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Overall Rating:  (out of 253 reviews)
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AUDIO TECHNICA AT-PL120 DIRECT-DRIVE QUARTZ-LOCK STEREO TURNTABLEDIRECT-DRIVE PROFESSIONAL STEREO TURNTABLE SYSTEM; HIGH-TORQUE DIRECT-DRIVE MOTOR & SELECTABLE INTERNAL STEREO PHONO PRE-AMPLIFIER FOR DIRECT CONNECTION WITH COMPUTERS; FORWARD & REVERSE PLAY; CAST ALUMINUM PLATTER; 3 SPEEDS33/45/78 RPMAudio-Technica’s AT-PL120 direct-drive, high-torque professional turntable is perfect for DJs and other music enthusiasts, especially in an era that many would call “postvinyl,” when it’s no longer the norm for audio/video receivers or even integrated amplifiers to offer a dedicated phono input. A selectable internal stereo phono preamplifier lets you plug the turntable directly into any line-level input, even your PC’s (when used with a stereo RCA to minijack “Y” adapter cable, not included). Alternately, you can use the player’s phono output and an outboard, higher-quality phono preamplifier for even better sound quality. The AT-PL120’s S-shaped tone arm assembly comes with an adjustable counterweight, an antiskate adjustment, a tone-arm height adjustment and lock, a tone-arm lift with hydraulic action and lift lever, and a tone-arm rest with a locking mechanism to keep the arm stable during transport. The turntable uses a DC servo motor to maintain accurate rotational speed at either 33-1/3 45, or 78 rpm, governed by a selectable, high-accuracy quartz-controlled pitch lock–all of which gives new life to 7- and 12-inch singles you may not have played for years. Unleash your inner DJ with the ‘table’s pitch-adjustment feature, with variations ranging from either +/-10 percent or +/-20 percent. A pop-up stylus target light and stroboscopic platter speed indicator offer visual assistance in queuing and playing your favorite tunes. Forward and reverse play options unlock countless creative doors (and haven’t you always wondered what Prince is saying at the end of “Darling Nikki”?). The ‘table comes with a cast-aluminum record platter, a slip mat, and a professional cartridge and headshell (model ATP-2) that plugs directly into the tone arm. Adjustable, antivibrational feet keep the platter level, regardless of your environs. A start/stop button with remote start/stop input lets you integrate the player with your more sophisticated DJ tools. The player also includes a 45 rpm adapter with storage receptacle for the adapter and for a surplus or replacement headshell (sold separately). What’s in the Box
Turntable, removable hinged dust cover, slip mat, headshell/cartridge (ATP-2), AC power cord, 45 rpm adapter, and a user’s manual.
- Selectable internal stereo phono preamplifier–choose from phono or line-level output
- Direct-drive, high-torque motor; includes professional cartridge and headshell
- Selectable 33-1/3, 45, and 78 rpm speeds; +/-10 percent or +/-20 percent pitch adjust; high-accuracy quartz-controlled pitch lock
- S-shaped tone arm assembly with adjustable counterweight, antiskate adjustment, tone-arm height adjustment and lock
- Measures 17.8 x 6 x 13.9 inches (W x H x D)
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(out of 60 reviews)
Review submitted by C. Hernandez
Author’s Rating:
I stopped listening to LPs as most folks did when CD players hit the mass market. Convenience was the name of the game, particularly the ease of listening to music on the road. But what a tremendous difference in sound vinyl really provides! I chose the AT-PL120 after several hours of research on the web over a couple of days. I first considered spending the least amount of money and considered the entry-level model AT-PL50. I talked to an audiophile shop and while the shop thought it was a good entry-level model, they advised me to consider the next step up because it was well worth the investment in terms of sound quality and equipment durability. Upon close inspection at a local electronic store, the AT-PL50 looked really cheap. I decided to spend more money and get decent quality. I considered the AT-APL120 and the Music Hall MMF2.1, which has pretty decent reviews. The difference came down to saving $50 or so and decided to try the Audio Tecnica. I must admit, the sound is impressive and the built quality of the turntable is really good. Besides the DJ features, which I really do not care about, it has several bells and whistles that makes it very professional looking. I am using a pair of B&W bookshelf and a Yamaha RX-777, perhaps one of the few available stereos for music listening you can still get. The combination works well, but no doubt the vinyl sounds much better than a well-recorded CD. The AT-PL120 makes the sound really come alive! If you still have your old records and invested in taking good care of them, spend a few bucks and get this turntable. If I ever decide to burn a few LPs to play them in my car, it also has the built in amp. All in all, after two days of playing LPs on this turntable, I am very satisfied. The AT-PL120 comes pretty well boxed too. Too bad that Amazon packed it in a big but soft box, which was open on one side when UPS delivered. If it wasn’t for the Audio Tecnica box, I would have refused the shipment. Luckily it all works like it is supposed to.
