I had a Shure V15 VMR and got a Jico SAS for it on my highly modded Thorens TD-125 mkII w/Rabco SL-8E tonearm. It was very good but nothing I did could get that extra detail, space, imaging I wanted. After a year or so I moved on trying other cartridges and tonearms. Settled on a Technics EPC-205 mk3 w/Jico SAS. Really great! But still kept upgrading. Sold the Thorens and bought a Micro Seiki BL-99V turntable, put a Technics EPA-100mk2 tonearm on it and I alternate between my Technics EPC-205 mkIV Jico SAS and a EPC-100mk3 original stylus. I also have a Pickering XSV-4000 w/original stylus that sounds wonderful and full and images better then the Shure did. Both Technics have more detail and air, image, speed.
The Shure V15 V with a Jico SAS/B stylus VS The Soundsmith Hyperion MR and Lyra Atlas SL
On a sentimental lark I purchased two Shure V15 V bodies and one SAS/B stylus. I was always a realistic about the Shure's potential. Was comparing it to $10k+ cartridges fair? Absolutely. The Shure was considered to be one of the best cartridges of the day. Why not compare it to a few of the best we have today?
The Shure has always been considered to be unfailingly neutral. Famous recording engineers have said it sounded most like their master tapes. I do not have an original stylus for the Shure and I can not say that the Jico performs as well.
My initial evaluation was quite positive. It worked wonderfully well in the Shroder CB. With a light mounting plate and small counterbalance weight a resonance point of 8 hz was easily achieved. There was nothing blatantly wrong with the sound. There was no mistracking at 1.2 grams. You can see pictures of all these styluses here https://imgur.com/gallery/stylus-photomicrographs-51n5VF9
After listening to a bunch of favorite evaluation records my impression was that the Shure sounded on the thin side, lacking in the utmost dynamic impact with just a touch of harshness. I listened to the Shure only for four weeks as my MC phono stage had taken a trip back to the factory. I was using the MM phono stage in the DEQX Pre 8, designed by Dynavector. I have used it with a step up transformer and know it performs well. I got my MC stage back last week and cycled through my other cartridges then back to the Shure. The Soundsmith and Lyra are much more alike than different. I could easily not be able to tell which one was playing. The Lyra is the slightest touch darker. The Shure is a great value....for $480 in today's money, but it can not hold a candle to the other cartridges. They are more dynamic, smoother and quieter. They are more like my high resolution digital files. Whether or not they are $10,000 better is a personal issue. Did the DEQX's phono stage contribute to this lopsided result? Only to a small degree if any. I do have two Shure bodies and they both sound exactly the same. The Shure may have done better with a stock stylus. I do not think the age of the bodies contributes to this result at all.
- ...
- 197 posts total
@mijostyn Ha, Wagner invented the "wall of sound" concept so beloved of pop promoters like Phil Spector. Wagner’s ’temporary’ concert hall in Bayreuth is still the world’s biggest wooden building, as far as I know. Having a full orchestra effectively buried under the stage with the sound emanating from a wood lined slot must surely produce the antithesis of imaging. Mind you, I have never been to any large-scale classical music performance where I could pin-point any instrument on the sound-stage with my eyes shut. |
We go out to hear live jazz at least once, twice per month, almost always in small jazz clubs listening to quartets or quintets. In those situations, I often try closing my eyes in order to appreciate what "imaging" is like in real life. Even in such venues, it is sometimes difficult to locate the instruments in space with eyes closed, except for drums typically. One reason for this is the use of auxiliary amplification for individual instruments. Anyway, I don't worry about it. What blows me away about live music is its inherent dynamics. |
- 197 posts total