Jim Lesurf wrote:
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


I got both originals from Mantra, but I don't think they have any more
stock. I sold one of my V15III and stylus a few months ago when I
acquired a couple more cartridges (MC this time) but I still kept one
complete set (with the unused MR stylus). You can try asking Mantra, or
look at some of the US-based dealers as old stock may more readily turn
up there.

Best of luck

S.

"frankwm" wrote in message
ps.com...
"Mantra" have been selling these Swiss Generics for a decade+.
I only ever bought a couple of the 'top' V15/III replacements...at
about a third cost (22) of a later VN35MR (@63 - which then became 100
-latterly unobtanium).
My experiences were entirely negative.
They are Junk.
Dreadful silicone 'suspension' slug + poor cantilever leading to treble
in-band resonances (I even filed-off some excess 'overhanging' metal in
front of the stone..).
The VN35MR (Mexican) were not much good either - 'old boots'
suspension/treble 'edge.
Mine snapped anyway..as usual.
The best V15/III stylus (no experience of JICO) was the VN35HE - have a
NOS for 51 - better than the VN35E - @31.
If you are keen to keep the V15 in service then it's possible to
transplant the cantilever from say a 'proper' N75ED (thin cantilever -
later version not good) or N91ED (ditto) into the V15 assembly. Better
sound than a VN35E, I think.
EBay makes it possible to get NOS original cartridges/styli from time
to time (got about 60 in past 3 years..) at ridiculously cheap prices..
my last being a NOS/boxed Stanton 980LZS for under 30inc.
Far superior to a Shure.




Well, Anno Domini is starting to paper over the cracks nicely for me (I'm
looking at the big SIX OH later this year! :-) and I find I don't have
quite the same urge to file my cantilevers these days - so I need
considerable differences to be able to tell stuff apart! Carts are one are
where the differences are still sharp (thankfully) and I appear to have
gravitated toward MC of late...??

Anyway, comparison tracks with original and OEM V15/III needles would be
very interesting, if at all possible...??

Its been about 7years since I had the Swiss made Mantra
'stuff'...hopefully I'm not doing them a disservice current stock -
the styli had a gold 'Q' on the flip-up guard..
The main problem was that of poor suspension -(the Shure is finely
engineered - but if doing a 'transplant' from a 75/91ED you need to
insert that models suspension block into the V15 shank..) - and it's
likely that the same silicone material was used throughout most/all
models.
Simply not any good.
The treble 'zing' was pronounced..hence the filing-job..together with
general 'instability'.
Complete waste of money..despite its (claimed) Parabolic tip.
Not all 'generic' styli are bad.
I've one for a Goldring 800E (actually SuperE [sic] ) that is way
better than Goldrings..
Likewise some, presumably, DSC for the Philips 412E (actually have them
in the 4channel 422 to keep the Shibata NOS - and these are really
rather decent - have in a Linn Sondek...only about 5~10% 'worse' than
the Philips job...mainly due to the stylus profile/slightly massier
cantilever. But these 'generics' don't exhibit the crappy
sonics/instabilty of the Manta's that I had. !!
Apart from a quick test I've kept the V35E/HE unused - also got a
sealed 'G' for under a tenner - + 2 NOS 78s (totally
Rare-As-Hens-Teeth) - as they are fragile cantilevers.

Frank

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.

No criticism intended, but why not just buy a modern cartridge?


Martin
--
M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890
Manchester, U.K. http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fleetie

In article , Fleetie
wrote:
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.

No criticism intended, but why not just buy a modern cartridge?

Please recommend one that has the same high compliance, low tip mass, good
stylus profile, and high tracking capability of a Shure V15/III. If there
is one, I am interested. I would prefer a mm design, but am open to a mc.

The V15/III will track the order of 40 cm/sec in the few kHz region. This,
combined with the geometry - in my experience - make a big difference on
some LPs, particularly near the end-of-side. Both to wear and to audible
distortion.

Unfornately, although people enthuse in magazines about expensive modern mc
designs, I have the feeling that - as with FM tuners - the best cartridges
were made a couple of decades ago.

I understand that Shure still make an M97 / 98, but I haven't been able to
find out any details of them. I suspect they are for 'DJ' types of use.
Alas, as I commented earlier, my emails to Shure in both the UK and the USA
went unanswered.

Hence my problem here is that I simply don't know of a modern equivalent to
the V15/III in terms of performance. A few decades ago there were other
makers who made broadly similar cartriges, but I don't know of any nowdays.
Of course, this may be because I have not paid much attention to this area,
and the magazines only seem to 'review' sic expensives mc ones as if they
were 'jewellery for boys' with no useful performance info. I don't want to
pay large sums for one because it has a body of solid Onyx, etc, etc. I'd
want one which is demonstrably as well engineered for its purpose as were
the V15 family.

