The time to replace my ageing Ortofon MC1 Turbo (high output MC) had come.
After reading some very good reviews, I decided to treat myself with three times more expensive Shure V 15Vxmr. It is supposed to be a natural match to my retro vinyl setup - a Thorens TD126MkI and SME 3009 s2 improved. Phono stage is a Graham Slee Gram Amp 2 SE.

My new cartridge needs some break-in period.
How long?
How should it sound brand new and what changes in sound breaking-in will bring?

My first impressions are mixed...
Shure sounds more musical that Ortofon and the bass is fuller, firmer and stronger.
But, treble is problematic. There is some lack of high frequency resolution, cymbals are a bit splashy, dull, lifeless... Music sounds as if I put a veil in front of my speakers.

I immediately suspected that VTA was not correct.
When I mounted and adjusted the cartridge, I did set it visually since it always worked for me in the past.
Since it seemed that my usual approach was not working this time, I raised the arm quite high, some 5mm from its initial horizontal position and gradually started to lower it in steps.
Unfortunately, I couldn't hear any significant improvement.
I tried it with dynamic stabilizer brush on and off - no deal breaking difference... (did change the tracking force accordingly)
I actually prefer the sound with the brush in operating position - somehow it is more relaxed.

I started to compare my vinyl to my CDs. I am a big Bowie fan and have all his 70's albums on high quality German pressings and also on these latest 24bit remastered CDs. I ended liking the CDs better!!!
Slightly better resolution and better treble. The rest is pretty much indistinguishable. My CD player is Rotel RCD 1072.

Any thoughts?

I hope that it is only a matter of breaking in!
On the other hand, I don't remember having this kind of experience with my previous carts (which were mostly Ortofon though).
I even bought a spare stylus, since Shure ceased the production of V 15V...

Thanks in advance,

Aleksandar

I own a Shure V15VXmr cartridge as well. I have it in a Graham 2.2 tone arm on an Oracle Delphi MKIV turntable. I am very happy with it's sound. It comes close to sounding as good as my $2000 Audioquest 7000FE5 cartridge. No it doesn't sound better but comes a lot closer than one would think given the price difference. That said the Shure's Achilles heel so to speak is it's high end. It is a little rolled off. Not much can be done about it. Although I am not a big believer in VTA making significant improvements some people claim that the Shure needs to have a positive VTA. In other words that the front of the cartridge needs to be pointing down (raise the vta). I haven't noticed anything significant with this move but that's not to say you will not. Give it a try. Personally I think the high end on the Shure is just rolled off. But short of that everything else sounds just fine. I really like the cartridge. If fact I even bought another one just to keep as a spare. Let the cartridge break in a little more. It does sound a little better after break-in. Maybe 50 hours or so. Below is a little review I wrote on another site about the Shure and the Audioquest. Might be of some interest.

Hope this helps.
Mr Vinyl

• http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/310407.html

Good suggestion. However I own a Manley Steelhead phono preamp that makes loading etc. very easy. I have found the only setting that works with the Shure is the recommended 47K. Anything else makes the cartridge sound like crap. In my system anyway. I can only repeat that I find the high end of the V15VXmr to be a little rolled off. It's not drastic but it's there. Other than this one point I love the cartridge and would buy another in a heartbeat.

Mr Vinyl

Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar. One says, "I've lost my electron"
The other says, "Are you sure?" The first replies, "Yes, I'm positive..."

Mr Vinyl

Russellc

Russellc