Shure N44G Replacement Needle for M44G Phonograph Cartridge - Gray

Full disclosure: I am a college student with very little experience in the field of turntables and cartridges although I am quickly learning as I go and feel as though I have a decent grasp on the basics of turntables and vinyl and how they should sound. Up until this summer I had been making due with a cheap little Pyle PLTTB1 turntable and a Numark Groovetool cartridge. Not the best sounding system but it got me by and was at least trusty in all of its simplicity. I decided to write this review to help out other novices who were in my situation and just want a simple non-audiophile opinion on this cartridge.I just recently acquired a mint condition Sansui 2050c turntable so that is the system I have been using to review the M44G. I have been regularly listening to records for the past two months now with this setup and I must say it sounds amazing.My main genres of choice include electro (Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Amon Tobin), jazz (Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, Astrud Gilberto, Pink Martini), indie (Salem, Modest Mouse, Black Moth Super Rainbow), rap (Pharcyde, Clouddead, Brother Ali, Gravediggaz), and classics (Roxy Music, Bowie, Beatles, Pink Floyd). So as you can see this cart has been put through a wide range of styles and impressively handles them all with ease. Its strong point is definitely in the base department. It achieved such a crisp clear sound with the low frequencies that some records like Music Has The Right To Children sounded completely different as though I had not been hearing all the depth that the record had to offer before, which I probably wasn't.The mid range is where I didn't really hear anything new. It was perfectly represented but nothing really stood out to me over my previous setup. The highs on the other hand are the only place where sound got a little spotty. Overall they are amazingly detailed and shine a new light on my jazz collection, especially the beautiful sax of Stan Getz. But with some songs the highs distorted a little on me. I am not sure if it had to do with the equalizing of my stereo or maybe the needle hadn't been broken in enough but it was still present on occasion. This however has only happened on maybe three or four songs so far. Overall though I would say its high frequencies are amazingly detailed and have a warm sound to them which perfectly balances with the clear, deep bass.Finally the skip resistance of this cart is astounding. I have it set to 1 gram for tracking force and have yet to have it skip on me. I am in the habit of buying used records from thrift stores and have had my fair share of deep scratches to deal with and while you can hear the scratches with this cart it plays right through them with no problems.Overall the M44G is an amazing cartridge with detailed high and low frequencies that seems capable of playing through almost any scratched up records. I am very happy I chose to give it a try as it perfectly compliments my Sansui and has finally provided me with an amazing rig to play music the way it was meant to be heard. Highly recommended!

I repair turntables for a hobby/side business through a record store. The owner of the store had a crappy Stanton table with a worn out needle he used to not only prove the playability of used records he sells, but also provide background tunes for customers while they dig through the bins. The tracking force was way over 5 grams. It sounded awful, but withstood the near earthquakes caused by the passing of a train through town probably 50 feet from the table the turntable is located.His table has been replaced with a Technics SL-1200M3D, and one of these Shure M44G cartridges. Between the awesome vibration resistance of the SL-1200 and the extreme skip resistance of the sure-footed Shure M44G stylus the train earthquakes haven't caused a skip yet, all while tracking at a much kinder 1.5g, and sounding very good. Alignment of the cartridge for HiFi use on a Technics headshell for the 1200 is crazy easy, even without a protractor or overhang gauge. The cartridge ends up flush with the front of the headshell when aligned. Other tables, YMMV.These cartridges were developed in the 60s for record changers and jukeboxes, which can be unkind to a cantilever, but recently (sheesh 1997 is still "recent" to me) have been revived by scratch/mix DJs, which are even more unkind, so Shure revived production. These are rugged cartridges that have a sound that compliments music from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Sometimes you might get a little IGD, but such is the nature of a conical stylus. It is what it is. And what it is, is pretty darn good.JICO makes a SAS stylus upgrade for this cartridge. I haven't tried it on the M44, but I'd imagine it probably transforms this from a workhorse cartridge into a true audiophile hifi cartridge.Bottom line: If you have a changer, elephants jumping rope near your turntable, or are 50 feet from train tracks this is your cartridge. If you long for the sounds of a Rock-Ola or Seeburg jukebox, this is your cartridge. If you want your albums from the 50s through the 70s to sound nice, warm, and analog-y, this is your cartridge.If you're trying to get CD-4 working, or have an IGD problem, or sibilance problems, this is not your cartridge.

The N44G is an excellent cartridge, the same goes for its louder brother, the N447. I know these are mainly used for DJ purposes, but I have been both of these tips for years, for listening purposes. They are both loud (N447 is much louder) and bass driven. Yet at the top end, the clarity is brilliant. Honest mids as well. Overall, a great stylus. I prefer this stylus over my AT440MLB to be honest, as the audio reproduction seems more faithful. The only complaint I have is the looseness it may have on the cartridge. There's a bit of play in the way it sits into it. Other than that, its awesome.