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Shure V15VxMR to be discontinued

I saw on needledoctor.com that the V15VxMR was being discontinued - here's a notation from Shure:

"The V15VxMR may be discontinued in early 2005. If it is, the reason
is simple: the worldwide demand for phono cartridges declines every
year. The demand is now so small that specialized suppliers to
Shure no longer want to produce the parts for the V15VxMR. We are
searching for new suppliers but the processes required are very
arcane, thus making it difficult to find new suppliers. Once a final
decision has been made, we will post it on our web site. As of
today, we can only say: maybe."

"If the V15xMR is discontinued, we expect to have replacement styli
for the V15VxMR until late 2006, but that date may change if buying
patterns do not follow past trends. If you want to purchase a
replacement stylus now, seal it in an air-tight jar to keep ozone
away from the stylus bushing."

"The M97xE sells in greater number than the V15VxMR and our suppliers
currently seem happy to continue selling parts. But that too could
change in the future as the phono cartridge market continues to
shrink."

What a shame - the end of an era....
slate1
artar1
159 posts
 

Sean,

Do you see a big problem using the Shure V15VxMR with the Origin Live Encounter tonearm, which has an effective mass of 14.5 grams? The resonance frequency would be about 7 Hz with this tonearm/cartridge combination. Would the stabilizer brush help overcome any mistracking that might occur due to record warps being transmitted through the cartridge as a result of this somewhat low resonance frequency?
scottht
398 posts
 
I did say some things about this cartridge that might not have been called for, I am not sure. I got it and used it for 1 hour. I just plain didn't like the sound. But, I dod believe that system... synergy.. is important. Some things work and some don't. I have learned a lot about that in the last year. What you think is supposed to work for you, and gets great reviews, just doesn't always work. I sold the Shure after giving it only 1 hour in my system. Well, last night I re-installed my Grado Reference Sonata. Which for some reason I thought the Shure might be more to my liking. I was becoming less thrilled with my Grado than I thought I should. I use a Geo-disc to set up my cartridge alignment. Well, I am listening to my system tonight, and everything sounded better than ever. I think that over the last year between usage, and trying different strategies. I screwed my set up somehow. Because what I was becoming unhappy in the sound of my TT was gone. All of the slam and presence was back again. I guess I learned a valuable lesson. I need to stay more on top of my set up.
Anyways, I just wanted to share that.
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Mine just arrived today. Second one of these cartridges I've owned.
armstrod
613 posts
 
Last week I managed to pull the diamond and cantilever clean off my V15Vmxr, sheer stupidity, of course. I sent it back to Shure with my tale of woe, and they called today offering to replace the stylus assembly for $50 including return shipping. The lowest price I found in the retail channel was $140 shipped from Jack's Music Factory.

Barb, who works in repair at Shure, verified that this cartridge is discontinued. The disturbing part is that she has NO more cartridge bodies even for repair - if someone sends them a V15 with a body problem they offer them a new M97. She still has a few new styli, but said her supply is running out and that styli have also been discontinued already, so that the only new styli are what's in the retail channel right now.

If you love this cartridge and want it new, sooner would be better than later...
artar1
159 posts
 

My cartridge came yesterday.

Today, I also ordered a replacement stylus from Jack's Music Factory for $140. The street price is usually $175 to $185.

http://jacksmusicfactory.com/default.asp

I also sent the following question to Customer Support at Shure:

"Will the Shure V15VxMR work well with the Origin Live Encounter Tonearm?

The effective mass of the Encounter tonearm is 14.5 gm. When this arm is mated with the Shure V15VxMR cartridge, which has a mass of 6.6 gm and a compliance of 25 cu, the resulting resonance frequency of this tonearm/cartridge combination is about 6.9 Hz using Van den Hul’s equation.

According to Van den Hul, the resonance frequency should range between 8 Hz to 12 Hz, with 10 Hz being optimal.

Will the Shure V15VxMR’s Dynamic Stabilizer overcome any distortion, sonic degradation, and mistracking that might occur due to record warps “exciting” the cartridge as a result of this somewhat low resonance frequency?

Thanks in advance for your help."

If I get an answer, I will post it here.
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