CARTRIDGE REVIEWS - Shure M95EJ

Shure M95EJ

Type: Moving Magnet (MM)
Stylus: Bonded Elliptical
Compliance: Medium
Price: Budget (vintage)

Background

After falling for the Shure M95ED all over again, I wanted to experience other cartridges from the vintage M95 range. A friend had given me a spare M95 body and I managed to buy a NOS genuine Shure N95EJ stylus from The Stylus Lady, combining them to make an M95EJ. This model was below the M95ED in the cartridge range, featuring a bonded (rather than nude) elliptical stylus. This review is based on this cartridge mounted on a Yamaha YP-511 turntable.

Shure M95ED의 매력에 다시 한 번 빠진 후, 저는 빈티지 M95 제품군의 다른 카트리지를 경험해보고 싶었습니다. 친구가 여분의 M95 본체를 주었고, 저는 스타일러스 레이디에서 NOS 정품 Shure N95EJ 스타일러스를 구입하여 이를 결합하여 M95EJ를 만들었습니다. 이 모델은 카트리지 제품군에서 M95ED보다 아래에 있는 모델로, 본딩 처리된(누드가 아닌) 타원형 스타일러스가 특징입니다. 이 리뷰는 야마하 YP-511 턴테이블에 장착된 이 카트리지를 기준으로 작성되었습니다.

Equipment

Turntable: Yamaha YP-511
Phono Pre-amp: Musical Fidelity M1 ViNL (with 200pF capacitance)
Amplifier: Yamaha A-S501
Speakers: Q Acoustics 3050

Sound Quality

The Shure M95EJ is less well-known than the popular M95ED. The EJ stylus is a bonded elliptical with a fatter profile than the nude elliptical ED stylus. The M95EJ also has lower compliance and is a heavier tracker, intended for use on heavier tonearms. So, I was not expecting it to fully live up to the delights of the M95ED.

Shure M95EJ는 인기 있는 M95ED보다 덜 잘 알려져 있습니다. EJ 스타일러스는 누드 타원형 ED 스타일러스보다 더 두꺼운 프로파일을 가진 본딩 타원형입니다. M95EJ는 또한 컴플라이언스가 낮고 더 무거운 톤암에 사용하기 위한 더 무거운 트래커입니다. 그래서 M95ED의 장점에 완전히 부응할 것이라고 기대하지 않았습니다.

 

Treble: The high frequencies are relatively restrained and have a slightly soft quality that is typical of Shure cartridges. However, there is good clarity and no sense of roll-off. As a result, the treble is easy-going and helps to tame bright recordings.

고음: 고음은 비교적 절제되어 있으며 Shure 카트리지 특유의 약간 부드러운 품질을 가지고 있습니다. 그러나 선명도가 좋고 롤오프가 없습니다. 결과적으로 고음은 편안하고 밝은 녹음에 도움이 됩니다.

 

Midrange: The mid-band is open and well-measured, and offers a fair amount of texture. Midrange instruments can have a nice tone to them and really jump out at you. Vocals sound natural and well-rounded with no edginess. Vocal sibilance on hot pressings is handled with middling competence.

미드 레인지: 미드 밴드는 개방적이고 잘 측정되며 상당한 질감을 제공합니다. 중음역대의 악기들은 멋진 음색을 가지고 있으며 정말 눈에 띄게 들립니다. 보컬은 날카로움 없이 자연스럽고 균형 잡힌 사운드를 들려줍니다. 핫 프레싱의 보컬 치찰음은 중간 정도의 능력으로 처리됩니다.

 

Bass: The bass is weighty and firm, with deep bass well-represented and seemingly a feature of this cartridge. Bass instruments have good texture and, again, often have a nice tone. Low-frequency delivery is tight and punchy. Bass agility is also pretty good, except perhaps on the most bass-heavy recordings.

베이스: 저음은 묵직하고 단단하며 깊은 저음이 잘 표현되어 이 카트리지의 특징인 듯합니다. 저음 악기의 질감이 좋고 다시 한 번 좋은 음색을 들려줍니다. 저역 전달은 타이트하고 펀치력이 있습니다. 저음 민첩성 또한 매우 저음이 많은 녹음을 제외하고는 꽤 좋습니다.

 

The net balance is warm but the sound still has a fairly open quality with good dynamics. In fact, the different frequency bands are very well integrated, producing a very satisfying overall sound. The bass is impressive, giving the sound a solid foundation without overwhelming the other bands. The midrange and treble together combine with the bass to yield a mellow, lush quality. This cartridge has a lovely tone that is very easy to live with.

