Shure V15 III Vs. Shure V15 RS Vs. Denon DL-110

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fas0latid0

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I currently have a Shure V15 RS that is mounted on my Dual 1019. It is one of my favorite cartridges right now but will need to be replaced soon I think, I have probably 300 hrs on it. I am considering getting a Denon DL110 for my Dual.

My friend has a Shure V15 III that he is considering selling, its almost brand new. What I am looking for is something sonically similar or better with more depth and musicality. I have a Technics SL1200 MKII that I need to refurbish and will probably turn into my main table so these cartridge choices will possibly be used on that table also.
 
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300 hours? I would think you have a way to go before replacement.

In any event if it will wind up on your SL1200 you may consider the DL 110...but it's a different animal from a sonic perspective being HOMC.
 
ScaleAutoArt said:
300 hours? I would think you have a way to go before replacement.

In any event if it will wind up on your SL1200 you may consider the DL 110...but it's a different animal from a sonic perspective being HOMC.
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Thats what I am guessing... May be more, pulled it off a used table last year. I play a lot of used LP's so I am being conservative I guess. What will I gain and loose sonically going from MM to HOMC? I will be playing into a Mcintosh MX117 preamp if that matters. The V15 RS is relatively low output for a MM compared to say my M91 or Stanton D680, but it is the most balanced cart I have, very accurate lows, I feel the mids and highs are a little subdued, giving it a warmer sound.
 
My advice? By all means, get the DL-110. It's good at 47k, though the bass is stronger at 100 ohms (which my preamp just happens to supply). Its mids and highs won't sound subdued.

But prices are going up, so don't worry if your phono stage doesn't load the 110 at anything but 47k-- grab the 110 while it's still affordable and worry about things like optimum loading later. It's an excellent cartridge for the money, even at the current street price. I say this as someone who's owned and loved the RS for decades.
 
My phono preamp section specs are 2.2mV at 47k and 50pF. Not really sure what that means... I've never messed around with loading, I have only setup my turntables to factory specs indicated in their manuals.
 
I want something that can compete with the V15 RS in the low end bass. That thing can extract low end out of the grooves like no other cartridge I've used. I think it goes down to 8HZ as stated in the spec sheet? I've tried a AT12s with shibata stylus and thought it sounded way to bright and shrill, which is something I want to stay away from, but it seemed like it extracted way more detail then any other cartridge I've heard.
 
Like I said, don't worry about loading now; presumably you have tone controls, and loading is basically doing the same thing. It's just that you might think the Shure sound had swapped ends (stronger in the treble, weaker in the bass) when you first hear the DL-110.

On the other hand, you might just fall in love with the 110 as it sounds in your system now. That's what happened to me. When I later tried it in a more versatile preamp, the bass clicked back in and I was even happier.

Frequency response differences aside, what you'll hear with the 110 is a click upward in overall clarity, an impression of instruments and voices coming farther out of the murk without paying the price of shrillness. With prices the way they are these days, when you can get this from a cartridge that's in the $180 [Amazon; as of this writing] price range, you're doing well, in my opinion and experience.

The sad part is, the prices were much more reasonable just a few months ago. Many vendors have doubled their price. Still gets a strong recommendation from me.
 
wualta said:
Like I said, don't worry about loading now; presumably you have tone controls, and loading is basically doing the same thing. It's just that you might think the Shure sound had swapped ends (stronger in the treble, weaker in the bass) when you first hear the DL-110.

On the other hand, you might just fall in love with the 110 as it sounds in your system now. That's what happened to me. When I later tried it in a more versatile preamp, the bass clicked back in and I was even happier.

Frequency response differences aside, what you'll hear with the 110 is a click upward in overall clarity, an impression of instruments and voices coming farther out of the murk without paying the price of shrillness. With prices the way they are these days, when you can get this from a cartridge that's in the $180 [Amazon; as of this writing] price range, you're doing well, in my opinion and experience.

The sad part is, the prices were much more reasonable just a few months ago. Many vendors have doubled their price. Still gets a strong recommendation from me.
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So the DL110 is even better then the Shure as far as bass goes? I think the bass is perfect on my V15, I would like a little bit more 3D midrange and highs though, which it sounds like you were explaining.

