In article , Keith G
wrote:



Asitappens, I have discussed these Swiss 'generic replacements' with
Avril at Mantra in some detail and she assured me that they were very
popular and I'm sure she said that she had only ever had one returned
from a customer that wasn't too happy with it.

Unfortunately, that does not mean either that they track as well as the
original genuine article, nor that the levels of distortion, compliance,
etc, are similar to the orginal.

(I have a V15/III here that has only ever had a generic on it in my time
and it don't sound too bad to me and appears to track quite well....!??)

I listened to and used various other cartridges c20 years ago before I
moved to the V15/III. I'd have said something similar about some of them -
until I started using the V15/III and realised just how much better it
performed on some 'difficult' LPs. Both measurably, and audibly.

It is now a concern for myself that it looks impossible to find genuine
Shure replacement stylii for the V15/III. I only play LPs occasionally, but
when I do I appreciate the ability of the cartridge. It is also useful when
making a copy for purposes like being able to do an analytical comparison
between old LPs and new CD issues.

FWIW I also have an M75 somewhere, on a GL75, but no idea what condition
they may be in at this point.

Slainte,

Jim

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"Serge Auckland" wrote


The OP doesn't appear to be too anal about his records - 'lots of albums
that have all been through many parties, lots of hands and much mauling
in the dark'?? - so I would be inclined to say grab a cheap replacement,
if that's all that's available and just get 'em spinning!



I bought a generic replacement for my V15III from Mantra about 18 months
ago, and it was pretty awful. They took it back against a Shure original
and gave me a full refund which I thought was very decent of them.


Yes, my dealings with Mantra (Avril) have always been most pleasant.


I then bought another Shure original just to keep as a spare as they're
not making any more and I still have it, unused.


I also have a bunch of unused NOS Shure needles but not for the V15,
unfortunately!



The generic replacement wouldn't track more than the +12 band on the HFN
test record, and the treble was harsh to say the least. The Shure original
MR stylus was so obviously better.


Naturally.


If you're going to replace a stylus on an old classic cartridge like the
Ortofon, it makes sense to me to pay the extra and get an original
replacement if possible. If all that's available is generic, then it's a
moot point as to whether it's better to have a generic replacement or a
complete new cartridge like the AT95E for about the same price, or go for
an upgrade to something like a Goldring 1000 series.


Test discs notwithstanding, I still feel the generics can be useful but I
take your point - a good new, cheap one will probably outperform a less than
perfect old one!
I have a firm belief that what you get *used to* perhaps in your early days
is what is probably going to sound *right* - me, despite a number of MC
carts here and the much-lauded V15/5, I still find the modest M75ED2 always
enjoyable on most types of music..!!

In article , Serge Auckland
wrote:



I bought a generic replacement for my V15III from Mantra about 18 months
ago, and it was pretty awful. They took it back against a Shure
original and gave me a full refund which I thought was very decent of
them.

I then bought another Shure original just to keep as a spare as they're
not making any more and I still have it, unused.


Do you mean that you were able to buy genuine Shure V15/III stylii from
Mantra? Or from someone else? I'd very much like to know where you got
them from as I am wanting one myself!

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

In article , Keith G
wrote:


I also have a bunch of unused NOS Shure needles but not for the V15,
unfortunately!

I still find the modest M75ED2 always enjoyable on most types of
music..!!

I also found the M75 series to be quite good. Still have one. Are genuine
replacement stylii for these any easier to find than a VN35MR or HE?

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Jim Lesurf wrote:
In article , Keith G
wrote:

Asitappens, I have discussed these Swiss 'generic replacements' with
Avril at Mantra in some detail and she assured me that they were very
popular and I'm sure she said that she had only ever had one returned
from a customer that wasn't too happy with it.

Unfortunately, that does not mean either that they track as well as
the original genuine article, nor that the levels of distortion,
compliance, etc, are similar to the orginal.

The stylus arm was made of a specific material (usually a hollow tube) of
particular thickness usually finished in a particular way. The diamond was
mounted/or glued at a particicular angle and was polished in a pairticular
way. It's particular dimensions were usually elliptical. For instance the
Shure V15 V was described as a hyper elliptical 5x38um. The whole thing was
very carefully engineered, in the case of the best cartridges.


(I have a V15/III here that has only ever had a generic on it in my
time and it don't sound too bad to me and appears to track quite
well....!??)

I listened to and used various other cartridges c20 years ago before I
moved to the V15/III. I'd have said something similar about some of
them - until I started using the V15/III and realised just how much
better it performed on some 'difficult' LPs. Both measurably, and
audibly.

It is now a concern for myself that it looks impossible to find
genuine Shure replacement stylii for the V15/III. I only play LPs
occasionally, but when I do I appreciate the ability of the
cartridge. It is also useful when making a copy for purposes like
being able to do an analytical comparison between old LPs and new CD
issues.

FWIW I also have an M75 somewhere, on a GL75, but no idea what
condition they may be in at this point.

