I have a question for everyone on this thread. All of you are far more knowledgeable than me about this subject. I have a V15 type V cart that is not in use at the moment. It has an Ed Saunders stylus. I think that those styli were sort of an "economy" product, not sure though. I have been wondering if I should invest in a new "good" stylus, such as the Jico, for the V15. The thing that has me on the fence is the very high compliance rating of the original form of the V15 and how that relates to using it on relatively modern tonearms. I have a Linn Ittok and an Audio Origami PU7. Does the V15 need to be on a low mass arm or am I overinflating the issue?
The Jico SAS/B Stylus VN 5 MR
The $285 Jico SAS/B VN 5 MR for the Shure V15 V MR turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. The diamond is a distinctly lower quality than what you find in $10K cartridges, but the contact patches are well formed and nicely polished which is what counts. SRA and Zenith are right on. You can compare it with other styluses here https://imgur.com/gallery/stylus-photomicrographs-51n5VF9. The next question is going to be, how does the V15 SAS/B combination sound? It sounds like the record, nothing less, nothing more. This is through my Grado headphones as my amps are off being modified to run with ESLs. My sense is it is not quite as dynamic as my other cartridges, but I really have to listen through the main system. I will add to this post as I hear more. One thing is for certain, this is one heck of a cartridge for $485, a bargain of immense proportion. It sounds very much like my old Soundsmith Voice a $3000 cartridge, but it tracks like a bandit at 1.2 grams.