Will a Shure V15Vxmr work for CD-4?

I rate the Saunders cart as an "almost there" cart. It doesn't quite bring in good CD-4 performance. It does have occasional carrier dropouts. When I tested his cart, I was using the trackmaster 8 (AT331LP). It wasn't long before I went back to the Trackmaster. I am SHURE that the V15 will out perform the Saunders cart although I have never heard it. I am judging by reports read on these pages.

The Quadfather

tcdriver said:

What tracking force are you using with the V15 for CD-4?

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tcdriver said:

What tracking force are you using with the V15 for CD-4?

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I have it tracking at 1.5 with the dynamic stabilizer in the down position. Shure recommends no more than 1.75. They also say to subtract 0.5 when using the stabilizer in the up position.

For those that really understand FM and CD-4 technology:

What would be the difference between using a cart with a sloping frequency response and another with a flat response to, say, 45 KHz?

Does the CD-4 circuitry and the demodulation adjustments handle the differences and allow them to perform the same in practical terms?

Greg Bogantz said once that the important thing is not the response, as long as it reaches the required frequencies, but of the smoothness of the response, implying that low-Q peaks were more harmful that sloping.

Yep, the Shure V15 IV with MR stylus definitely decodes CD-4. I tried it with a Panasonic CD-4 demodulator on Best Of The Doors and it definitely works! I'm sure the V15 V-MR would work as well, but am unsure of the V15 VxMR (with it's rolled off high frequencies) Perhaps I'll have to try my Shure M97 Era IV with HE stylus or my V15 RS (said to be similar to the VxMR).

I have had excelent results with my rather well used V15 in a Pioneer 1000 linear tracking table into my Heathkit AA-2015 built in decoder. I think that as I learn more aboud CD4 after delving back into it this last year, I would agree with one of the previous posts that what seems to make the most change for the better in the sound is lack of mistracking distortion particularly of the carrier signal. The Shure seems to do an excelet job of tracking high frequency signals, so even if the response is falling off at the carrier frequency, the cartridge is not a particularly low output one anyway, and if the carrier frequency is cleanly tracked and at a level that won't overload the demodulator (another possible benifit of the slightly falling response at that frequency) then you get clean sound, good seperation, etc. I did dial in the carrier level for the lowest stable cd4 indication, then was able to adjust seperation and really get good true 4 channel sound ! It was the best I had ever heard after frustrating attempts back in the days when it was current technology of trying to get actual channel seperation and not have spitting and all kinds of distortion.
Too bad the Shure is not available any more. It is the standard for tracking on stereo discs too.

Cai Campbell said:

This is great news but I remain a bit wary....I'm glad its sounding good! The only caveat to recommending this to others would be that manufacturing quality may vary as to performance outside of the manufacturers specifications on an individual basis.

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Tried it this weekend on a Studer linear tracking turntable Like has been posted it's kind of top heavy and sounds a little bit like a FM radio-station cartridge when it comes to presence and transience. Yes, you get good carrier lock on CD-4 but the actual demodulation leaves a little to be desired, of course depending on the record.

Doors Greatest Hits doesn't do TOO bad, Japanese CD-4 of Sound of Music gives some nice space and a few other things have some nice air to them when played thru this cartridge, but the sense of `being there' i.e. comparing to the Q8 for example varies considerably. Orchestral and soundtracks do better than rock `n' roll it seems.

But it does great for UD-4. Probably because in the UD-4 system it's mostly steering cues in the carrier band and not much actual music.

Giving this one back though to my audiophile cartridge buddy who collects cartridges like most of us collect spare tires, I'd still give it a 7 or 7 and a half.

Yup tried it - carrier light constant all the way thru a disc using JVC 4DD-5 demodulator. Next the hook up and listen test.