I've also got various other 'antique' cartridges, another concern is that
the suspensions, usually a type of synthetic rubber have hardened over time
reducing compliance and causing the sound quality of deteriorate and
possibly a (more) damaging effect on the record grooves. Prasticisers which
are used a chance the characteristics of synthetic rubbers can leach out
over time.

"Keith G" wrote in message
...

"Serge Auckland" wrote

I bought a generic replacement for my V15III from Mantra about 18 months
ago, and it was pretty awful. They took it back against a Shure original
and gave me a full refund which I thought was very decent of them.


Yes, my dealings with Mantra (Avril) have always been most pleasant.


I then bought another Shure original just to keep as a spare as they're
not making any more and I still have it, unused.


I also have a bunch of unused NOS Shure needles but not for the V15,
unfortunately!


Do you remember that JICO SAS stylus for the V15III that I brought over
sometime last year? That made your generic stylus look like a fence post and
did sound better although I've no idea how it compares to an original.
Unfortunately they cost triple what the cartridge itself goes for on ebay,
so you probably have to really like your V15III to get one.

Phil

"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
wrote:


I also have a bunch of unused NOS Shure needles but not for the V15,
unfortunately!

I still find the modest M75ED2 always enjoyable on most types of
music..!!

I also found the M75 series to be quite good. Still have one. Are genuine
replacement stylii for these any easier to find than a VN35MR or HE?



Yes, considerably so - see this pic:

http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/show/shures.JPG

....and you'll see I seem to have ended up with 4 x M75ED2s as well as an
M75EJ2 and an M75HE2 as well as a few spare needles for each type, mostly
genuine Shure..!! (The carts *complete* come up on eBay more often than a
stylus on its own and for about the same money, so it's not as daft as it
looks! ;-)

I mentioned earlier/elsewhere that I probably have a dozen or so carts on
the go here - better make that probably *two* dozen or so!! Here's the
Shures again with a few more - there are other carts hiding in various dark
corners and on the several decks that litter the place also!!

http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/show/more.JPG

:-)

"PhilN" wrote


Do you remember that JICO SAS stylus for the V15III that I brought over
sometime last year? That made your generic stylus look like a fence post
and did sound better although I've no idea how it compares to an original.
Unfortunately they cost triple what the cartridge itself goes for on ebay,
so you probably have to really like your V15III to get one.



Yes, I certainly do but I can never float one up to the top of the 'Needful
Things' (spending) list!!

(I'm actually using an MC most of the time, atm!)

"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
wrote:



Asitappens, I have discussed these Swiss 'generic replacements' with
Avril at Mantra in some detail and she assured me that they were very
popular and I'm sure she said that she had only ever had one returned
from a customer that wasn't too happy with it.

Unfortunately, that does not mean either that they track as well as the
original genuine article, nor that the levels of distortion, compliance,
etc, are similar to the orginal.



No, I'm sure you're right, but I recall Avril was keen to stress they sold a
lot of them and almost every single of their customers were very happy with
them. (If you stop to think about it, a manufacturer of *only* replacement
styli isn't going to risk getting a global reputation for crap and thereby
not last very long, if he can avoid it, is he??)



(I have a V15/III here that has only ever had a generic on it in my time
and it don't sound too bad to me and appears to track quite well....!??)

I listened to and used various other cartridges c20 years ago before I
moved to the V15/III. I'd have said something similar about some of them -
until I started using the V15/III and realised just how much better it
performed on some 'difficult' LPs. Both measurably, and audibly.

It is now a concern for myself that it looks impossible to find genuine
Shure replacement stylii for the V15/III. I only play LPs occasionally,
but
when I do I appreciate the ability of the cartridge. It is also useful
when
making a copy for purposes like being able to do an analytical comparison
between old LPs and new CD issues.

FWIW I also have an M75 somewhere, on a GL75, but no idea what condition
they may be in at this point.


As we see elsewhere, NOS needles are not so hard to find for the M75 (and
M95) families - and OEM needles are *plentiful* on the Net!!

Other than the V15/III, all my Shure needles are genuine, but I do suspect
the better quality OEM products like Bandridge go most of the way to provide
a suitable replacement...???

On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 00:08:40 -0000, "Keith G"
wrote:


"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
wrote:



Asitappens, I have discussed these Swiss 'generic replacements' with
Avril at Mantra in some detail and she assured me that they were very
popular and I'm sure she said that she had only ever had one returned
from a customer that wasn't too happy with it.

Unfortunately, that does not mean either that they track as well as the
original genuine article, nor that the levels of distortion, compliance,
etc, are similar to the orginal.



No, I'm sure you're right, but I recall Avril was keen to stress they sold a
lot of them and almost every single of their customers were very happy with
them. (If you stop to think about it, a manufacturer of *only* replacement
styli isn't going to risk getting a global reputation for crap and thereby
not last very long, if he can avoid it, is he??)


No but he probably makes his reputation (and his money) on the
bread-and-buter stuff, where he is doubtless every bit as good as the
original. He is probably only doing the exotica for completeness of
his catalogue.

d

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http://www.pearce.uk.com

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