Review submitted by E. Sims
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I recently purchased the AT-PL120 as a replacement for a very worn Pioneer PL400. Based upon my experience with direct drive turntables, which was very positive, I wanted a direct-drive, and there are few in the AT-PL120’s price range. The Audio-Technica machine is not the lowest-priced turntable around, and far from the most expensive I considered, but my recent “test drive” shows it to be as good as advertised if not better. The machine was easy to set-up, it tracks very well, and it does not present any rumble, even running it through my Carver receiver (which tends to show up any problems that a turntable/cartridge might have.) I used two different test records with it, and it performed very well with the tests on both.
I now have approximately 40 hours on the new machine with no problems. Many of the functions on the TT will not use by most for home listening — like reverse, unless you want to check old Beatles LP’s to search for “Paul is dead”! — but having 78 rpm available is a significant benefit to me as I am transcribing some old 78’s to CD. I also tried the machine on a slightly warped LP which the Pioneer could not handle, and the AT-PL120 did handle it after I made a slight pitch adjustment.
The product was delivered quicker than the delivery schedule promised. As was the case with another reviewer, the outside box that the unit came in showed up after delivery by UPS a little worse for wear. It was poorly taped and was coming open. However the product box was well protected, very strong and well sealed.
UPDATE: My original review (above) was done almost two years ago. As of May 2007, I’ve now spent many hours playing hundreds of LPs on this turntable. It continues to perform well and with no problems. It has maintained all of its settings with little adjustment. I continue to be impressed with the PL120 given its reasonable cost.
Review submitted by tvc215
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I have a decent album collection spanning many genres over many years. After much research online and in audio stores, I purchased a AT PL-120, for burning to MP3 and also just plain listening. I liked the idea of having an internal preamp and also thought that it would be nice for playing 78s. It also came with an excellent cartridge the ATP-2XN.
One of the first things that I noticed is that there was no ground wire. I hooked it up and there was a faint hum. This hum was present regardless of where I placed the turntable, wheather or not the preamp was on, or how I connected it to my receiver. I even tried it with 3 different receivers, 2 vintage and a newer one. I called Audio Technica and spoke to someone in customer support (in the USA) that seemed to be very familiar with the item. He took the time to listen to my description of the situation and told me that he had never heard of that problem. While I felt he was sincere and friendly, this did not solve the problem. I figured that maybe I had a bad unit so I returned it to Amazon, ordered a new one and you guessed it, the same damn faint hum. Another problem that I had was that I felt the cue was cheaply designed. I could live with that, but not the hum. Back to Amazon it went.
I wound up spending a few dollars more and purchasing the turntable that I should have started off with to begin with – the Technics SL1200 MK2. It does not have the internal preamp or 78 RPM function, but man it is a workhorse and it does just what I need it to do.
I liked so much about the AT PL-120 and wanted to love it, but I couldn’t deal with what I consider to be a major flaw – the hum.
Review submitted by D. C. Eaton
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I gave it only 4 stars because of certain problems with the ATP-2 cartridge and a poor manual. I purchased the AT-PL120 because I needed a way to transfer LPs to CD with high fidelity, and it has a built-in pre-amp so I can connect directly to my computer sound card. It was also a bargain price and loaded with features including some I won’t use because I am not a DJ. For instance, it has the ability to adjust the speed +- 20% using a slider. It can also play records backwards – in case you want to see if the Beatles really said “Paul is dead.” The turntable has vibration damping legs, but for DJ use, please note that any finger taps to the turntable body WILL transmit a boom to the speakers.
It arrived promptly from Amazon in perfect condition. Setup was easy and straight forward, although the manual is not detailed and does not clearly describe all features and adjustments. The speed is dead on. After purchasing an RCA adapter cable I plugged it into my computer and cued up a record. SURPRISE – the music immediately began playing from the computer speakers. AND the sound quality was very good indeed using the included ATP-2 cartridge (but see below). As recommended by others here, I installed the free sound recording software, Audacity, and within a few minutes I had recorded the first track off the record (being careful the audio volume did not exceed the capacity of Audacity and cause clipping). It was just as easy as that, and the audio quality exceeded my expectations – even my hopes!
