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Shure Phonograph Cartridge Design

SHURE CANTILEVERS

Shure cantilevers are designed to minimize mass while providing the rigidity necessary to accurately transmit the movement of the stylus tip to the magnet attached at the other end. All Shure cantilevers employ a thin-walled tubular design. At comparable levels of rigidity, this type of construction requires significantly lower mass than a solid rod design. Cantilever mass is also affected by the type of construction material used - different materials require different amounts of mass to produce the same amount of rigidity.

 

Most cantilevers for models in the Shure line are fabricated out of heat-treated aluminum alloys. The cantilever types currently used in Shure cartridges are:

 

SHURE STYLI

Every Shure phono cartridge and stylus features a polished, gemstone-quality, natural diamond tip for precise signal tracing and accurate sound reproduction.

 

The stylus tip geometries currently used in Shure cartridges and their masses are:

 

* The Shure V15VxMR and the VN5xMR stylus have been DISCONTINUED.

 

 

Tip geometry is a critical factor in determining the accuracy of sound reproduction:

• The narrower the side, or contact radius, of a biradial diamond tip, the more precise its ability to trace the audio signal, as it is this side that maintains contact with the record groove.
• Both radii combine to determine the size of the "footprint" upon which the tip rides. The larger the "footprint," the gentler and more comprehensive the tracing. The larger the area over which the weight of the tracking force is distributed, the less the pressure is at any single point of contact with the record groove.

 

The lower the combined mass of the tip and cantilever (the stylus assembly), the less the chance that the tip will lose contact with the groove. The greater the stylus mass, the more likely it is that inertia will cause it to skip over signal information as it oscillates rapidly, tracing the signal pattern while the groove walls speed past.

 

 

DYNAMIC STABILIZER DAMPER / DESTATICIZER

The Shure Dynamic Stabilizer provides damping at the ideal location: the cantilever end. This feature renders the M97xE an excellent match to any mass tonearm.

 

The viscous-damped Dynamic Stabilizer used on the V15VxMR and M97xE cartridges maintains a uniform distance between the cartridge and the record under difficult playing conditions, such as those caused by warped records, or mismatched tonearm mass. When such stabilization is not required, the stabilizer brush can be locked up into its detent position, which, under ideal playing conditions, can provide even better sound quality.

 

All Shure stylus structures have been designed to strict limits of compliance, and adjusted to place the compliance-mass resonance in the region between record warp frequencies and the lower limit of the audio information band. To tame residual undesirable energy, the stabilizer is placed at the most effective tonearm position, on the pickup itself. The resulting performance is superior for any arm mass range. The effect of the damping is quite pronounced with tonearms of any effective mass value, but most striking if the stylus compliance and arm mass result in a resonance frequency in the optimum 8 to 10 Hertz range. This structure is the least sensitive to outside stimulation, and is also well damped.

 

 

COMPLIANCE, DAMPING & TONEARM MASS

The origins of the stabilizer go back to the era of the Garrard L100 turntable. The V15 Type III was to have been the highest compliance stylus structure that could practically be built. But to our great dismay, this combination could barely manage any but the flattest of discs. In all other cases, the arm/cartridge would leap from the record surface and bound across the bands.

 

From that time on, all Shure stylus structures have been designed to strict limits of compliance, and adjusted to place the compliance-mass resonance in the region between record warp frequencies and the lower limit of the audio information band. To tame residual undesirable energy, the stabilizer was placed at the most effective tonearm position, on the pickup itself. The resulting performance is superior for any arm mass range. The effect of the damping is quite pronounced with tonearms of any effective mass value, but most striking if the stylus compliance and arm mass result in a resonance frequency in the optimum 8 to 10 Hertz range. This structure is the least sensitive to outside stimulation, and is well damped to boot.

 

Just asany car should have a shock absorber, so any tonearm/cartridge system should have a damper. Only Shure provides for this.

 

 

SHURE CARTRIDGE BODIES

Many cartridges use glue to hold their internal components together. Over time, these parts can loosen and create resonances that will color or blur the audio signal. To eliminate this problem, all Shure cartridges feature DURA-BODYTM encapsulate construction to hold all components tightly in place, and significantly extend the cartridge's useful life.

 

 

SHURE PUBLISHED PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Shure's published performance specifications have always been known for their integrity. In particular, the tests and criteria for determining a cartridge's "flat" frequency response range are rigorous ones. As a result, the actual frequency response characteristics of a Shure cartridge can be superior to those of another manufacturer's rated at significantly higher levels.

 

"Unlike many high end audio companies that promote subjective listening for the most musical sound possible and disregarding specifications, Shure is almost the opposite. They've invented things such as "trackability" tests, and records to demonstrate it....The company has made many attempts to help music lovers use their products with fewer problems." -- Karl A. Lozier THE $ENSIBLE SOUND Jan/Feb, 1998 pp. 40-42**

 

See How a Phonograph Cartridge Works for a discussion of analog sound reproduction principals and definition of technical terms.

 

 

* The Shure V15VxMR and the VN5xMR stylus have been DISCONTINUED.

** To contact The Sensible Sound, call 1-800-695-8439 (U.S.A.).