순 밸런스는 따뜻하지만 사운드는 여전히 좋은 다이내믹과 함께 상당히 개방적인 품질을 가지고 있습니다. 실제로 다양한 주파수 대역이 매우 잘 통합되어 전반적으로 매우 만족스러운 사운드를 만들어냅니다. 저음이 인상적이며 다른 대역을 압도하지 않으면서도 탄탄한 사운드의 기반을 제공합니다. 중음과 고음은 저음과 결합하여 부드럽고 풍성한 음질을 만들어냅니다. 이 카트리지는 매우 듣기 편한 사랑스러운 톤을 가지고 있습니다.

Tracking

The M95EJ is a relatively heavy tracker for a Hi-Fi cartridge, with a recommended tracking force range of 1.5-3g. I use the mid-point of 2.25g. Tracking is generally very good. I did notice some evidence of mis-tracking on parts of Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn” album, but my pressing of this album is a challenge for many cartridges. The handling of sibilance on poor pressings is adequate, and much as can be expected for a bonded elliptical stylus.

M95EJ는 하이파이 카트리지치고는 비교적 무거운 트래커로, 권장 트래킹 포스 범위는 1.5~3g입니다. 저는 2.25g의 중간 지점을 사용합니다.트래킹은 일반적으로 매우 좋습니다. 크래프트베르크의 "아우토반" 앨범의 일부에서 트래킹이 잘못되었다는 증거를 발견했지만, 이 앨범을 누르는 것은 많은 카트리지에게 어려운 일입니다. 열악한 프레싱에서 치찰음 처리는 적절하며 본딩된 타원형 스타일러스에서 기대할 수 있는 수준입니다.

 

Compliance

There is no published compliance figure for this cartridge but the highish tracking force suggests medium-to-low compliance. Indeed, the M95EJ was designed for heavier tonearms, while the higher-compliance M95ED was intended for lighter arms. The Yamaha arm on which I use this cartridge is probably medium-mass and they seem well-suited.

이 카트리지의 컴플라이언스 수치는 공개되어 있지 않지만 추적력이 높다는 것은 중간에서 낮은 컴플라이언스를 의미합니다. 실제로 M95EJ는 더 무거운 톤암을 위해 설계된 반면, 컴플라이언스가 높은 M95ED는 더 가벼운 암을 위해 고안되었습니다.이 카트리지를 사용하는 야마하 암은 아마도 중간 질량일 것이며 잘 맞는 것 같습니다.

Capacitive Load

The recommended capacitive load for this cartridge was in the range 400-500pF, although Shure claimed that it could be “as low as 100 picofarads with only minor audible change”. In my experience, varying the capacitive load does make noticeable sonic differences with this cartridge but it sounds good with a wide range of loads. I use a setting on my phono pre-amp of 200pF, probably yielding a total capacitive load (including cable capacitance) in the region of 350-400pF, so not far off the recommended values.

이 카트리지의 권장 정전 용량 부하는 400-500pF 범위이지만, Shure는 "약간의 가청 변화만 있는 100피코패럿까지 낮출 수 있다"고 주장했습니다. 제 경험상 정전 용량 부하를 변경하면 이 카트리지에서 눈에 띄는 음향 차이가 발생하지만 광범위한 부하에서 좋은 소리를 냅니다. 저는 포노 프리앰프에 200pF의 설정을 사용하며, 총 정전 용량 부하(케이블 커패시턴스 포함)는 350-400pF 정도이므로 권장 값에서 크게 벗어나지 않습니다.

 

Note that the above assumes a phono-cable capacitance in the range 150-200pF, but for a specific turntable it may be lower or higher. 

위의 내용은 포노 케이블 커패시턴스가 150-200pF 범위라고 가정한 것이지만, 특정 턴테이블의 경우 이보다 낮거나 높을 수 있다는 점에 유의하세요. 

Comparison

Probably the most burning question is how does the sound of the M95EJ compare with that of the more famous and expensive M95ED? Firstly, it is very obvious that they come from the same range (indeed, they have the same body). The M95ED is a little more open than the M95EJ, with a crisper top-end, more texture to the sound and livelier dynamics. The M95EJ offers a similar but warmer sound, slightly toned down with the balance shifted towards the bass. In fact, the M95EJ provides outright the lushness that the M95ED hints at. To me, they both have the same satisfying, addictive sound. Of course, these two cartridges serve different regimes of tonearm mass, although either could be successfully used on a medium-mass arm.   