Is it safe to buy these on eBay new if the price is better? The cheapest is $180 on amazon...
 
Go with Amazon.

I had heard a rumor quite a few months ago that Denon was going to discontinue the 110 like they did the DL-160. It was just a rumor but the way the prices have spiked has made me think it's more than that.

If you can grab one at $180, do it.
 
If you absolutely gotta have Shure bass, you need a Shure stylus. Period. I think the 110 has slightly better quality bass when it's loaded properly and in the appropriate-weight headshell, but it doesn't have more bass.

The other sad part is that Shure has pretty much left the playing field, so actually getting those Shure styli has become troublesome. I'm getting the impression you'd like the 110, but you'd miss the Shure sound (it's the whole sound, not just the bass) you've bonded with. While I too have the JICO SAS styli for some of my V15s, they're not the same thing as the original styli.

Unless you (or a friend) have experience buying things on eBay and you're worried about safety beyond PayPal's guarantees, I'd stay away.

Let's see what other AKers' experience has been with the V15 Type III or aftermarket styli in the V15RS and other cartridges based on the SC39 and M97 have to say. Will someone who's in love with Shure bass find happiness with anything else?
.
 
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Have you given any thought to a Nagaoka MP200?...I only ask because I have read some DL110 users find it similar. I have both and plan to compare the two next week on my new RP6.

I managed to get one for about $230 shipped ems. I had it in 3 days.
 
That said, the DL 110 would be better served by being on a strictly single play turntable which can be more optimized. Get a Jico HE or SAS I think. Shure and Dual are so much soulmates, I can't argue that choice.
 
I went ahead and ordered the 110 from amazon last week. Got it today and mounted it to the Dual. I gotta say it is definitely a different sound from the Shure. Bass is still there, but the midrange and highs seem more punchy and accurate, there is also more of a sense of room ambience. Instruments seem to be separated more also. It seems "brighter" then the Shure but not in the sense that it is harsh or shrill but resolves information in the upper registers that I have never heard before with the Shure. Very happy with the purchase so far.
 
fas0latid0 said:
I went ahead and ordered the 110.. ..gotta say it is definitely a different sound from the Shure. Bass is still there, but the midrange and highs seem more punchy and accurate, there is also more of a sense of room ambience. Instruments seem to be separated more also. It seems "brighter" then the Shure but not in the sense that it is harsh or shrill but resolves information in the upper registers that I have never heard before with the Shure. Very happy with the purchase so far.
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This is excellent news and exactly what we would've expected. You don't miss the "warm" Shure sound?

fas0latid0 said:
What is the metal plate for that came in the box?
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Darth is correct, it's an extra weight. Cartridges that track up around 2g run the risk of losing a little deep bass if the arm is too light. I don't think you have that problem, but someday give the weight a try and see if you hear a difference.

Again, very glad you made the leap to affordable moving coil.
 
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All of this comparing of V15-III and DL 110 has me baffled. ?

The V15 will work best on a low mass arm, the Denon on a low-medium.

The Denon is an excellent low cost LOMC, the V15-III with Jico SAS is better (but it needs low mass arm and high capacitive load ~400pf). I have been playing both for several years.

Totally different, both quite good.
 
wualta said:
This is excellent news and exactly what we would've expected. You don't miss the "warm" Shure sound?


Darth is correct, it's an extra weight. Cartridges that track up around 2g run the risk of losing a little deep bass if the arm is too light. I don't think you have that problem, but someday give the weight a try and see if you hear a difference.

Again, very glad you made the leap to moving coil.
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What is the Dual, a medium/low mass arm?

I don't miss the Shure sound at all, the Denon is exactly what I wanted, it makes the Shure's warmness sound dull... Most lifelike cartridge I have had to date... Certain LP's sound kind of thin with this cart but for the most part if the LP is mastered well it takes full use of the information in the grooves.

I am quite surprised by the output also, it is 1.5mV lower then my Shure but I can run it at about the same volume levels.

My system incase anyone was wondering:

Mcintosh MC2205
Mcintosh MX117
Mcintosh MQ101

Dual 1019 w/ Denon 110, Stanton 680, Shure V15RS

Mcintosh ML-1C
 
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