Shure M97xe stabilizer brush question


I just got this cart and noticed that the stabilizer brush is mounted off center. It is more towards the left side. Is this right? Also, how do you engage it? All the way down when it clicks in place seems more like a stylus guard. Am I missing something?
jig
I just got this cart and noticed that the stabilizer brush is mounted off center. It is more towards the left side. Is this right?
No, it's left. Nyuk nyuk. But it's where Shure intended it to be. It gathers dust a few groove spaces ahead of the sylus.

Also, how do you engage it? All the way down when it clicks in place seems more like a stylus guard. Am I missing something?
When it's clicked into the lower position it *is* a stylus guard. You want it between the click stops so it can move with the record. Don't forget to add .5g to your tracking force when you deploy it.

Deploying the brush enables the cartridge/tonearm to negotiate pretty extreme record warps without flipping the stylus out of the groove. It also attenuates the arm/cartridge resonance, whatever frequency that may be.
There are some folks on here who would probably tell you the brush is very un-hifi. Personally I found it to be very useful and the M97 is not so sensitive a cartridge that the brush will audibly impact the sound. The brush has a clicked-up and a clicked-down position, the later being the stylus guard. You want it floating in between. When you lower the needle the brush will just go where it needs to be.