Fido Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Hi Jim - I'm confused on the hum issue? I have zero noise or hum with my Shure V15 III - it sounds amazing and tracks every album I own perfectly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 The Hum would be from using a Grado Sonata cartridge, not the Shure. The Grado's have a hum when used with some of the Dual tables (idler wheel). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKB Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 The Shure V15 MkIII is a well renowned head. When my grandfather passed I inherited a Thorens TD-124 from his basement and it had a Shure V15 Type III. I was excited and got everything set up and tried for hours to get the Shure to sound right but it sounded very muffled. I even got a new needle for it but it did not help which bummed me out pretty good. I still have it in a bag in my drawer. Do head units wear out at all? I have a few M75ED's I used to buy as a teenager in the late 70's, would get a new one every year and store the previous one. I've tried a few of them recently, and they sounded good after 30 years or so of storage, no loss of highs. I once had a chance at a early 80s MIT moving coil cart with a MC transformer, it was shocking to hear it bested on my table (VPI HW19 MkIII with Linn Basik arm) by a lowly Radio Shack V15RS. The warmth and clarity of the mids along with the extended highs made me a Shure fan for life. I'd love to get a V15 MkIII one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 MKB - I always wanted a v15 mm III when I was a teenager. I had a Dual 1229 but could not afford the V15. Years ago my dual started falling apart and without the Internet I ended up just throwing it in the trash. Years later I found my records were in boxes in my garage storage and that I had a lot that were never online or on cd. I found a 1229 online and had it refurbished with a Shure m31 cartridge. It sounded good but I lusted for a v15 type III with a real Shure Stylus. I found one at auction and it seemed reasonably priced. I had Larry Spencer build me a new solid maple plinth with teak veneer. It turned out gorgeous. The final day of bidding I was able to steal the V15 type III for less than $150 - and wow - it does sound amazing. I know there are turntables more highly regarded but I love my Dual 1229 with that beautiful plinth and that V15 Type III - thru those upgraded Fortes and my big HSU sub it rocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 From what I've read, the V15 cartridge was discontinued because the boron cantilever was considered to be a hazardous substance. The current top model is the M97xE, which sounds really good. It sails through record scratches without picking up much noise, and yet it does a good job of revealing the details in a recording. I had an M95 many years ago, and it was not even in the same class with the M97xE. The dubious BIC turntable may have been a factor. My present turntable is a 2010 Technics SL-1210M5G, which works really well with the M97. The cost of a new Shure stylus for the M97 (N97 is the stylus number) is only about $50 in Canada, and the local high-end shop recommends replacing it every five years or so, regardless of wear. Their reasoning is that the suspension will no longer be at its best, and the magnets may have lost a bit of power. Naturally, it will take about 30 album sides for the new suspension on the replacement stylus to break in, but then you have in effect a brand-new cartridge again. Here's a listing for the M97xE with 45 reviews. Although some users weren't crazy about it, the majority were very happy. Some users recommended the Jico SAS stylus for it. http://www.needledoctor.com/Shure-M97XE Here's a discussion about the V15 Type IV: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/shure-v15-type-iv-any-opinions-on-this.72962/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 The cost of a new Shure stylus for the M97 (N97 is the stylus number) is only about $50 in Canada, and the local high-end shop recommends replacing it every five years or so, regardless of wear. Their reasoning is that the suspension will no longer be at its best, and the magnets may have lost a bit of power. That's more for you to come in and spend money. The stylus tip will last for a very long time if taken care of. So will the suspension,it's when they sit idle for years that they harden up. Look to Andy at needledoctor dot com and you can send in the cartridge to be de-gunked every few years as stylus will get gunk (like plaque on our teeth) and he can also polish it up. If by any chance the suspension does go bad, he replaces them, and also does tip replacements. So for those who love their cartridges, no need to worry on replacement stylus. He can retip or fully rebuild and also upgrade them.He does both MM and MC carts. As for the SAS stylus, Jico isn't making them right now, but will be re-releasing them soon as well as their shibata stylus. Try Ed Saunders for replacements as well. My personal opinion is the V15 III is the best one of all of them,even the M97. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 It's tough to hear much difference in my Shure M91 ED and the v15 III - they both sound very good in the 1229 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 I'm embarrassed to say that a previous set up many years ago left me to abandon listening to any vinyl and my vinyl collecting ended about mid 1980s...so I had never given the McIntosh MA6200 phono section a try... Inspired yesterday by another thread on another Forum, I breathed new life into a pair of Klipsch kg2s adding a pair of Bob Crites Titanium tweeter updates...sounded very nice... Today, I found myself with some time and dug out my old but rarely used Technics SL-1300 direct drive turntable with it's near mint Shure V-15 Type III...I picked this TT up many years ago along with the cart hoping to reinvigorate the old vinyl days, thought less of it after a listen and put them away and basically forgot about them... With the extra time, pair of speakers hooked up to nothing, I decided to put a system together to listen to them...seeing the TT I decided, why not... Listening to my old copy of The Secret Policeman's Other Ball and this combination sounds wonderful... I have better speakers that I could team this with but for right now, I am listening to some components that I haven't heard in maybe 8-10 years and am really enjoying the synergy with this McIntosh integrated amp...yum I know I want to downsize but I may have to hold on to some of this a bit longer... Bill Bill, I posted on a thread that Jico has come out with their new SAS stylus for the V15. It is now using a sapphire cantilever instead of the boron, and the upgraded tip. It runs $211.00 for it, but it should be well worth it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 It's tough to hear much difference in my Shure M91 ED and the v15 III - they both sound very good in the 1229 And it will be even tougher if you get the SAS for both carts. I just also spoke to Larry about the Jico SAS as he's a big Shure fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Larry is the one that talked me into getting an m91 Ed but the deal on the v15 came up the following day 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducatist Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 (edited) This post is such a coincidence! Past two weeks I've been on a vinyl kick also, and I thought it was just me! In my case, I have an SL-1700MKII with MA 630mp cartridge hooked up to the main stereo, and an SL-1400MKII with Shure M97xe hooked up to my iMac for archiving. I've been dusting off all the out-of-print Sheffield Lab albums in my library and giving them a listen lately, and it's been great - the "clicks and pops" really send me down memory lane! Same here! about 2 weeks ago a friend of mine put on some vinyll at his place! Well mthat got me thinking! Out came the Turntable and a, new / old 30 odd years sitting new in a cupboard, Empire LTD500 in a Toshiba TT arm and off we went! Bought last week a B&O 6000 linear TT and got a B&O 2400 TT into the repair Que! Have not watched any TV for 2 weeks just spinning my long lost favorites! Been looking out for Vintage equipment and so far a set of Mission 770S, a Pioneer ST100 TT and a Goldring Solid State SA60 amplifier are inside! ready to be put into action! The Missions are now paired up with the Cornwalls! The overall sound is amazing! Happy days indeed! Picture is the B&O 6000 and a Cybernet CR110 receiver Edited July 22, 2016 by Ducatist 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Ducatist - congrats on re hooking up listening to all your old vinyl - I love music and I don't let a music medium get in the way of listening to the stuff I grew up loving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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