Advice needed as to Shure M 97 HE / Era IV


Having a Shure M 97 HE /Era IV cartridge system which is almost unused but tracks incorrectly and sounds distorted and harsh, especially at "forte" passages, I wonder if this could be related to a dry rubber suspension? On the other hand, in another thread on this forum I luckily noticed an answer from Shure saying that there are no parts inside the pickup assembly that will deteriorate, and that a new stylus puts the cartridge to its original condition like when it was new.

May I in this case take for granted the same answer; that my M 97 HE / Era IV only needs a new stylus in order to be in perfect working order?
axtl
half the story. What arm are you using this in ? Who set it up in that arm ? What tracking force ? Why do you think it's new /unused ? Is the stylus all the way seated into the cart body ?

The former owner has stated that it is unused. Yes, it is well seated into the cartridge body.
Cleaning the stylus and increasing the tracking force to 1,35 grammes put matters right; excellent tracking and very good sound reproduction.