Shure M44-7 Standard DJ Turntable Cartridge

I purchased the Shure M44-7 Standard DJ Turntable Cartridge out of curiosity. Prior to this, I was using a Shure Mx97xe cartridge mounted on a Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB turntable. When I originally purchased that turn table I chose the Shure Mx97xe cartridge, instead of the Shure M44-7 cartridge. I believe my decision was partly due to thinking the Shure MX97xe cartridge had a more detailed sound, which (by the way) it probably does. The only thing is, everyone at our house after hearing both cartridges, all agree that the Shure M44-7 cartridge offers a more powerful and convincing musical experience. The word emotional was used by several people to describe the sound.. The stereo separation, by itself, just seems to be more effective; and when there is an emphasis in the music, on some specific track, the Shure M44-7 seems to make it in a more pronounced and powerful way.The bass is big and bold with this cartridge This cartridge plays loud and you do not need to turn up the volume as much on your receiver, or amplifier. We played Bruce Springsteen's BORN TO RUN, and it was just amazing, much like some of us remember hearing Bruce Springsteen on the radio some years ago. Dylan on HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED has a growl in his voice, just the way he should. New vinyl recordings sound equally robust and inspiring.As most people know, vinyl records have made a big come back! People talk about the vinyl sound, and ( just maybe) this is what they are talking about. The Shure M44-7 has been around since, at least, the 1960's, and DJ's have used it over the years to play music on the radio and for scratching. There simply must be a reason why they choose this cartridge. I think it is probably due to the fact that it sounds so great. Some things are difficult to improve on; and although I ordered an extra head shell, to make changing cartridges simple, I think I will be keeping the Shure M44-7 on the tone arm quite a bit. That is just what everyone here seems to want me to do.I am using both cartridges with a Schiit Mani phono preamp. I set the gain at 42db. I also tried it at the 30db. In my estimation, the 42db setting sounded best for both cartridges. As far as I have been able to determine, 42db is also what the on board phono preamp provided with the Audio Technica AT-LP1240-USB turn table is permanently set at. According to the Schiit Mani OWNER'S MANUAL 42db is what most cartridges work best at.As the enclosed instructions explain, the Shure M44-7 has three set up possibilities. I used the standard Hi-Fi set up for music listening. The cartridge can also be set up for standard DJ use, or for unorthodox DJ use. These last two set ups are mainly for scratching. Although at first all this might seem a bit complicated, I believe it is best not to over think it and to look at the instructions, carefully. If still confused, as I was at first, a bit of on internet research to see what others have done might be good.It would be nice, if the Shure M44-7 cartridge came with a protractor to align it correctly on the tone arm. On the up side you can download a protractor on the internet and print it out on some heavy photography paper on just about any printer. I simply used the protractor that came with the Shure MX97xe cartridge for my installation, since I already had it. I think this protractor is basically what is called a Baerwald protractor. I believe you can use any protractor, only make sure the one you use is for a straight or curved tone arm, depending on what your turn table has.Unfortunately, most of us are not able to hear every cartridge before we decide to buy, and certainly, each cartridge might make certain types of music sound best. After hearing the Shure M44-7 and the Shure MX97xe on the same equipment, I can only say that I would recommend the Shure M44-7 first and foremost. The Shure Mx97xe has a more digital and perhaps even more clinical sound. The Shure M44-7 cartridge has a more organic sound production, which is not at all mechanical. What I like about the Shure M44-7 is that the music from it has a more emotive quality.

Shure has offered this cartridge and stylus combo almost since the inception of stereo records in 1958. The exceptional performance includes, but is not limited to, exceptionally resonant bass and flat highs with no mid-range accent like some other cartridges introduce.This cartridge and stylus combo manages to reproduce an even-keeled tonality which works over a wide variety of records, even 78 RPM recordings with the original M44-designed diamond stylus inserted (this stylus was last manufactured in the 90's by Shure).Radio stations used this cartridge where better performance was demanded of the stylus under abusive conditons versus the Stanton which was often found in studios as well during the 60's, 70's and 80's.I am purchasing a new one, because the original I've had for 25 years is finally falling apart internally (electrical noise, channel imbalances and the stylus will now fall out of the grip). The cartridge and stylus was already used when I acquired it, but I have taken exceptional care of this for all these years. The stylus actually has out-lived the cartridge! Considering the number of years this one has lasted, and the fact that Shure is manufacturing the new ones exactly in the same fashion as the original means this should be the last cartridge I should ever have to buy for the rest of my professional career. The price versus how many years of durability and reliability make this more than exceptional value, it's practically free!If you're an audiophile, you'll still appreciate the delicacy it can reveal even in the most demanding recordings, even while tracking some of the most harsh perterbations of the groove.This cartridge's specs usually are always above the book values, always have been, that's Shure's QC. Read the specs, and you'll know that is the MINIMUM performance you can expect out of their product. Anything less than spec gets re-labeled and sold at Radio Shack.In short, just buy it, it's worthy of any turntable!

Like one of the other reviewers, I bought a Project Debut turntable with the Ortofon 2m red cartridge. That was two years ago. And I have to say, it is an amazing cart. Then I began to collect all kinds of records. Mono, stereo, brand new 180 gram discs and beat to death Goodwill records. After a lot of research, I decided to go with the Shure m44-7. So, how is it an improvement over the Ortofon red? Well, at the moment I am listening to a mono copy of Ahmad Jamal's Happy Moods. It has a punch that was absent before. The sound is more dynamic. I tried a mono copy of Sgt. Pepper that was flat sounding and scratched up badly. The Shure stylus played right through the worst of it. The noise was reduced and it sounded more full than before. Where it really stood out was when I spun a well worn copy of Zep's Since I've Been Loving You. Wow! Just wow! 'Nuff said.

