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I recently acquired a lot of used Shure cartridges, inckuding a V15III and a V15IV without styli. I purchased a cheap stylus for the III and it sounds great. now I'm thinking of buying a netter one from JICO or Ed Saunders. But what to do with the V15IV? Forget it? I'm not made of money and it's expensive to invest in both. Is the IV worth reactivating? My turntables are both Technics DD from 1979-80 SL Q2 and D2). (Among these carts there was a M95ED for which I bought a JICO stylus, but it's not up to the V15III or the M97HE I use regularly. I have two good styli for the M97HE, so maybe I should just stick with it.)
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As far as Shure V15 cartridges are concerned, the V15 111HE is the best sounding among the other versions, with an open and neutral frequency balance, exemplary tracking ability, and good focus in stereo imaging. Its criticism is a thickening in the mid range.
The V15 VMR has a clear and detailed mid range. Its bass is powerful though a little plummy but its treble is muddled and the stereo imaging lacks depth.
The sound of the V15 1V is also neutral and open but the imaging is flat because the lack of depth is again evident. The surface noise of the 1V is more pronounced than the others.
The V15 111 is disappointing with some emphasis in the mid range and a fair imaging. Some hardness is noted as well.
The Shure M97 HE is in my opinion the better sounding and balanced cartridge than the V15 series and it is cheaper too. So I think you should siick with it.
of Shure cartriges is more realistic then most current cart. designs that give an unnatural exaggerated image (I have tried several in my system). I f you just honestly listen to a Shure you will find everything is there in a very realistic setting. I prefere the natural sound they give even from my V15 IV.which sounds great in my system. I have gone back to it after trying several much more expensive and highly rated cartridges. I guess it is all about personal preferences.
Having listened quite extensively to about every Shure on the planet I always go back to my best friend of the lot...the V15 III with a fresh GENUINE SHURE VN 35E wins out sonically over and over in my system. With it perfectly aligned and perfectly loaded....I hear absolutely NOTHING in the way of any hardness....Just Plain Musicality....a constant winner.
The findings were based upon the comparison with the other cartridges that I used such as the AT33 PTG, OC9 and the Denon 304 etc.which were much better in many respects than the Shure V15 cartridges. My system is of course not the best but transparent enough to reveal any minor deficiency of every component in the chain.The shortcomings of the V15s could be easily unveiled when compare to better cartridges like those that I compared above. I think the Technics 205 mk3, ADC XLM mk3 imp and the Goldring 1024 are all superior, not to mention the offerings from Grado. Even the Shure ML140HE is a better-balanced cartridge than the V15s.
I have nearly forgotten the V15XMR, which is considered by many as the best sounding mm cartridge that Shure has ever made and unfortunately I have not heard it so I make no comment. But I still stand for the remarks that I made for the other V15 variations.
Best regards
are better than any in your list. Just my opinion of course. Tecknics, Goldring better? Give me a break.
to me the 'V' sounds significantly better than the 'IV'. Do a 'text to find' search, and I believe you'll find the general concensus is that the 'IV' is also bested sonically by the 'III'. The 'IV' seems to be something of a black sheep within this family of carts.
Shure stopped making stylus for V15-IV long ago and the only replacement stylus one can get from Shure was V15-III stylus VM35MR. Since you already have a JICO stylus for the III, you can put it on the IV and listen for yourself which one suites you better.
HenryA 12-gauge shotgun is the ultimate arbiter of disputes - G. Gordon Liddy
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