The AT-PL120 comes with an ATP-2 cartridge included free. Surprisingly, it turns out to have excellent sound. I compared it to an Ortofon M15 E Super and the Sure M97XE by first recording a WAV file from each cartridge using a track off Paul Simon’s “There Goes Rhymin Simon.” I used this album because of its clean sound and because I also have the commercial CD. Listening blind (on my medium quality computer speakers, headphones or Klipsch speakers), I can’t reliably tell which track is which. The sound is also seemingly identical to that directly from the record, although the commercial CD does have a distinctly different sound. I also compared Copland’s Piano Fantasy as played by William Masselos (on Odyssey) with similar results.
UNFORTUNATELY, the ATP-2 cartridge has 2 major problems: 1) It requires a tracking force of 3-5 grams (rather heavy); and 2) MUCH WORSE is that it tracks VERY poorly at the recommended 3.5 grams (with the recommended 3.5 on the anti-skate dial). The first time I tried it (and using the cuing lever), the needle did not set down exactly in a groove. Much to my distress, it then proceeded to skitter across the record surface like an angry monkey (luckily no damage to the LP). It did not even stop at the last groove, proceeding onto the record label!!!! However, by experimentation, I found that this problem was correctable by merely setting the anti-skate dial to 6-7 rather than 3.5. I detect no audible sound defects at this much higher than recommended anti-skate setting (the sound comparisons were done at the higher anti-skate level).
The Sure M97XE cartridge (cheap from Amazon), when mounted on a Stanton head shell (cheap from Amazon) works well with the AT-PL120. It tracks beautifully when set to the recommended 1.75 grams tracking force (with the stabilizer brush down) and the anti-skate dial set to 2. It can also be set to 1.25 grams with the stabilizer brush up, but I detected no improvement in sound quality. REMEMBER that the Sure cartridge is not rated to play backwards, so use the ATP-2 cartridge if you need to do that. Changing head shells is easy and only means unplugging the old head shell from the tone arm, plugging in the new and then resetting the tracking and anti-skate forces.
NOTE 1: The weight dial on the AT-PL120 tone-arm for setting the tracking force is accurate at 2 grams, but when set at 3.0 grams, it is actually producing 3.5 grams (as checked with the Sure SFG-2 Stylus Force Gauge).
NOTE 2: There is definitely something more romantic and magical in listening to an LP, and watching the record go round than plopping on a CD. And the quality is better than I remembered so I am not sure I will actually transfer the music to CDs after all!
Review submitted by Gerard Verkaart
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I had to leave my Thorens turntable (with a Audio Technica cartridge) behind in Europe just too cumbersome to bring it along. About a year ago I got a bunch of records from a friend that I wanted to add to my music collection on my PC and Zen. I decided on the Audio Technica since it had the pre-amp on board and a decent cartridge, for the rest I was not interested in automatic features (nor DJ features) since I planned to play each record only ones.
Well the unit exceeded my expectations. In the $100 range there are such hopelessly bad units for sale that I expected the Audio Technica to be a step better but in reality out is a lot of steps better. Everything feels solid (not just in weight every manufacturer can plant a stone for almost free in a unit) but the switches, sliders, pilot light and arm are all well constructed. I found the sound quality of the cartridge to be better than the one I was used to (I do not recall what type of AT cartridge the Thorens came with) and there was no noticeable hum coming from the unit, definitely better than the belt driven Thorens I owned. I can easily compare recordings made in Europe with ones made here.
Never expected to use the reverse function but it came in handy with a damaged record that skipped consistently on one track. Recording the track in reverse solved the skipping problem. On my PC the Audacity software reversed the track again and it sound good to me.
Just out of warranty the unit started to sputter out of the blue, one channel sounded like having a bad contact, I e-mailed the service department and they agreed with me that the unit should work for many years without any problems like this. They repaired the unit without charging me anything. The problem was a faulty cartridge, it was replace with a new one: problem solved. This company stands behind it product!
Love the unit, riskless buy.
