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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
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
The V15xMR is a technically superb piece of engineering, sold at a sensible price. Unfortunately most of the people who remain interested in vinyl recordings are niche audiophiles who are impressed by hype and technobabble, and who consider an absurdly high price as a good thing.

The V15 is probably not the best pickup ever made, but in some regards, like tracking, it is unmatched, and overall it comes darned close to the best at a price that we can all afford/justify.
johnnantais
621 posts
 
EEeeeekkkkk!!!!
albertporter's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
albertporter
4,949 posts
 
Luckily I have purchased mine and find it to be an excellent cartridge for almost no money. If the announcement is made that it will (absolutely) be discontinued, I may buy another one and store it away.

Could become like NOS tubes, go up in value rather than down, especially if it can be preserved.
slate1 OP
82 posts
 
I e-mailed Shure after finding the note at The Needledoctor, here's their response in full:

"This cartridge will be discontinued, with no scheduled replacement."

Someone else over at Vinyl Asylum got the same exact message when they e-mailed Shure as well.

I'm currently running the Rega Exact on my P5 but have used, and still own, a V15VxMR and find it to be a wonderful cartridge.

You're right Eldartford - too many people have probably overlooked this cartridge in favor of another simply because it's got the Shure name on it.

It's just such a shame that an icon of this caliber that has existed in one form or another for, what, 4 decades (?) is going by the wayside....
slate1 OP
82 posts
 
I just checked the website that I purchased mine from a year or so ago, and they've still got it for $210 but only list TWO in stock - so hurry if you want it!!!!!

That's a steal in anyones book and over $100 less than Needledoctor wants for it.

If anyone's interested in getting a spare or picking one up before they're gone - I can personally say that I had no problem at all ordering from this website:

http://www.thetwistergroup.com/product/V15VXMR%2520D18200.html
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