Empire M55E

A model number that turns up in period cartridge roundups and on eBay stylus boxes, but almost never attached to an Empire product.

Overview

Here is where the record stands. The Archive has no confirmed lab test, no spec sheet, and no directory entry for a model called the Empire M55E. The July 1965 HiFi/Stereo Review cartridge roundup (p.45) covered the Empire 888P and, in the same report, a Shure M55E. "M55E" was a real designation in the mid-1960s, just not Empire's. The magazine's lab tests of the Empire 888P (p.49) recorded 1-gram tracking and 5.7 mV output.

The July 1965 cartridge roundup in HiFi/Stereo Review (p.45) covered the Empire 888P and, in the very same report, a Shure M55E. That M55E is a Shure, not an Empire, and it may well be the root of the confusion. Someone flipping through the roundup quickly could come away thinking both names lived under one roof. They didn't. The Empire cartridge in that report was the 888P. The M55E beside it in the test lineup was Shure's.

The modern marketplace shows the same thing. Search "M55E" on eBay and the listings that come up are Shure-compatible styli, not Empire products. There is an EVG N44E nude elliptical described as fitting M44E, M44EM, M55E, and M55EM at around $100. There is a JICO Shure N-55E nude M55E elliptical needle stylus at roughly $184. And there is a generic 8633ED stereo needle for the Shure N-55-E/M55E at about $32.70. Every one of those is a Shure-family part. None is an Empire cartridge. So when a listing or a stylus box says "M55E," the safest reading is the Shure model.

That leaves the Empire-branded M55E in an odd spot. The sources don't say Empire never made one. They just don't confirm that one exists. No frequency response, no tracking force, no output voltage, no stylus profile, no dimensions. The fact sheet has none of it, and the Archive won't invent any to fill a page. If a cartridge genuinely marked Empire M55E is sitting in a drawer somewhere, the record hasn't caught up with it.

Historical Context

Empire's documented cartridge line shows up well in the period literature, and the M55E isn't part of it. The 1981 High Fidelity equipment directory (p.170) lists Empire Scientific Corp.'s then-current lineup: the ULM-55E at $110, the ULM-50E at $80, plus the 2000E/III, 300ME, 100S, and the Mk V1 Gold. No M55E. The ULM-55E has a similar suffix, which is the kind of near-miss that can breed a phantom model number over the decades.

The Archive's own collection holds Empire cartridges from the mid-1960s and from 1981, but no M55E among them. The mid-1960s end is where the Shure M55E confusion starts, and the 1981 end is where the ULM-55E sits. Two eras, two sources of a similar-looking designation, and neither one is an Empire M55E.

Collectibility & Value

There is no confirmed Empire M55E listing to price, and no documented owner impressions, common failures, or repair notes for one. The money changing hands under the "M55E" name is for Shure styli, roughly $33 for a generic replacement needle up to about $184 for a JICO nude elliptical, with an EVG nude elliptical around $100. Anyone chasing an "Empire M55E" should check what's actually printed on the body before paying Shure-stylus money for it.

If you own a cartridge you believe is an Empire M55E, or packaging, a manual, or measurements that point that way, the Archive would like to see them. Photos and a few numbers would be enough to turn this identification-gap entry into a real page.