The Shure M97xe and Technics SL1200 Make Beautiful Music Together

Though the Shure cartridge is the cheapest component (except for the cables), it doesn't let the rest of the system down.

The SL1200 also comes into fore as a capable player, worthy of any audiophile.

I wrote my first impressions briefly here, but have since tweaked and optimized it with my system.

Here's the rest of the system and settings.

Shure M97xe cartridge: 1.25 g tracking force brush up, 1.25 g anti-skate, arm level or slightly tail up

SL1200 turntable with 3mm mat underneath original rubber mat

LSA Standard Amplifier with NOS Tesla 6922 tubes, Mundorf caps 

Straightwire Chorus interconnects from built-in phono to line

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mkII speakers on wooden stands with metal base

Van den Hul CS122 speaker cables

But it's how it's put together, not the individual components, that makes this rig very musical. Hours of set-up, tube rolling, and, yes, cables to get that perfect synergy. One can talk about soundstage, tonal balance, or any other attributes. It has all of that, but what this system excels at is making music come alive.

Now I'm listening to music, not hifi.

Bliss!