Cartridge for Dual 1239: Shure V-15, Shure R47XT, Empire 2000 E/lll

[Riki]

I'm getting a Dual 1229 repaired. The guy working on it told me That the cartridge is a little unbalanced (about 10% favoring the right) and the stylus failed during testing.

A local guy is selling the following used cartridges as a lot:

Shure V-15 cartridge with stylus -and spare stylus
Shure R47XT cartridge with 3x stylus
Empire 2000 E/lll cartridge with stylus

I assume that the Shure cartridges would be good matches. But I've never bought a cartridge before, let alone used ones. What are your thoughts on these cartridges? Is there anything I need to consider for the fit (stock tone arm on my Dual) or in purchasing used cartridges?

This guy is also one of those "make me an offer* guys. What would you consider a good price for the lot?

 

[62vauxhall]

All good cartridges. Take your pick if that's an option or buy them all if not an arm and a leg Only wrinkle would be the Empire if it does not have it's mounting clip. Those things are hard to come by.

 

[Riki]

All good cartridges. Take your pick if that's an option or buy them all if not an arm and a leg Only wrinkle would be the Empire if it does not have it's mounting clip. Those things are hard to come by.

What would you consider a good offer for them? The guy wants to sell them as a lot. The prices I see o eBay range by an order of magnitude.

 

[revox-b77]

The prices I see o eBay range by an order of magnitude.

We can't speak of value on this forum, only dollars and sense forum but it is worth mentioning that the order of magnitude difference usually reflects an example with minimal stylus wear or nos stylus that has been tested.

 

[JFRACE]

The r versions of he shures are a step below the v versions, not to say that's bad. The v version also has 5 versions, so you need to find out which one, then decide on whether you want to do critical, backround, or daily listening as the stylus for the carts vary in price. The empire in my experience has a slightly more laid back bass in it, but is a very nice cartridge. All cartridges do have some OEM available and a good aftermarket stylus from certain makers like jico. You can go from conical all the way up to micro ridge or shibata.

 

[Riki]

The r versions of he shures are a step below the v versions, not to say that's bad. The v version also has 5 versions, so you need to find out which one, then decide on whether you want to do critical, backround, or daily listening as the stylus for the carts vary in price. The empire in my experience has a slightly more laid back bass in it, but is a very nice cartridge. All cartridges do have some OEM available and a good aftermarket stylus from certain makers like jico. You can go from conical all the way up to micro ridge or shibata.

Fair enough. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction

 

[62vauxhall]

As I understand things, that question is verboten outside of Dollars & Sense so it cannot be answered here without contravening the rules.

Without being specific, my guess is the seller probably has the V15 (regardless of series) pegged outrageously high, especially with the second stylus. All of those cartridges have been enjoying some kind of renaissance of late as have vintage cartridges in general.

I'm not a good person to answer that question as I was in the HiFi business back then and with the exception of the Radio Shack branded one, worked at shops that carried them. So knowing what they sold for brand new, I find asking prices today both outlandish and laughable. But I feel the same way about a lot of the gear too, Marantz, Sansui and Pioneer topping the list.

BTW, there was a huge retail markup in phono cartridges. One chain I was with got Ortofon OM10's in bulk trays for about $5 each. They were for mounting on turntables that did not come with cartridges and sold that way, the price was $50. If sold as an over the counter cartridge individually in it's own box, price was closer to $100. Shure V15 IV's would go on sale two or three times a year for $99.

 

[Riki]

As I understand things, that question is verboten outside of Dollars & Sense so it cannot be answered here without contravening the rules.

Without being specific, my guess is the seller probably has the V15 (regardless of series) pegged outrageously high, especially with the second stylus. All of those cartridges have been enjoying some kind of renaissance of late as have vintage cartridges in general.

I'm not a good person to answer that question as I was in the HiFi business back then and with the exception of the Radio Shack branded one, worked at shops that carried them. So knowing what they sold for brand new, I find asking prices today both outlandish and laughable. But I feel the same way about a lot of the gear too, Marantz, Sansui and Pioneer topping the list.

BTW, there was a huge retail markup in phono cartridges. One chain I was with got Ortofon OM10's in bulk trays for about $5 each. They were for mounting on turntables that did not come with cartridges and sold that way, the price was $50. If sold as an over the counter cartridge individually in it's own box, price was closer to $100. Shure V15 IV's would go on sale two or three times a year for $99.

Thanks for the insights. Its crazy how the market fluctuates for this vintage stuff. I got my Nova 7B's at the salvation army for $4.00, for the set, back in 2006. When I looked online back then no one was really talking about them and most of the opinions I got were that they were junk. Fast forward to today and everyone I talk to loves them. I restored them and they are happily running in my living room (you can see one in my profile pic).

Here is a link to my dollars and sense post (I hope its OK to link it here, let me know if its not), just in case anyone is interested in seeing where this goes. Thanks for all of the advice!

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....re-v-15-shure-r47xt-empire-2000-e-lll.835560/