Will a Shure V15Vxmr work for CD-4?

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dean de furia said:
Hi all,
THe Shure hase a line-contact stylus and is known for great trackability.
But, will it work for CD-4?
Thanks!

I just did a search and found that the Shure V15VxMR has a micro-ridge stylus which is (in my opinion) the best type for CD-4 performance (yes, even better than Shibata!) However, this cart only offers an upper frequency response of 25 kHz. For proper CD-4 performance, you need AT LEAST 30 kHz, but preferably higher (I wouldn't go with anything less than 40 kHz).
 
Cai,
The specs are :

"nude Micro-ridge stylus tip" which I think is fancy words for line contact.

"10 - 25,000 Hz" response which I know is below CD-4 standards but sometimes the specs lie.

The #1 feature of the Shure is how it tracks. It can track a full orchestra during a hurricane. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried the Shure with CD-4.
 
A micro-ridge has a thinner profile than a line-contact stylus. This keeps the transient contact time with any section of the record groove to an absolute miniumum. This greatly aids in reducing surface noise and other noise (pops, ticks, etc.) introduced by record defects.
 
Cai,
Well I went and tried the shure. I dismounted from my VPI aries and set it up using a Geodisc on my JVC QL-66 DD turntable from 1985. I set the weight at Shure's rec. 1 gram. I hooked it up to a Marantz CD-400B and put on the marantz test record.

First thing I noticed was the Carrier light came on right away and stayed on. I set the separation for the rear speakers and then started playing real records.

You know what? I think you can safely add this to the short list of Carts that will work with CD-4. The carrier light stays on and never strays. I'm not getting any "sandpaper" or splatty sounds. I tried
"Captain and Me", "Aqualung", "Aloha", "No Secrets" and right now I'm listening to "Machine Head" Really great sound. The Shure is very smooth and dosen't emphasize surface noise.

I'm actually kinda surprised at what I'm hearing. I always had to "fight" with my equipment to get good CD-4. This sounds just right.
I'm taping some tracks to Reel so I can listen to all the channels closely to see if I'm missing anything.

If after a few days of playing more LP's the sound is still as sweet, I'm going to leave the cart on the JVC and buy another for the VPI.

Worth a try!
 
If your Shure cart is new, and you have the same experience I have with my Audio Technica Trackmaster 8, your cart will sound better as the stylus breaks in. Yes, you can really tell that there is a break in period with CD-4. Be sure that you post that information under "CD-4 equipment that works well" so that it will be there for posterity. If you have an Audio Technica AT331LP, I wouldn't mind a comparison. Happy Listening! I also find that CD-4 needs a little more stylus pressure with my AT cart. This may or may not be true with the Shure, only experientation will tell. Happy Listening!

The Quadfather
 
Hi Quadfather,
Yes, I do have a AT-331LP and have also had pretty good results with it, too. It required much more tweaking than with the Shure, or I just got lucky!

The Shure is MUCH smoother sounding than the AT. I found the AT cart to be tiring after a couple of hours. It sounds like it emphasizes the top-end.

I'm going to try the Shure out for a few more days and then I will post in the other thread ( if it still sounds great).

BTW, The Shure probably has about 100 hours on it from my Stereo table.
 
dean de furia said:
Hi all,
THe Shure hase a line-contact stylus and is known for great trackability.
But, will it work for CD-4?
Thanks!

I used a Shure V15MR with the CD-4 demodulator in the Sansui QRX-9001 with very good results.

tcdriver
 
This is great news but I remain a bit wary. Obviously, the performance of this particular cartridge extends to 30 kHz or you wouldn't be getting good carrier lock. However, I would be curious how "flat" the frequency response is to 30 kHz. Since the manufacturer has only rated the cartridge to 25 kHz, there could be a (not insubstantial) dip in response after this point. To be honest, I'm not sure what impact this might have on CD-4 performance. If the dip isn't bad, perhaps no audible impact at all, except for maybe forcing you to turn up the volume louder than you otherwise might need to. So, I guess letting your ears be the judge is the best course! 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.
 
