Shure V15V cartridge. Worth investing in?

Go and get yourself a Denon DL-103 and this will be your last cartridge.....

I've owned every generation of Shure V15 cartridge since they first appeared, and still think they are one of the great values in analog. However, the current version of the V15 -- the V15VxMR -- is a substantially better cartridge than the version you still own, and you can buy a new one for around $250-275. Try Garage-a-Records at: www.garage-a-records.com.
I think you'd be much better served with a new V15V than trying to invest $100 to resurrect the older model.

As others have mentioned, there is some good competition in the V15's price range, including the Grado Platinum (mm), the Sumiko Blue Point and Blue Point Special (mc). However, the one thing that the V15VxMR still excels at is tracking -- NOTHING outtracks this cartridge. It's also fuss-free, durable, has user-replaceable stylus, and has excellent sound quality.

Over the years, I have found it interesting that so many high-end reviewers and audiophiles are virtually incapable of giving this fine cartridge its' deserved recognition. Some recent articles, however -- such as Michael Fremer's columns -- have lately given grudging respect to the V15V, acknowleding it as one of the best cartridges available.

Yes, you can outdo this cartridge by spending more than twice as much, but, nothing will touch it for the price of a replacement stylus. It all depends on what you expect from your analog setup. By the way Edle, I have seen references to this Denon cartridge before and you certainly have piqued my interest. Could you please tell us what other cartridges you have had experiences with that leave you so fond of the Denon?

Of course the counterpoint to Jame's point is that if you go with a moving coil, you'd better have a phono stage that can amplify it. If not, you may have to upgrade that too. MCs usually have much lower output.

I'm very pleased with my Clearaudio Virtuoso MM, but it is unfortunately more $ than the V15

A little history regarding the Denon DL-103 mc cartridge:

Developed by Nippon Columbia and NHK in 1962 and at first were used by NHK radio station only. Since it was so reliable and superb in performance. Other radio stations were starting to use the Denon DL-103.
During 1970, the Denon DL-103 were formerly introduced to the consumer market. There are many different models like the DL-103S, DL-103D, DL-103M etc.
The Denon DL-103 had been in production for almost forty years and still going very strong. Many, many seasoned/experienced audiophiles all over the world had tried it and still using it. Why? Because it is an excellent cartridge. I believe that only excellent and good sounding product can stand the test of time. And Denon DL-103 is clearly one of those product. I love it because the sound it produces is so natural and so full of life. There are many experienced audiophiles all over the world still using the Denon DL-103 cartridge.
I think the best way to fully understand this cartridge is to try one yourself. It is not that expensive.............