Review submitted by HarryFan
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As you would guess from its price and its source, this nifty portable player gives mediocre (but pretty satisfactory) performance on LPs, and does a little better on 45s, but it is simply amazing on 78s (manufactured from the late 1890s to the mid-1950s, petering out just at the dawn of rock-n-roll). I have no idea how this can be, but it is flat out true that my ancient 78s sounded better, richer, fuller, and far more enjoyable, on this sub-$100 player (at Rite-Aid, no less), than on my high-end stereo equipment. True, the very weakest link in my real system is the Thorens 180 turntable I use for 78s, but that alone can’t account for the remarkably low surface noise and sheer listening pleasure to be had from these shellac geezers as played on the Crosley portable tonight (I just bought it, while my wife was looking for floss and nail polish). There’s also something palpably magical about sitting in front of this tan beauty that seems to make the music better — maybe these old records were intended to be played on these machines, and they only sound right this way. I do remember listening to my very first 45s (with the big hole in the middle) on something very like this player, when I was about 4 years old, staying with my cousins at the Jersey Shore in the 1950s – I was hooked on music from that moment. Probably because the overall fidelity is on the low side, the ear seems to adjust immediately, and “fill in the gaps” in the sound in a much more pleasing way than when listening to laughably more expensive and more sensitive equipment. I tried 78s from a variety of eras – from a 1907 one-sided Victor recording of a long-dead quartet singing “God Be With You Till We Meet Again,” to a late-40s pressing of Bull Moose Jackson’s “Bow-Legged Woman” on the King label (pretty rare, but I could see and hear that the needle was not doing any damage to the grooves – in contrast to what the original 1950s portables, with ten-pound tracking force, did to records (turned them into grey powder after the second or third play)). Every 78 I played on the Crosley just sounded more musical than on my Conrad Johnson/Pass Labs/Quad megasystem. Go figure. And even the fussy Mikey (Michael Fremer of Stereophile fame) would not be too displeased at the decent build quality and floating plinth and arm – a tiny nod to high end ‘table developments of the past 25 years. Highly recommended!
Review submitted by Andrew Tucker
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This turntable and most if not all the Crosley’s turntables are overpriced for what it gives you. First off, the sound quality is not very good and the tone arm does not have a weight control to prevent the stylus from severely damaging your ablums if accidently kicked or knocked. Also without weight control on the tone arm, more pressure is applied on the sound groves and your albums won’t last very long. You can definitely get a better deal for a turntable equipted with tone arm weight control so the stylus will ease up your fine albums and still give you excellent sound quality.
Review submitted by L. Emerson
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doesn’t spin too fast or too slow, as reviewed by others. convenient for travel. some plastic parts make me qeustion the durability of the insides, but they work fine. box is durable. great for the price.
Review submitted by T. Cassingham
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We purchased the Crosley turntable for our 14 y/o’s birthday gift. The picture looked great and I had high hopes, but the actual item was made of flimsy cardboard. Placing the arm over the record is supposed to make the table turn, but it was so flimsy it broke within 5 minutes of operation. It was really a disappointment because this took place at her birthday party, with a stack of records ready to be played. If you purchase it directly from Crosley you won’t save any money, and you will also have to pay to return a damaged item (about $30). Because I purchased it through Amazon the return shipping was free.
Review submitted by Z. Powers
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This turntable is great! It’s a 3-speed, so you can listen to all your music not just most. Only thing it is missing is an audio output. Plays great! Speakers are nice and loud! It has a tone adjuster which many turntables don’t. Also, since this is sold through Amazon, shipping is quick and cheap! Since I am a member of Amazon Prime, I got it next day for $4, rather than $30 and 2-week shipping time. The only cheap alternative is the taec ’50’s style turntable sold by J&R on Amazon.
Review submitted by tvc215
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I most recently decided it was time to replace my 15+ year old Bang and Olufsen cartridge. I began researching cartridges via reviews, manufacturer websites, etc., and found the task to be daunting. As it is virtually impossable to find decent customer reviews for cartridges for under $300, I felt I needed to write one, so here goes…
My system; Marantz 2252B receiver (you can’t beat pre-1980s Marantz for true analog sound), Mirage Omni 60 speakers, Technics SL1200 direct drive turntable.
I admit that I am sort of a vinyl snob. I own tons of CDs, they’re practical for the car and readily available, but I prefer the sound of a clean well cared for vinyl LP given the proper playing conditions. You might call me an audiophile who doesn’t have the funding for a high end system. The Shure M97xE more than fits my budget.
