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Replacing Shure V15 carts

JKent

JKent

Active Member
Sorry if this has been beaten to death but I could use some help.

I have 2 TTs: An HK T60 with Shure V15 V cart (bought in the 80s) and an AR XA with Shure V15 Type III cart (from the 70s). As I understand it it (based on info from Shure) the suspension wears out/hardens after 10 years and the stylus should be replaced. So mine are long past due.

As readers probably know, Shure no longer has replacement styli for these. I've read some good things about the Jico SAS but now THEY are no longer being made. Besides, at about $300 each I don't think I want to go that route.

I had thought about getting a Grado cart for the AR but that combo (according to Grado) will produce hum.

Suggestions? Replace the styli (with what?) or the entire cartridges (again, with what?). My main concern right now is the AR TT. It's in a vintage AR system with an AR receiver and AR-3 speakers. Shure 97xE? AT? Ortofon?

I don't play as many records on the HK. It's hooked up to the home theater system. Maybe a Grado there?

Help!
-Kent
 
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JKent said:
Sorry if this has been beaten to death but I could use some help.

I have 2 TTs: An HK T60 with Shure V15 V cart (bought in the 80s) and an AR XA with Shure V15 Type III cart (from the 70s). As I understand it it (based on info from Shure) the suspension wears out/hardens after 10 years and the stylus should be replaced. So mine are long past due.

As readers probably know, Shure no longer has replacement styli for these. I've read some good things about the Jico SAS but now THEY are no longer being made. Besides, at about $300 each I don't think I want to go that route.

I had thought about getting a Grado cart for the AR but that combo (according to Grado) will produce hum.

Suggestions? Replace the styli (with what?) or the entire cartridges (again, with what?). My main concern right now is the AR TT. It's in a vintage AR system with an AR receiver and AR-3 speakers. Shure 97xE? AT? Ortofon?

I don't play as many records on the HK. It's hooked up to the home theater system. Maybe a Grado there?

Help!
-Kent
Click to expand...

The second from the top HE-hyper elliptical stylus made by JICO some time ago is still available at a very good price. :music:
http://www.lpgear.com/product/SHVN35HEL.html
 
JKent said:
Sorry if this has been beaten to death but I could use some help.

I have 2 TTs: An HK T60 with Shure V15 V cart (bought in the 80s) and an AR XA with Shure V15 Type III cart (from the 70s). As I understand it it (based on info from Shure) the suspension wears out/hardens after 10 years and the stylus should be replaced. So mine are long past due.

As readers probably know, Shure no longer has replacement styli for these. I've read some good things about the Jico SAS but now THEY are no longer being made. Besides, at about $300 each I don't think I want to go that route.

I had thought about getting a Grado cart for the AR but that combo (according to Grado) will produce hum.

Suggestions? Replace the styli (with what?) or the entire cartridges (again, with what?). My main concern right now is the AR TT. It's in a vintage AR system with an AR receiver and AR-3 speakers. Shure 97xE? AT? Ortofon?

I don't play as many records on the HK. It's hooked up to the home theater system. Maybe a Grado there?

Help!
-Kent
Click to expand...
X

If your AR has the Haydon motor, the hum will only occur near the run-out. I have a Gold1 on my AR-XA and it is just fine, and I'm fussier then hell about hum issues.

www.lpgear.com also has other replacement styli for the V15 carts. I'm sure others will chime in.
 
JKent said:
...As I understand it it (based on info from Shure) the suspension wears out/hardens after 10 years and the stylus should be replaced. So mine are long past due.
Click to expand...

I call shenanigans. My V15 VMR stylus is nigh on 30 years old (original!) and it is quite fine. Only thing I can say is the cantilever starting to have a bend in it though when it was last checked, the tip still looked fine.. It is every bit as compliant as it was the day I bought it.
 
malden said:
I must be getting old, but when did cartridges become carts ?
Click to expand...

· When we started
° writing in shorthand bullet chart format
° we started talking in shorthand too.
- saves time
- reduces grammar and spelling errors
- increases uncertainty in case we change our minds later
 
Kent, I wouldn't assume that the suspensions on those styli has hardened just because you read about it somewhere. They could be fine. Step 1 would be to test them in the tonearm resonance section of the Shure Era IV or V15V test record. Any suspension issues will show up there. Should one or both fail, Step 2 would be to treat the suspension with a drop of Rawn Regrip, a chemical preparation for restoring rubber rollers and such. If possible, get the old formula containing methyl propasol acetate as here. I'll bet you won't need to though. The suspension on my V15IV is perfect.

