That’s a very unusual looking V15/III! Never seen one like it. Did Dual have their own version?
Wow! 8-0Shure 1978 presentation: High Fidelity Phonograph Cartridge - Technical Seminar
Lots of info on the design of V15s. Via archive.org:
High Fidelity Phonograph Cartridge - Technical Seminar
web.archive.org
That brings back memories. My first decent phono cartridge, $180 complete with a Pioneer belt-drive turntable. The clocks and gongs on my then also brand new copy of DSOTM (Canadian Harvest pressing) scared the hell out of everyone in the house.
I took this pic earlier for a classifieds room thread, but may as well stick it here too as its the V15/III’s little sibling with very much the same basic sound, and I quite like the picture (even though it isn’t too detailed, so a pretty poor ad!)!
I’m just focussing my attention on the M44/M55E and V15/III, and to that aim I stuck a fairly heftyorder in at Jico yesterday for a the Basie Club edition elliptical VN35EBN (the micro-ridge variant is long gone) and a nude M55E stylus. That will answer a few questions, most specifically is running these ancient MMs a long-term strategy I can live with? My hope is I prefer the Jico styluses to my variable condition collection of originals for both carts, but that is far from a given. At least I have a benchmark. This done I’ll later take Mike up on his offer to borrow the SAS and see if I prefer that to the Basie in the V15.
As ever not a cheap journey, but there is something I really like about both that I feel is worth pursuing. The big question is long-term potential. As obsolete vintage MM carts go the V15/III and M44 series seem very well supported by Jico with all manner of options, and I have really nice bodies for both so it looks to have future potential.
The only thing I don’t like is Jico do that thing Japanese cart manufacturers seem to do in quoting staggeringly low life-spans for their carts. I get the impression it is extreme honesty and the figure given is the point the slightest hint of wear can be detected at really high magnification by an experienced eye, not the point one should change.
The unknown, though, is what the compliance/tip-mass force requirements may be for a new stylus.
There were also quite a number of Gray clones made by Japanese firms way back when.
Some of the folks on Lenco Heaven have had good things to say about these modern clones manufactured in Ukraine.