I have been using The Shure M97xE for about a month now, listening to approximately 1-2 LPs a night, and I am quite impressed and content with my purchase. The cartridge comes with a ‘dynamic stabilizer’ brush mounted on the front that can be utilized or kept in the up position. This serves to stabilize the stylus under less than perfect playing conditions. I use it at all times, because it reduces static and collects dust, resulting in less build up on the stylus. I listen to everything from Dexter Gordon to the Clash to Weather Report to Bowie. I am extremely pleased so far with my purchase. It’s great to exerience nuances of records that I have never heard before. The first album I played was Joe Jackson’s Night and Day, and it sounded great. I heard background passages that I did not know existed on that record. I also noticed the stereo seperation to be a bit more pronounced than on the CD version of Night and Day. Next I put on a new copy of Salt and Pepper by Sonny Stitt and Paul Gonsalves. I hear crisp highs and feel the low lows. By my estimation, the sound from high to low and througout the midrange is fairly balanced, maybe slightly bassy. I forgot how rich the vinyl sound is compared to CD. For what it’s worth, it also glides through some (but not all) pop and scratches that are in some of my older pressings without picking them up. Maybe it’s the stabilizer. I am tracking at 1.75.
I have a discerning ear, and understand how music should sound, as far as seperation, depth, production values and so on.
Okay, I have never owned a $5000 cartridge, and therefore do not have that frame of reference, but I have experienced high end analog audio systems, and can say that for me this cartridge cuts it, at least in this price range. Actually I spent far less that I thought I would have to.
The MSRP is $140.
Review submitted by Armando M. Mesa
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This Shure cartridge is a little blue sonic marvel in sound quality and price range ! …
Over the years, I’ve had my share of Shures (gamut of Shure V15 carts).Earlier Shures from the 70’s in their sound performance were slightly tipped upwards in the higher frequencies, but in a not too bright fashion as opposed to the new line of SHure cartridges in recent years. Truth be told, unless you have very,very sensitive and discriminating bionic hearing, the sonic differences between those and the M97xE are minimal to almost non-existant.In fact, the V15’s now command a hefty price tag due to better premium materials used in it’s manufacturing over the lesser Shures. However (and this is a big HOWEVER), you are mighty lucky if you can still purchase one from a hi-fi retailer (old new stock) as Shure has stopped production on the audiophile grade and highly respected (amongst casual record listeners and vinyl purists alike) V15! There is a devout following of those who swear by the Shure cartridges’groove tracing accuracy and warm or neutral musical characteristic;It’s not hype but fact ( I know from personal experience).What you hear with the Shures is music and not a cartridge!
The M97xE follows in that same strong Shure reliability and musicality of craftsmanship and tradition. It’s neutral-warm sounding sonics contribute to a very high degree of pleasurable music listening enjoyment over harsher and sharp or brightly sounding cartridges.I had one friend listen to my cartridge who made the following statements, “Wow, that’s how music should sound like;crisp, clean, smooth and natural. Not like the harsh and flat digital sound of cd’s.Dude, I wish I still held onto my turntable and record collection”. It’s highly remarkable characteristic is how darn well it tracks even the most difficult musical passages and fast modulations and transients in a groove! There is no harsh or grainy vocal sibilance with the Shure (no sharp or shrill “s” words). Mellow, but not coma inducing is another trademark of the M97xE which allows for lengthy periods of listening without driving you nuts or feeling like you want to pick or scratch the inside of your brain or ear canal ! The reward is that this allows you to listen to your old records with such clarity and silky ease that you will notice instruments and vocals like never before. The “mellowness” permits a lot of great detail to come through with no distortion or distraction. Surface noise is kept to such a bare minimum that I often feel this almost mimics the quietness you hear between tracks on any digital format(the Shure M97xE becomes mechanically invisible). This also largely depends on how clean your records are ( It’s a great travesty to play vinyl that looks like it’s been dragged through the Mojave desert sand while using this precious gem ) !
This is a superb tracking cartridge to transfer your old record albums to digital cd-r format. Take great note that unlike other namebrand cartridges , the Shure plays beautifully straight out of the box and does not require drastic long hours of a “breaking in” sound period (this is always a great topic of debate in an analog audiophile forum of turntable-cartridge enthusiasts)!
Some may call this a sleeper cartridge in two ways: Either you will want something with more brighter highs or boomy bass and claim the Shure has no “wow” factor (in that case, try the Audio Technica AT 440 ML linear cartridge) OR it is a sleeper because the overall sound quality is so surprisingly great in the audiophile sense and for it’s “good deal” price range !The end result is that it will really boil down to your own personal sonic preference for a cartridge; Do you want a cart that is musically “involving” and has that familiar vinyl (almost bright) sounding characteristic that some prefer over a cd and associate with analog records? Then, the AT 440 ML would be a good choice over the Shure. However, the Shure is a much more excellent and accurate tracker and will allow you to listen to music for a much more longer period without getting ear fatigued.Some accuse the Shure of being musically or sonically uninvolving, maybe a little laidback. Make no mistake, that is also the beauty of the Shure—to be able to listen to the warm,natural fidelity of vinyl once again!