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

"frankwm" wrote in message
ups.com...
Its been about 7years since I had the Swiss made Mantra
'stuff'...hopefully I'm not doing them a disservice current stock -
the styli had a gold 'Q' on the flip-up guard..
The main problem was that of poor suspension -(the Shure is finely
engineered - but if doing a 'transplant' from a 75/91ED you need to
insert that models suspension block into the V15 shank..) - and it's
likely that the same silicone material was used throughout most/all
models.
Simply not any good.
The treble 'zing' was pronounced..hence the filing-job..together with
general 'instability'.
Complete waste of money..despite its (claimed) Parabolic tip.
Not all 'generic' styli are bad.
I've one for a Goldring 800E (actually SuperE [sic] ) that is way
better than Goldrings..
Likewise some, presumably, DSC for the Philips 412E (actually have them
in the 4channel 422 to keep the Shibata NOS - and these are really
rather decent - have in a Linn Sondek...only about 5~10% 'worse' than
the Philips job...mainly due to the stylus profile/slightly massier
cantilever. But these 'generics' don't exhibit the crappy
sonics/instabilty of the Manta's that I had. !!
Apart from a quick test I've kept the V35E/HE unused - also got a
sealed 'G' for under a tenner - + 2 NOS 78s (totally
Rare-As-Hens-Teeth) - as they are fragile cantilevers.



You have obviously made a science of all this, but I have to say that,
despite seeming to have accrued rather a lot of M75s (??), I'm not
interested in *hoarding* carts/styli and buy them to use them (and to have a
few laid up for spares) - I'm actually happier to see people buying new
stuff as that will keep the manufacturers going!

Other than the afore-mentioned V15/III (which has probably figured in only
1% of my 'turntable time') all my MMs use the 'correct', original needles.
Having said that, I use MCs mostly these days - get one, I doubt you'll be
tempted to file its cantilever!! ;-)

Having said that, I use MCs mostly these days - get one, I doubt you'll be
tempted to file its cantilever!! ;-)

Actually, bought the Dynavector Ruby when it came out in 1981 - then a
23RS..then AT32E.
(This was subsequent to Decca Gold and, previously, V15/III - but I
ditched that as the cantilever snapped with little 'provocation' - and
it appears too thin to accurately transcribe bass notes...hence my
comment re fitting a M75ED - as that is effectively the V15/II
cantilever/stylus..which has more rigidity.
I bought the Stanton 980 as it is low [MC] output (hence the LZS
suffix)..and was 'short' on MCs anyway.
Got a 'new' boxed Dynavector DV17D2 off eBay for 16quid - and a very
slightly Coral 777EX for 25.
Beat that...
:-D

"frankwm" wrote in message
ups.com...
Having said that, I use MCs mostly these days - get one, I doubt you'll
be
tempted to file its cantilever!! ;-)

Actually, bought the Dynavector Ruby when it came out in 1981 - then a
23RS..then AT32E.
(This was subsequent to Decca Gold and, previously, V15/III - but I
ditched that as the cantilever snapped with little 'provocation'


???

No comment....


- and
it appears too thin to accurately transcribe bass notes...hence my
comment re fitting a M75ED - as that is effectively the V15/II
cantilever/stylus..which has more rigidity.
I bought the Stanton 980 as it is low [MC] output (hence the LZS
suffix)..and was 'short' on MCs anyway.
Got a 'new' boxed Dynavector DV17D2 off eBay for 16quid - and a very
slightly Coral 777EX for 25.
Beat that...
:-D


I can't - unless getting a 2m HDMI/DVI cable for *1p* on eBay, the other day
counts...??

:-)

Jim Lesurf wrote:
In article , Fleetie
wrote:
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.

No criticism intended, but why not just buy a modern cartridge?

Please recommend one that has the same high compliance, low tip mass, good
stylus profile, and high tracking capability of a Shure V15/III. If there
is one, I am interested. I would prefer a mm design, but am open to a mc.


I'm not sure if it fits all the bills, but I've used an AT OC9 for quite
a while now. I like it for it's 'sweet' sound. It doesn't have the
incisiveness of a decent MM (say a Goldring 1042), but after a lot of
fiddling about I've found that it tracks better than any I've used, and
the dreaded inner grooves pose no problem - smooth as silk. They cost
about 150UKP from the states right now - including P&P, but not duty.
Sometimes they slip through, sometimes they don't ...

Rob

On Tue, 09 Jan 2007 09:10:37 -0000, Jim Lesurf
wrote:

Please recommend one that has the same high compliance, low tip mass,
good
stylus profile, and high tracking capability of a Shure V15/III. If there
is one, I am interested. I would prefer a mm design, but am open to a mc.


It looks like the Stanton 681 EE Mk3 is still available - it probably
isn't cheap and I remember that, in the UK at least, the Shure had better
reviews at the time they were both available. However, the Stanton is used
by some cutting engineers to check their test cuts and, whenever I've
heard it used in this application, it sounds good. The end result is very
close to the original master tape.

cheers

James.