Shure M78S Wide Groove Monophonic Cartridge

I've been collecting 78s for a very long time. Quite literally, since I can remember. I've tried Thorens needles and turntables, Technics, and a lot more. They all performed poorly on virtually all record surfaces except Deccas from the late 1940s. Well, of course, most of those were terrible songs, so nobody ever played them: no wonder they sounded good! But the majority of my collection is Victor records from 1900 to 1941 and Columbias from 1900 to 1945. As you might know, the two record companies produced very different surfaces, and it's very, very difficult to find one needle that brings out the best in both. This cartridge comes very close to that ideal, though as can be expected, it's kinder to Victors than to Columbias.If you have a collection that is mostly 40s and 50s, this cartridge will surprise you by bringing out notes and details you never heard before. If yours is, like mine, earlier, then you'll be even happier, because there's a good chance the song you love has not been remastered and put on CD like so many of the later tunes.This cartridge allows for a rapid and trouble-free change of needle, and no matter how many times I've done it, it always sounds beautiful and new. Of course, it's not a diamond needle, so track your hours and get a new one after about 200 hours of play.Enjoy!

I did not buy this cartridge just to play music. I do not have a 78 RPM turntable but with this cartridge I am able to play the old 78 records my parents and I bought in the 1940s and 1950s. I play the records at 45 RPM thru a receiver and send it to my computer to be recorded as a WAV file using Magix Audio Lab program (many others can do the same). I clean the sound while in Magix. Since modern receivers (or preamps) have an RIAA equalization curve only for 33/45 RPM records it is necessary to remove this equalization and make the music flat across the spectrum. I open the cleaned file in the Audacity program and use it to flatten the music file and correct the speed to 78 RPM. The flattened, speed corrected file is then opened with the Equalizer program which has 78 RPM equalization curves for a myriad of record manufacturers. You can select a curve that matches the manufacturer of the record you recorded and it will correct the audio to match. Since most of the old 78 curves used were similar I generally use the DECCA curve. This is not a procedure to use if you want to just play records but for a few that you want to preserve the sound from, it works. I do not strive for perfection, just so the music sounds mostly like it should. The Shure M78S seems to do a good job on some really bad records.

78 RPM cartridges are not so common. Once again, Shure comes through with a reasonably priced cartridge. I also have an m97xe and an m44-7 and some others of different companies. Not many TTs have 78 speed. I have the Audiotechnica AT-LP 120. Yeah, it's a Technics SL-1200 knock-off, but it plays 78s, has USB connectivity, and is a fraction of the price.If you're looking at this cartridge, you know that the records they may be dirty, very dirty. You may want to invest in a record cleaner. To save a few hundred $, you can get the one to which you connect your own vacuum cleaner. Though more hassle, the cost savings is considerable. Honestly, before you buy one, go through the following procedure:1. count how may records you have.2. walk down to the basement and carry up the vacuum cleaner.3. hook it up to the record cleaner.4. clean one (or a few) records.5. take the vacuum cleaner back down.6. look at your bank account balance,7. buy a cleaner with built-in vac.And please remember that 78s are not vinyl, sometimes they are shallac or even clay. You cannot clean them with alcohol. Use water and a mild soap.Yeah, OK. My review is worthless and I said nothing about this cartridge. But for those of you who accidentally clicked on this product via looking at another cartridge or TT, I hope I piqued your interest in this dying medium.Adam

I bought this to play early 1940s 78s (shellac) on my Audio-Technical LP120. This cartridge says "made in Mexico". When assembling this cartridge onto a universal Audio-Technical headshell, while carefully following the nonsensical Shure cartridge instructions enclosed in the cartridge package (how do you wire it for mono? you don't - you just follow the stereo instructions on the table and connect all 4 wires to the 4 points, because the thing is already mono by virtue of the pre-installed wire loops on the points), I damaged the stylus' cantilever (the needle-looking thing) while attempting to replace the clear plastic stylus guard for its 'protection'. Ironic, isn't it. Laugh away, audiophiles, but us newbies have to start somewhere. I've never bent a cantilever this easily, with so little pressure - it looks like it's a hollow tube of the thinnest aluminum foil. I believe my other stylus cantilevers are much sturdier. As replacing simply the stylus alone (without cartridge) is already $39 (for this tiny tiny green plastic part), I decided to fix it myself (I shall not explain how, it's laughable). Now it partially works and I'm able to play my records, but badly. I shall eventually buy a proper replacement stylus. Or use a cactus needle from my garden (sarcastic laugh). Also, DO NOT stick the wires into the points by hand, use tweezer as they are also easily damaged. The instructions DO NOT tell you this, I Googled it.

Step #1 of instructions stated to remove stylus prior to mounting to headshell. Stylus was so difficult to remove it broke while enough force to remove it was applied. I will have to purchase a new stylus to complete review. I have a Shure M97xE cartridge and the stylus removes with minimal effort. Something was wrong with the M78S.