I used a Sure a long time ago, before I got into quad. It had a nice warm sound I liked very much. If it sounds better, and to boot, will track lighter, then go for it. Often the frequency response is all the manufacturer will guarantee. Apparently the subcarrier doesn't have to be strong, as long as it is accurate. If the Sure tracks well, that's all it needs. Of course it doesn't hurt if the frequency response is rated to extend out to 45KHZ, but it doesn't have to, to work.

The Quadfather


Cai Campbell said:
This is great news but I remain a bit wary. Obviously, the performance of this particular cartridge extends to 30 kHz or you wouldn't be getting good carrier lock. However, I would be curious how "flat" the frequency response is to 30 kHz. Since the manufacturer has only rated the cartridge to 25 kHz, there could be a (not insubstantial) dip in response after this point. To be honest, I'm not sure what impact this might have on CD-4 performance. If the dip isn't bad, perhaps no audible impact at all, except for maybe forcing you to turn up the volume louder than you otherwise might need to. So, I guess letting your ears be the judge is the best course! 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.
 
After 3 solid days of throwing my CD-4 collection at the Shure, It has performed as good as anyone can wish for. It even made Cat Stevens passable ( I still hate the mix). I got some spatting on only one LP: The last track on side one of Roberta Flack. The other side played fine all the way through.

"Captain and Me" was like listening to Q-reel!

All in all, I'm impressed. It has got to be in large part to the incredible way it tracks the grooves.
 
I'm not into CD4, but I can confirm that the Shure is rather under-rated in terms of the frequencies it can handle (Check out the original Hifi World review some months back). In fact, it's rather under-rated full stop. Shure keep doing this -God only knows why. Suggestion -don't take the 1g tracking as gospel -play around some both ways. Anybody remember the old DECCA carts? The wonderful sounding ones like the London that also had the rather unfortunate additional of re-cutting your LP's grooves. Well, this one has that sound. Without wrecking you're vinyl. Which is nice.
 
Well, that would be the other criteria, how well it protected the record. With 1 gram tracking, that shouldn't be a problem.

The Quadfather

Scottmoose said:
Anybody remember the old DECCA carts? The wonderful sounding ones like the London that also had the rather unfortunate additional of re-cutting your LP's grooves. Well, this one has that sound. Without wrecking you're vinyl. Which is nice.
 
I can not tell a lie.....it was ME!
I hope you like it!
 
I'm considering purchasing the Shure V15Vxmr for CD-4 as well as SQ and QS. I know it will work great for the matrix systems but I'm cautious about it's performance for playing quadra disc's. I'm currently using the Ed Saunders cart on a Mitsubishi LT-22 tracking at 1.75 grams. I'm having good results with this combo, but I've always liked the mellow sound of the Shures. To my ears, the AT cart can have a tendency to be on the harsh side. Is it safe to assume the V15 will work well for CD-4 ?
 
If you will read the first page of this thread, you will have your answer. Apparently the V15VXMR is a go for CD-4. I trust these guys.

The Quadfather
 
After biting the bullet and shelling out $250, I realize that this cartridge upgrade was worth every penny. I had previously used the AT cart that Ed Saunders sells, which I had experienced good cd-4 results with, but felt it tended to be a bit harse for my listening tastes. For those of you on a budget, it's a good bang for the buck. The V15 has a much "warmer" tone and tracks the grooves with the utmost accuracy. I have had no carrier fallout or distortion since switching. Although the specs indicate that it shouldn't work with cd-4, I will attest that indeed it does.
 
raggal62 said:
After biting the bullet and shelling out $250, I realize that this cartridge upgrade was worth every penny. I had previously used the AT cart that Ed Saunders sells, which I had experienced good cd-4 results with, but felt it tended to be a bit harse for my listening tastes. For those of you on a budget, it's a good bang for the buck. The V15 has a much "warmer" tone and tracks the grooves with the utmost accuracy. I have had no carrier fallout or distortion since switching. Although the specs indicate that it shouldn't work with cd-4, I will attest that indeed it does.

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