I finally replaced these after about 7 years because I'm not hard on my vinyl at all, and I got them on a whim. I use a magnifier to inspect my needles for wear and my old ones were not even in need of repair but I picked these up anyway for the price. I immediately compared them to the old ones to verify there was no wear on the older ones but I replaced them anyway because I did the "break in" procedure on my old needles which caused the shafts to develop kinks in them. I don't know if it had any impact on sound quality (especially for DVS), but for the price, I figured why not. I'm primarily an Ortofon user but these are great for DVS use and general playback, the needles are also cheaper to replace. Get them while vinyl is still around.

The stylus comes in a 'case' that consists of thin plastic with cardboard backing packaging, which is then placed in a dime bag. If you buy it in at Guitar Center, it comes in a secure protective box so the delicate stylus does not get crushed.Luckily mine came intact so i'm not complaining. Most people end up throwing the plastic case away anyway but for some this may be something to note.Other than that, it works like it should. Am happy with my purchase.

I chose this over the M97xe for a few reasons, but mainly because I didn't want a cartridge with an elliptical diamond tip. I have a ton of old, old records. I also have a fair amount of brand new ones. This stylus is made for "scratching" which is something I do not do, nor have any interest in doing because, well, for one thing I'm not a DJ. If that's your thing, I'm sure this works great, too. I just didn't want to worry about causing extra damage to my records (mix of new and some very old), or worry about degrading the stylus in the process - leading to possibly more record wear, or damaging any near mint.As far as sound? I don't even know what kind of cartridge I had on my turntable before (got a great deal on a used vintage Technics), but this cart changed everything. I don't think it can get any better. I'm not gonna buy a $5,000 cartridge for a used turntable that I bought for almost half the price of this cartridge. But it sounds good enough to me.2016 UPDATE: I love this cartridge and stylus and it hasn't let me down. Recently upgraded my preamp and my records play so beautifully I could cry (depending on what i'm listening to). Most days I just enjoy introducing the neighbors to Minnesota rappers. I plan on getting the M97xe (on its own headshell) as well to switch out every now and then, because why not? Shure has won me over.

Wow I needed new cartridge for my Technics MK1200 and this cartridge fit the bill. I also replaced my headshell to Technics. The packaging was great and came with all the tools necessary for attaching to headshell. Also the instructions were ez to follow and described different applications and set ups.You really need good eyes when attaching and screwing the nuts on to the screws. Always work over a bench or table when connecting cause these nuts and washers are small. I dropped when on my tile floor and took me a minute with a flashlight to find it. After attaching I used my protractor for Technics for proper alignment. After that set the tracking for 3 grams and smooth sailing.

Whilst I'm "Shure" all you Dj's & Turntablist's will recall the great old days, I have to admit I'd almost forgotten just how great the M44's were. I finally racked up enough miles on my old Stanton 681 EEE's to blow the very last of my stock of needle's (bought a lot of 100 way back when & worn out a bunch of vinyl & acetate over the duration).I'm in the midst of a full rebuild of my 1200's, & figured I'd look around at the cartridge's available when I came across these. So I bought one for a tester to see if anything has changed since M44's were last hung on my tonearms. I could almost swear the low frequency response has been increased over the originals, albeit 20 or so years have passed in the meantime with the 681's, so I might just chalk it up to expectation bias. ;)I'll be purchasing another for a backup pair I think, and hitting up the -7-H's out as well to see the differences.Also, no I don't believe it fair comparing it to high end Benz Micro, Grado, or even top range Ortofon audiophile cartridges as some have done. As these serve a similar, albeit completely different specific purpose. Admittedly, the above named sound vastly superior on my listening system, but scratching with them is a fool's errand. You use the best tool for the intended job, & the M44-7's are great for that.

Pointe très solide et renvoie des basses profondes

オーディオ再開に伴い、カートリッジを新調しました。本来なら、針交換時に購入すべきだが、品薄になりカートリッジと予備を同時購入しました。＊オフトフォン・ＤＥＮＯＮ・エムパイアなどを使用していたが、最初で最後のシュァーです。カートリッジは平行輸入品だが、予備針と交換したが、全く同じ音が出る。並行輸入品が本物である事が確認された。予備針をケースに戻し、出番まで自宅在庫だ。ＵＶに晒されなければ経験上、長期間もつ。価格上昇中なので早めに買いました。＊5100円　送料込み　2018.10国産メーカーのリプレイス品もあるが、針圧も違うので音も違うと思い純正にした。

Ho provato questa puntina con la sua testina originale anni '70 e una testina moderna. La qualità è la stessa. Perfetta e affidabile.

No hay mas que decir, … ya sabia lo que pedía técnicamente es lo que necesitaba y ya sabemos que estas cosas baratas no son, si hubiera podido esperar un poco mas igual las hubiera podido conseguir mas baratas.

不注意で前の針を曲げてしまって、しばらくM44-7をしまっていたんですが思い切って購入しました。いいですね！前にも増して活気ある空間が広がります。多少高くても純正品を購入して良かったと思います。