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Keep the Shure V15 Type III or not?

One beauty of the Shure V-15 III, is that companies like Jico still support this Cartridge with some great Stylus replacements.
And no, don't do any de-mags on any MM Cartridge.
 
Balifly said:
The Shure V15 III is mean for a lighter tone arm than the one on the Technics SL-1200 MK2.

If you are happy with it, keep on using it or save it for a lighter tone arm in the future.

A new cartridge in the same league as the Shure V15 III would may consider expensive to some users. :eek:
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+1. You need a lighter tonearm to get the best out of the Shure V15 III. But if the arm, cartridge combo sound good enough to you, it is good enough.
 
If we were back in the 70's I would say move up to a IV or V model they were really an improvement with a much more accurate high end and tracked better. Or I would say if you want a change get a Grace F9E or a Stanton 981 HZl. But we don't have those choices now days. Cartridges sound better today and with the devaluation of the dollar and better technology spending under $100 dollars doesn't work any more. If car values have gone up ten times I'm afraid so have cartridge prices of models that are made in limited numbers. And I guarantee the suspension of your stylus has changed negatively and your stylus is worn. So protect your irreplaceable records and buy the best cartridge your share of the stimulus package you can afford.
 
twiiii said:
If we were back in the 70's I would say move up to a IV or V model they were really an improvement with a much more accurate high end and tracked better. Or I would say if you want a change get a Grace F9E or a Stanton 981 HZl. But we don't have those choices now days. Cartridges sound better today and with the devaluation of the dollar and better technology spending under $100 dollars doesn't work any more. If car values have gone up ten times I'm afraid so have cartridge prices of models that are made in limited numbers. And I guarantee the suspension of your stylus has changed negatively and your stylus is worn. So protect your irreplaceable records and buy the best cartridge your share of the stimulus package you can afford.
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I have several examples of tthe Shure V15 III, IV, and V. They all are wonderful but I wouldn't say that one is better than the other. The III has a certain sweetness and musicality that the others don't quite have. IMO of course. They are all wonderful in their own ways.
 
You WANT the cartridge to be magnetized. If it wasn't magnetized then it wouldn't produce current.

You may be thinking of "degaussing" the cartridge.

I've done this with a V15 but it really made no difference.

Usually when a cartridge stops making the magic for me, I will take it off the headshell, clean it good, inspect it and then realign it, maybe with a lighter headshell.

Having a couple of carts to switch between can really make you appreciate the carts you have.
Don't get rid of the V15.
 
First, degaussing and demagnetizing are exactly the same thing. The magnet is in the stylus assembly in a MM cartridge design, so you'd never want to put that through a demagnetizer. I've never demagnetized a cartridge body and doubt there's any good reason to. In that video, the signal level is so low it's hard to believe it could demagnetize any significant residual magnetism, but at least it can't hurt anything. I'd be curious if anybody has ever heard a difference from doing this?
 
If you like the Shure well no reason to throw it out. But IMO one could do much better, and even though I own one, and have not thrown it out, I never use it any more. Their are other carts out there now with much better stylus profiles that I would rather use because I think they sound much better than that Shure.
 
markd51 said:
One beauty of the Shure V-15 III, is that companies like Jico still support this Cartridge with some great Stylus replacements.
And no, don't do any de-mags on any MM Cartridge.
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Plenty of options. Everything from the Kyowa $18.99 elliptical to the $259 NeoSAS with ruby or sapphire or ruby cantilever, with VividLine/hyperellipticals in between.
 
twiiii said:
And I guarantee the suspension of your stylus has changed negatively and your stylus is worn. So protect your irreplaceable records and buy the best cartridge your share of the stimulus package you can afford.
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How can you guarantee his stylus is worn? The OP stated he has a OEM stylus with very little time on it.

Or, since he already has the cartridge and likes it, when his current stylus does start wear, spend 1/6th of his stimulus check on a boron cantilever JICO SAS. It will be very easy on his irreplaceable records.
 
Ken Boyd said:
If you like the Shure well no reason to throw it out. But IMO one could do much better, and even though I own one, and have not thrown it out, I never use it any more. Their are other carts out there now with much better stylus profiles that I would rather use because I think they sound much better than that Shure.
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Since he already owns the V15 Type III, I'm curious what other options for cartridge + much better stylus profile you recommend in the $150 - $200 range. The obvious choices are the AT VM95ML and VM540ML (more like $250). And, while the ATs are great carts and great bargains, they are very sensitive to capactive loading and might not play well in the rest of his system. If the capacitance gets too high, they start to sound thin and brittle. Still, if he an manage the loading issue, a new cartridge with a microline stylus for $169 is tough to beat. What other combinations do you recommend in this price range that you prefer to the Shure?

For between $163 (eBay) and $199 (LPGear) he can get a boron cantilever JICO SAS for his current cartridge. That's a pretty advanced stylus profile, and depending on his phono stage, may be a better match for his system than that ATs. Lots of option, but a new, advanced stylus for his V15 Type III is definitely one of them.
 
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