I was all set to give up on moving magnets until the new Shure VI5-VMR (MR stands for Micro-Ridge stylus) arrived. In a word, it’s terrific. I was slightly disappointed with the original V15-V: I just didn’t think it was a significant improvement over the Type IV. What I missed was fine detail—especially in the high frequencies and during heavily modulated passages. The original V was not quite up to the sound of certain moving coils. Which is not to say the original V was a bad buy: moving coils cost twice the price and you need a stepup. I could recommend the original V without hesitation.
But this time Shure really has come through—the MR, whuch costs $275, is a larger improvement over the original V than the V was an improvement over the IV. What you get is just what I missed—detail, especially at high frequencies, and an improved sense of ambience. There’s a wonderful bloom around the music, and it’s natural, not hyped.
The V-MR is the only cartridge I have heard that produces the sound of a piano to my satisfaction—it captures the music between, around, and above the notes. Tonal balance is excellent, as it was with the original Type V. Imaging is about as good as I have heard from even moving-coils—assuming your turntable is any good (actually, the turntable is probably more critical than the cartridge in this area). I say this now, having listened to a lot of moving coils, including a number I haven’t mentioned.
It’s as an all-round performer that the Shure VI5 Type V-MR excels. It has many virtues and no vices. And it’s a Shure. Which means that quality control is excellent, the price is reasonable, tracking is impeccable, there are no hum problems, and you need no stepup device. Hallelujah! Here’s more good news: the Type VMR is the best-sounding cartridge I have tried with the new AR turntable and tonearm.
From the Audio Cheapskate’s perspective, this is the combination to beat. I question whether you can do significantly better at any price (Larry Archibald or J. Gordon Holt will probably delete that last sentence; breathing all that thin mountain air makes them favor high-end turntables, but I know JGH has a soft spot in his heart for the Shure. Footnote 1)
Definitely the MR is worth the extra money over the V15-VB (that’s what the non-MR type V is now called). The difference in list prices is $55, but remember, no one pays list for a Shure. If you already own an original V, don’t hesitate. Run right out and buy an MR replacement stylus and upgrade immediately. It will cost you about half what you paid for the cartridge originally and you can always keep the original stylus as a spare.
Now just think how much better off my friend, who owns The Ninth-Best Moving Coil in the World, would be if he had bought a Type V like I did. He’d now have a $125 stylus to buy. As it is, he is looking at $500 cartridges! Then he’s going to have his Linn Sondek readjusted, and he’s deciding whether to do the job himself or hire a Linn Guru (but which Linn Guru?—there are two in our neck of the woods and each claims the other is following a false god)!
I love it. I love it! My friend is dear, and life would be very boring without madness like this.—Sam Tellig
Footnote 1: No need to delete the sentence, but you can do significantly better than the Shure/AR combination, albeit for more money. Maybe Sam is just daring me to send him that better combination. One of Sam’s virtues is his appetite for Crow.—Larry Archibald
NEXT: Anthony H. Cordesman 1985 »
COMPANY INFO
Shure Brothers, Inc.
5800 W. Touhy Avenue
Niles, IL 60714-4608
(800) 257-4873
www.shure.com/americas
ARTICLE CONTENTS
Page 1
Anthony H. Cordesman 1985
Sam Tellig 1989
Michael Fremer July 1997
Specifications
Click Here: cronulla sharks jersey