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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. 

128x128mijostyn
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rauliruegas
13,086 posts
 

"  could 'ring' at audio frequencies. "  certainly in your system is happening and not a possibility with.

 

" mechanical damping? " good for you because the MM vintage cartridges are very well mechanical damped and additional the Shure has its dynamic stabilizer.

To  each his  own and good to know that you(we) are way satisfied at 22k. That is all about.

 

If you ask to your self yes I experienced around 20k-30k because one gentleman in the long MM thread suggested but all gentlemans returned to 100 after experiencedwith different cartridges in a lot of different systems ( one for each one of them.) but as I said: to each his own and I'm way satisfied with. Yes could be I'm just " deaf " as many others.

 

First the numbers then the ears.

 

R.

 

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn OP
8,570 posts
 

@atmasphere My cable has been cut to 24 inches So according to your comment 40 pf would be about right. 

@rauliruegas If it only involves a few parts and a soldering iron I will try anything. I also have 50 kohm resistors, 100 and 200 pF caps on order. I have just gone through $2000 is ESL step up transformers looking for the right set up and burning a few out. What's a few resistors. 

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,841 posts
 

certainly in your system is happening and not a possibility with.

@rauliruegas Its clear you misunderstood. When we were testing for 'ringing' it was on the bench using test equipment. I had thought that clear from my post but apparently not. Look for the bit about using a square wave, something that isn't available in most systems. We observe the 'ringing' (distortion) using an oscilloscope.

 

lewm
13,106 posts
 

Mijostyn, Since this is your thread, I hope it’s OK to go off-topic to ask why and wherefore you burnt out audio transformers on your Sound Labs, unless you are referring to the experiment "we" did with Plitron toroidals to replace the OEM treble transformers (which are also toroids). I am still ecstatic, not to say electro-ecstatic, every time I listen to my Sound Labs sans the internal passive crossover and using the full range Australian-made EI transformer in parallel with the OEM Sound Lab bass transformer. Just divine.

Was it some mischief with your equalizer, again, that blew an audio transformer?

lewm
13,106 posts
 

If you're looking for very low capacitance cables, then I suggest considering Anti-Cables.  They have devised an ingenious method for minimizing capacitance by winding the ground wire in a spiral around the signal carrying wires.  Thus the ground current is roughly at right angles to the signal current, and C is very low.  In my Beveridge system, I need a very long run of IC between the preamplifier and the Beveridge direct-drive amplifiers, which are built in to the base of each speaker. There and elsewhere in both systems, I use the higher end Anti-Cables. Reasonable pricing, too.

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