Shure SPS Series D15DX Cartridge

I have another thread regarding a Technics SL-D2 I recently scored.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=122584

On that turntable was a Shure cartridge I was unfamiliar with, marked D15DX. I thought I'd share what I found out about this cartridge.

A little research revealed this cartridge was made in the 1970's and was supplied to a number of stores and turntable makers with various private labels.

This cartridge was in the Shure SPS series, SPS-1, SPS-2, SPS-3, SPS-4, SPS-5, SPS-6. Also known as CA-1, CA-2, etc. They differed only by stylus, which were, in order, N11, N12, N13, N14, N15, N16. Each was a different color.

Two were .2 x .7 elliptical, two were .4 x .7 elliptical, and two were hyper-elliptical.


Cartridge Stylus Tip Tracking Force
Shure SPS-1 Shure N11 (brown) elliptical .2 x .7 (.75-1.5 gr)
Shure SPS-2 Shure N12 (orange) elliptical .2 x .7 (.75-1.5 gr) = Jico SPS replacement
Shure SPS-3 Shure N13 (tan) elliptical .4 x .7 (1.5-3.0 gr)
Shure SPS-4 Shure N14 (blue) elliptical .4 x .7 (1.5-3.0 gr) = D15DX
Shure SPS-5 Shure N15 (green) hyperelliptical (.75-1.5 gr)
Shure SPS-6 Shure N16 (black) hyperelliptical (.75-1.5 gr)

The stylus that came with this cartridge is blue, and thus, the N14, making this cartridge the Shure SPS-4.

The tip on this stylus was known to be bad, the seller stated as such, so I ordered a replacement from Jico. Replacements are also available from LP Gear, Needle Doctor, Turntableneedles.com, and a few others.

The dark gray stylus shown in the photos below is from JICO, their Model e007437.

(Update, this Jico is equivilent to the N12 or NPS2e, making it Elliptical .2 x .7, tracking at .75-1.5 grams)

















So, my question is, what other Shure cartridge does this appear to be similar to? M70, M75 series? Will it take a stylus from one of those series?

It's hard to tell from your photos, Paul, but am I correct that the cartridge has a flat bottom? If so, I'd say this series was the successor to the M91 series and that the N91 (and probably N70 and 75) styli would fit.

Yes, the bottom is flat. It is also slightly smaller than the M92 or M111 bodies.

These were made in the 1970's, from the info I have found.

Paul C said:

Yes, the bottom is flat. It is also slightly smaller than the M92 or M111 bodies.

These were made in the 1970's, from the info I have found.

Click to expand...

Yep, then it makes sense. The HE stylus didn't exist when the M91 was introduced, so these had to be right after that. They were probably the last flat bodies (not including the encore series ME75) before they changed the newer style angled bottoms.

Thread Necrophilia!

Don't you just love playing with dead threads?

Anyway, I just spotted a NOS (Pfanstiehl repackaged 770-DEX) N11. I'm intrigued by this little bugger and was wondering whether it might fit the M75ED T2 body I have kicking around. Anybody know?

Thanks!
John

i was looking at the shure 25 cartridge in this thread, i have come across and shure sps 25 but it has 5000s on the cartridge also. does anyone know if the the stylus sps 1 though 6 mentioned above will fit? i was thinking the sps-5 may be the one to fit this 5000s?
thanks
Glenn