John
 
boreas said:
Kent, I wouldn't assume that the suspensions on those styli has hardened just because you read about it somewhere. They could be fine. Step 1 would be to test them in the tonearm resonance section of the Shure Era IV or V15V test record. Any suspension issues will show up there. Should one or both fail, Step 2 would be to treat the suspension with a drop of Rawn Regrip, a chemical preparation for restoring rubber rollers and such. If possible, get the old formula containing methyl propasol acetate as here. I'll bet you won't need to though. The suspension on my V15IV is perfect.

John
Click to expand...

I have dozens of Shure styli from the 60's and 70's and none of them have suspension issues, but I have one VN45E with a suspension that is as hard as dried bubble gum. I will have to try your suggestion on it. It's an otherwise perfect stylus.
 
Cadillac Kid said:
For over 40 years tape cartridges at Radio stations have been called 'Carts', so there is a precedent for shortening the word to carts. Don't see what the big deal is.
Click to expand...

No big deal, just wondering. I imagine though, working in a radio station and asking the engineer for a "cart" there may be some confusion since tape cartridges are also called "carts"..... "No, not the cart, the CART"

 
Thank you all. This is a lot to digest.
A little background: I bought the AR TT in 1969 and installed the V15 III in the mid-70s (IIRC). Then in the 80s I wanted something "better" and bought the HK T60 with V15 V. I then lent the AR to my friend's teenage daughter. About a decade ago I got the AR back and it was in a box in my basement. I "suspected" damage to the cart but there are no longer places to take your stylus to be examined under a 'scope.
Then I went to the Shure site and read that although the cart will last indefinitely the suspension can get stiff within about 10 years and the stylus should be replaced. So I figured "play it safe."
Funny thing: All I did to the TT was install a new mat, lube the spindle and balance the tone arm. Seems to work fine. I'm "thinking" about totally restoring the TT but for now "if it ain't broke don't fix it."
I may go with the JICO HE stylus Balifly so kindly recommended for the III and for now I may leave the V as-is. Of course the stylus on the III "may" be just fine but at 40 yrs old and with a big chunk of its life spent in the care of a teenager I have my doubts! ;-)
Boreas--I think I have a Shure test record (I only got my records out of storage a week ago). Excellent suggestion!
Also thinking about taking my chances with a Grado. I have not checked to see if the motor is a Haydon but I do like the idea of keeping the AR system 100% American.
Thanks again and please don't hesitate to make any more suggestions.
-Kent
 
I once transferred the rubber and cantilever from a Shure V15 III stylus assembly [had a slightly-worn needle] to a Shure V15RS stylus assembly, as the RS had a broken cantilever. Unsoldered the piano wire so this could be done. Then re-soldered to complete the job. Sounded better with the softer cantilever.
 
malden said:
I have dozens of Shure styli from the 60's and 70's and none of them have suspension issues, but I have one VN45E with a suspension that is as hard as dried bubble gum. I will have to try your suggestion on it. It's an otherwise perfect stylus.
Click to expand...
Shure suspension hardening is real, but widely, not to say wildly, variable. I've had everything from glass-hard to perfectly okay. My guess is that it very much depends on storage conditions. The most obvious thing a partially-hardened suspension will do is roll off the bass. It may not be noticeable without an A-B comparison. I've had good luck getting a satisfying amount of bass back in old Shure suspensions with Rawn Re-Grip, but I have not tried it on a suspension so hardened that the bass is virtually absent. That may be too far gone for any chemical treatment to help.
 
Kent,

It's great hearing your story about how you've owned this system since 1969 and are still using it today! Right now, I've got a Shure M35X on my AR XA - they are inexpensive enough that you may want to give it a try just to see how it sounds compared to your V15. I also run a V15 IV with Shure, Jico and EVG stylus. I use that cartridge on my Technics TT. I've never had a problem with hardened suspensions, but thanks to this thread, I'm buying a bottle of the Rawn Re-Grip to use on the idler wheel of a Elac Miracord I have been refurbishing - I learn something new every day on the forum.
 
NoTransistors said:
I once transferred the rubber and cantilever from a Shure V15 III stylus assembly [had a slightly-worn needle] to a Shure V15RS stylus assembly, as the RS had a broken cantilever. Unsoldered the piano wire so this could be done. Then re-soldered to complete the job. Sounded better with the softer cantilever.
Click to expand...

Awesome! I've thought of doing that myself.
 
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