I stumbled upon a vintage V15 ... ah lovely.

 

If they were made in the US and of higher quality, they could have sold many of them for much more. That's water under the bridge now. They made their choice as did most US mfrs and most US consumers. It's gonna be a long, tall pile of junk headed to the landfill for most consumers. I still get some vintage gear from the 60s and 70s operational because it was originally of good quality and worth servicing. That's a 40 - 50 year life span, and some of it still has another 10+ years to go after the servicing. Compare that to the 6 month to one year life span of much of the garbage being sent hear from China. Some of the crap isn't even worth bringing home. I've seen tools (which were very cheap to purchase) fail in such a short order that I was pissed that it cost me more in time and fuel to have to go and buy replacements. Since most good quality, local tool and electronic component distributors have closed, it has to be mail ordered. I fail to see how so many seem to want to defend the current economic situation.
-Bill

 

yes thats true...most djs use usb sticks now...turntables are too unreliable in most venues...set up/needles/dampening etc

 

It's tempting to pidgeon hole things into existing narratives, but I actually don't think Shure making microphones in China and Mexico has much to do with this particular topic.

Grado has been mentioned in this thread as being a small company that stays in business building their products in America. Including a $12,000 phono cartridge and a pair of $2700 headphones. I imagine they have loss leaders on the other side of the spectrum as well. In other words, they're a well rounded audiophile company that people trust with both small and large amounts of their cash.

Compare this to Shure, make of no-nonsense neutral and inexpensive cartridges. When I hear people mention Shure it's V15 nostalgia 99% of the time. So, given that, could Shure have saved themselves with a revamped, made-in-America V15 mk IV? Well, they'd have to charge $1000 for it and people don't pay $1000 for Shure cartridges - that's part of the point of Shure cartridges. I think the concept simply ran its course and find it more surprising they lasted this long.

 

So if you have a chance, try a better model. I get a sort of "Eh, yeah, that's OK." or "Hmm, ya know, that's really quite nice, and it was a bargain too." feeling when I listen to most of them. I do remember installing a Grado Reference on a Rega Planar 9 for a customer, maybe 10 years ago. I listened to it at the shop and it sounded very natural and clean. When the customer came to pick it up, he brought with him the remastered Beatles box set and we listened to a couple of songs. That was and is, to this day, the best that I have ever heard any Beatles recording sound. Later, when he bought some big speakers, I delivered them to his house and he had me listen to the system before I left just to show how sweet it sounded in his man cave. He picked-out a James Taylor Lp and again, I was amazed by it. This time the set-up of the system was way better than what can be done in the showroom environment, and it sounded like JT was sitting on a stool in the center of the room; spooky good.
-Bill

 

Oh, right - of course they would. Problem is everybody I know who buys Shure cartridges does so because they're inexpensive. Making them in America for twice the price would have led them to fold much sooner. People can already buy better cartridges for more money - Shure was servicing the value customers.

Its funny because you're ultimately willing to admit that Shure wasn't running a profitable business in the era in which phono cartridges aren't common household items anymore, but you're still doing your best to shoehorn it into your globalization narrative.

 

Fremer compared them using a Jico SAS stylus on the M97xe and claimed they are very close with that configuration.

 

I agree about the V15 nostalgia and also that they held out as long as they did considering the company size and the small market and profit made from phono products. They would have to really develop a whole new series of gear to make any money, and competition is just ridiculous now for such a small reward. I do however think that their current business model (of making microphones in China and Mexico) has everything to do with their bailing on phono cartridges. They had a portfolio of products and they cut the one that was dragging them the most. I don't think they could have sustained that in this environment either. You're right, not for $100 or less.
-Bill