Hi everyone - I'm new to this forum. I have a VPI HW-19 mk III turntable with a SME 3009 improved S2 arm. I take advantage of the removeable headshell by swapping cartridges on vintage OEM SME headshells. I currently swap between a Pickering xsv o and a Shure m95ed/he, although I have plenty of NOS MM carts to play around with including an Ortofon VMS20E mkii, an ADC Integra xlm II, an SAE LT and others.
So the other day I put on my Shure m95 cartridge and every time I touched the tonearm I would hear a hum. Drove me nuts! Searched the web and tried (and re-tried) numerous fixes. Checking the ground wires to the preamp, unplugging and re plugging interconnects, finding alternate electric recepticals for the preamp and turntable. Nothing worked. I then applied deoxit to the cartridge and headshell pins - still humming! I felt like I was going crazy like Gene Hackman at the end of "The Conversation"!
Finally I saw a reference on the Shure site about solving a ground loop hum by removing the grounding tab on the cartridge. It was an easy fix and IT WORKED!! Completely solved my issue. I love stroking the tonearm now and hearing utter silence!
I'm not sure which of the Shure cartridges have this removeable grounding tab but it is definitely something to be explored if you are experiencing a similar hum problem.
