To brush or not to brush?

[Poultrygeist]

I have a Shure M97xe mounted in a Technics SL-1300 and wondered which is best - brush up or down and why?

[02audionoob]

It is my understanding the brush is to stabilize the cartridge under unusual conditions, like a warped record, so I would think it's better to not use it unless those unusual conditions make it useful. I had an M97XE for a while and rarely used the brush...just tried it out of curiosity.

[jrhymeammo]

In a headphone system, I would avoid the brush due to added noise. But it never bothered me sonically thru speakers. More importantly, the Shure never sounded good to my ears with lower compliant arms. It sounds much better with higher compliant arms like the Technics with aftermarket headshells.

JRA

[JohnMichael]

If you do not use the brush you do need to adjust tracking force. In my days of Shure cartridges and the AT 440 MLA I would not use brushes or moveable stylus protectors since they add resonances. One of the tweaks for Shure V15 cartridges was the removal of the brush and cementing the remaining stylus assembly in place. Anytime you can reduce a resonance the better the sound.