Review submitted by R. Ballard
Author’s Rating:
(Note: I’m using the Shure M97xe cartridge in the following review with a Technics SP-25 professional broadcast turntable and Alphason Opal tonearm.)
As a long-time listener of vinyl, I have owned many cartridges up to $300. Signets, Shures, Ortofons, Empires, you-name-it.
Overall, the Shure m97xe is the best cartridge I have ever owned. It’s not as “in-your-face” as many others, and some have said it’s an uninvolving cartridge. It’s true that it has a relaxed sort of presentation, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. This cartridge gets out of the way of the music, and is listenable for long periods with no listening fatigue. It is a shade warmer than some other carts, but the entire frequency range is all there, and totally uncolored. Very nice overall sound quality, and it’s a superb tracker.
One of the best things about the m97xe is it’s ability to push groove wear and other noise into the background much better than any other MM cartridges I’ve heard. It also does remarkably well with sibilants and inner groove tracking. Formerly I had some records with spitty, harsh “S” sounds and some distortion in the inner grooves. It drove me nuts! This cartridge tracks those inner grooves (and the rest of them) with ease, and greatly tames or more often, eliminates those harsh sibilants.
And even though this cartridge is a touch warmer than some others, it’s certainly not lacking in treble response. Highs are extended and smooth without being harsh. The bass & mids are superbly presented, too. This cartridge is a terrific choice for any style of music, especially rock, jazz, and blues. Some other cartridges may have a slightly better depth of soundstage for classical, but even on classical music I’m confident this one would provide satisfying results.
For those acquainted with the venerable and sadly discontinued V-15 line of Shure cartridges, (used by several hi-fi magazines as their reference cartridge) this one is second to only the Shure V-15MR. Shure actually recommends the M97xe as an upgrade to their V-15 type III model.
The build quality of this cartridge is quite over-the-top too. It’s superbly crafted, and though it doesn’t really matter, the packaging is even luxurious. Most cartridges come in a cardboard box. This one comes in a nicely finished aluminum (I think) case, padded with form-fitting rubber. It also is supplied with a thorough manual and specs, mounting hardware, a screwdriver, and even an alignment protractor. Even cartridges in the several hundred dollar range don’t typically come equipped like the M97xe.
Bottom line: THE killer deal on a truly audiophile cartridge. A musical, highly accurate cartridge for chump change, it’s quite possibly the best moving-magnet cartridge out there for under $400. Unlike costly MC cartridges, you can replace the stylus yourself, and you’ll actually be able to afford a replacement stylus when the time comes. Easy on your records and your ears. Get it while you can!
Review submitted by oboeguy
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I seriously disagree with calling this cartridge “snoozefest”. I have two vintage Dual turntables and one new Sony turntable I recently acquired from Amazon. Using this cartridge, I’m hearing sounds in my records that I have never heard before (and I’ve owned some pretty good cartridges). The detail that you hear in very complex musical passages has to be heard to be believed (this is true of Pink Floyd and ELO as well as Brahms and Stravinsky). It projects both power and subtlety (at the price, it is a real steal!). No, it’s not the type of sound that feels like your head is being smashed through a solid brick wall. For that, the average digital bright, brash, and shallow CD sound works quite well. The thing is that (non-digital) vinyl will (and should) never give the type of sound that CDs will (thank goodness). If you relish the sonic complexity and richness that can come from a good LP, then this cartridge is definitely for you!! On the other hand, if you want bright, in-your-face, and two-dimensional sound, then you should probably stick with CDs.
Review submitted by TomVette
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I’ve owned many turntable and cartridge combinations over the years and was able to compare this Shure to a V15 and a Stanton 881S in a quality table. The M97xMR has superb packaging and contruction. It comes with a useful overhang gauge and a viscous damped stylus brush that effectively dampens the effects of warped records. Sonically the cartridge is very neutral and non-fatiguing. The cartridge casts a wide image and has good sound stage depth. It tracks well but will not pass the final track of the Shure test record. It share the neutral nature of the V15 cartridge but is not quite as “fast with transients”. I highly recommend this cartridge. Take the money you save over the expensive cartridges and buy some vinyl records to enjoy!