아마도 가장 뜨거운 질문은 M95EJ의 사운드가 더 유명하고 비싼 M95ED의 사운드와 어떻게 비교되는지입니다. 첫째, 그들이 같은 범위에서 나온다는 것은 매우 분명합니다 (실제로 그들은 같은 몸체를 가지고 있습니다). M95ED는 M95EJ보다 조금 더 개방적이며, 더 선명한 고역, 더 질감 있는 사운드, 더 생생한 다이내믹스를 제공합니다. M95EJ는 비슷하지만 더 따뜻한 사운드를 제공하며, 저음 쪽으로 밸런스가 약간 톤 다운되어 있습니다. 사실 M95EJ는 M95ED가 암시하는 풍성한 사운드를 완전히 제공합니다. 두 제품 모두 만족스럽고 중독성 있는 사운드를 제공합니다. 물론 이 두 카트리지는 톤암의 질량이 다르지만, 둘 다 중간 질량의 암에 성공적으로 사용할 수 있습니다.   

 

It is very difficult to suggest an alternative to the M95EJ amongst modern cartridge. Even the recently departed Shure M97xE was not as accomplished as the M95 cartridges. The Audio Technica AT-VM95E, also with bonded elliptical stylus, is in the same ballpark of a full sound with restrained treble, but does not have the charming character of the M95EJ.

최신 카트리지 중에서 M95EJ의 대안을 제시하기는 매우 어렵습니다. 최근에 단종된 Shure M97xE조차도 M95 카트리지만큼 뛰어난 성능을 보여주지 못했습니다. 타원형 스타일러스가 본딩된 오디오 테크니카 AT-VM95E도 고음이 절제된 풀 사운드는 비슷하지만 M95EJ의 매력적인 특성은 없습니다.

Availability

The vintage Shure M95EJ is not a frequent visitor to the secondhand cartridge market, although it does surface on eBay from time to time. Having said that, all the M95 cartridges (M95G, M95EJ, M95ED, M95HE) share the same body (but with different labels), so any M95 body will suffice. However, beware of the special M95 cartridges made for Dual turntables, as they cannot be readily fitted to tonearms with a traditional half-inch mount headshell (with two mounting screws).

빈티지 Shure M95EJ는 중고 카트리지 시장에 자주 등장하지는 않지만, 이따금씩 eBay에 등장하긴 합니다. 하지만 모든 M95 카트리지(M95G, M95EJ, M95ED, M95HE)는 동일한 바디를 공유하므로(레이블이 다르지만) 어떤 M95 바디라도 충분합니다. 그러나 듀얼 턴테이블용으로 제작된 특수 M95 카트리지는 기존의 반인치 마운트 헤드셸(장착 나사 2개 포함)이 있는 톤암에는 쉽게 장착할 수 없으므로 주의하세요.

 

The N95EJ stylus is more of a problem, as NOS examples are quite scarce. Also, this is not a stylus that is widely produced in an aftermarket version, although there are some aftermarket examples out there. Before buying the genuine NOS stylus, I bought an EVG-branded N95EJ stylus (PM3156DE) from an eBay seller in South Korea. It sounds very nice and remarkably close to the original Shure. 

N95EJ 스타일러스는 NOS 사례가 매우 드물기 때문에 더 문제가 됩니다. 또한 이 스타일러스는 애프터마켓 버전으로 널리 생산되는 스타일러스는 아니지만, 일부 애프터마켓 사례가 있습니다. 저는 정품 NOS 스타일러스를 구입하기 전에 한국의 eBay 판매자로부터 EVG 브랜드의 N95EJ 스타일러스(PM3156DE)를 구입했습니다. 이 제품은 매우 훌륭하고 오리지널 Shure와 놀랍도록 가까운 소리를 냅니다. 

Conclusion

The Shure M95EJ happily has a lot in common with its sibling, the wonderful M95ED, delivering an entertaining performance with a very attractive character. It has a warm and lush tonal balance, but is sufficiently open and dynamic to bring the music to life. It is a cartridge that will make you want to carry on listening. If you can find one (particularly a stylus), it is an excellent alternative to the M95ED for turntables with heavier arms. In fact, it beats most of the lower-compliance cartridges that I have experienced.

Shure M95EJ는 형제 제품인 멋진 M95ED와 많은 공통점을 가지고 있으며, 매우 매력적인 캐릭터로 재미있는 공연을 선사합니다.따뜻하고 풍성한 톤 밸런스를 가지고 있으면서도 음악에 생동감을 불어넣을 만큼 충분히 개방적이고 역동적입니다.계속 듣고 싶게 만드는 카트리지입니다. 특히 스타일러스를 구할 수 있다면 암이 무거운 턴테이블을 위한 M95ED의 훌륭한 대안이 될 수 있습니다.사실, 제가 경험한 대부분의 저급 카트리지를 능가합니다.

 

출처: PHONO CARTRIDGE REVIEWS