EV Cali Posted July 12, 2021 Posted July 12, 2021 (edited) Looking to replace my shure M44-7 cartridges ,that could be up any number of years old, as they came with my Technics SL1200 MK2 turntables . Did try a jico replacement stylus but was not that impressed. So thinking of going with a ATVMN95EN VM95 Series Elliptical Nude https://www.storedj.com.au/audio-technica-atvmn95en-vm95-series-elliptical-nude-replacement-stylus?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0K-HBhDDARIsAFJ6UGg8_RyoQUzm05o6ugjaxzYJ5kjzaoAnuy-OdZ9m62cYs3zPWCd9NiIaAsmVEALw_wcB Would have to buy EN stylus and C cartridge as no ENs are presently available in Au. So conical cart $49 plus en stylus $159 = $208 or XP7 DJ https://www.storedj.com.au/audio-technica-at-xp7-dj-cartridge Open box price $199 I do not use the turntables for scratching but will need to manually turn the decks backwards to cue up songs. My aim is to achieve the best sound quality. What do members think? Edited July 17, 2021 by EV Cali
EV Cali Posted July 16, 2021 Author Posted July 16, 2021 In the absence of any suggestions, after comparing the specifications, that were almost the same, I have gone for the Audio Technica AT-XP7 DJ. More visible stylus for when you are cueing up a track and probably a bit more robust. Will review after it arrives . 2
EV Cali Posted August 2, 2021 Author Posted August 2, 2021 (edited) The Audio Technica AT-XP7 DJ arrived about a week ago and I have done one gig with it and some swapping around with a Shure M44-7 with an original stylus and one with a Jico stylus. The Audio Technica AT-XP7 DJ has a high out put and a full sound with a lot of clarity and detail. I am very happy with it. The Shure M44-7 with an original stylus had the same high out put and not quite the same full sound , clarity and detail. But it still sounds good, especially considering it came with one of my SL1200 Mk2s and could have seen a lot of use and be thirty years old! The Shure M44-7 with a new jico stylus, although it sounded ok, was a disappointment compared to the the other two. Lower out put level and the sound is just not as good. Not too much of a surprise as I was comparing an old cartridge with a conical stylus to a new cart with mil elliptical stylus. So I think my recommendation would be if you have a Shure M44-7 and it needs a new stylus, you are probably better of with a new Audio Technica AT-XP7 DJ. Edited August 2, 2021 by EV Cali 1
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