Another V15 thread: Should I buy one?

[CardinalFang]

I'm on a budget, so I couldn't afford to buy a super-nice turntable. I bought the MMF 2.1 and I really like it. However...

Reading all the V15 threads has got me wondering if an upgrade is appropriate. Honestly, I thought the money might be better spent on other things. Considering the table cost me $300, it might not be wise to put $250 into it on a V15.

That said, if I upgrade my table in the future, I can bring the cart with me.

Since getting the MMF table a week ago, I've been listening to vinyl constantly. And with any upgrade, it brings with it the craving for "even better."

I need you guys to talk me into (or out of) buying a V15.

Will I be better off buying a clamp? A new mat? Something else? Give it to me straight folks...

PS If you look at my profile, you'll be seeing my current listening conditions. That's going to change as soon as I get my Fisher X100 back from the shop. I'm also going to borrow a pair of old Altecs until I find something nice next year (Tannoys maybe?)

[Holy Zoo]

I think you should wait a bit - listen to your current cart for awhile. If you have no complaints, stick with it and upgrade later when it wears out, which may not be that long if you're playing vinyl constantly (maybe a year? how long do styli last, a few thousand plays?)

Once you know the sound intimately, if might then be worth auditioning the Shure.

On the other hand, if there's a problem that's driving you bonkers NOW (such as the sibilance of the Goldring that came with my mmf5) then there's no reason to wait... order one NOW! :)

jeff

[Gary]

Wise words, HZ!

I agree.... :)

[CardinalFang]

Love the holiday avatar, Gary!

Jeff... there are things that are driving me crazy right now. There is sibilance on some of my records. I don't know if this is permanent damage from my old tables or not. I've read some posts that said the Shure tracks so well, some records once considered "too worn" sounded fine.

If I do this, I probably won't do this for a month or two. That will give me some more time to decide.

[ZIPGUN99]

I'm very happy with my V15; my only regret, I was in such a hurry to buy one (as my previous cart had conked out) I bought one mail order without shopping around, and paid too much ($300 +).

I forget, I think someone said J&R Music World has 'em for a good price.

[Steve Hoffman]

Originally posted by bigolbug
Love the holiday avatar, Gary!

Jeff... there are things that are driving me crazy right now. There is sibilance on some of my records. I don't know if this is permanent damage from my old tables or not. I've read some posts that said the Shure tracks so well, some records once considered "too worn" sounded fine.

If I do this, I probably won't do this for a month or two. That will give me some more time to decide.

Play a NEW record, something from any era that you know is unplayed and see if it mistracks. If it does, time to UPGRADE. Either that or destroy your vinyl. :(

[CardinalFang]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman


Play a NEW record, something from any era that you know is unplayed and see if it mistracks. If it does, time to UPGRADE. Either that or destroy your vinyl. :(

Upgrade the cart, or upgrade the table?

Can somebody explain to me what I should listen for? I'm not 100% sure what a mistracking cartridge sounds like. I'm sure this is Audiophile 101, but I suppose that's required for freshmen. :)

[Damián]

Originally posted by bigolbug

Can somebody explain to me what I should listen for? I'm not 100% sure what a mistracking cartridge sounds like. I'm sure this is Audiophile 101, but I suppose that's required for freshmen. :)
I believe it's when on the loudest peaks the sound 'breaks up' or sounds rough/fuzzy/buzzy. I think that's mistracking

[-=Rudy=-]

Originally posted by bigolbug


Upgrade the cart, or upgrade the table?

Can somebody explain to me what I should listen for? I'm not 100% sure what a mistracking cartridge sounds like. I'm sure this is Audiophile 101, but I suppose that's required for freshmen. :)

Don't let me influence you. (Just buy it. :D )

Gosh, it's hard to describe what mistracking sounds like, short of my taking out a vinyl copy of an album and playing it on my ancient Shure M44-7 and letting it shred the album to pieces. ;) Instead of a clear letter "S" sound in a vocal track, the "S" will break up and sound distorted, "SHHH". Sort of a spitting sound. Or think of it this way, instead of clear cymbals or clear "S"'s in vocals, you hear more of what is similar to "pink noise" (the inter-station noise on FM radio).

I bought a copy of Pat Metheny Group's first LP, used, and while it is clean and unscratched, the previous owner played it with a trashy cartridge and ruined the entire album. All of the bright cymbals have turned into pink noise. If you're interested, I can make a copy of a portion of that track and the same sample from the CD as an example.

Some here have bought the V15 for $199. Helluva deal!

[CardinalFang]

Originally posted by -=Rudy=-
If you're interested, I can make a copy of a portion of that track and the same sample from the CD as an example.

I know exactly what you're talking about! No need to make a copy.

Thanks though... I'm afraid some of my vinyl has been rendered useless by old cartridges. :(

Luckily, the new table is set up properly. I pulled out my brand new copy of Spoon's "Kill The Moonlight" and it sounds great. That LP was really well done! Really quiet and clear.

Some here have bought the V15 for $199. Helluva deal!

Where??

[CardinalFang]

Can mistracking become more apparent towards the center of a record?

[Holy Zoo]

Originally posted by bigolbug


Where??

Jack's Music Factory:

http://www.sloca.com/product.asp?section=Phono_Cartridges&productid=8042

[MMM]

Originally posted by bigolbug
Can mistracking become more apparent towards the center of a record?

Absolutely!

[Rivendell61]

And that price Rudy mentioned from Jack's includes shipping--!
They have an excellent deal on the stylus too--

Mark

[audio]

I think you should buy one now. Although I've not heard my own yet, the flat response makes it a no brainer for your needle drop projects. Look at it this way: think of how much you're going to hate your older needle drops a year from now when you finally get your V15 and see how much better it sounds(I don't need to hear the V15 to know it's a better unit than that stock Goldring)?

The $199 is the best price around. I purchased my V15 wholesale and I paid close to that. Then with the money you save, you can jump on ebay and probably find yourself a record clamp for $20.

Regarding the problems you are experiencing with your current cartridge.....all I can say is to double check that setup and alignment. Even though these are "set up at the factory", there is zero guarantee that they are going to be correct and usually they are not.

Now I have another question...you have a cleaning system, right? If not, that should be your NUMBER ONE priority over ANYTHING. You shouldn't even be playing records without it.

[Damián]

Originally posted by bigolbug


Thanks though... I'm afraid some of my vinyl has been rendered useless by old cartridges.

Some of the LPs might play better if/when you switch to finer-line styli (slimmer-line elliptical, Shure's MR, etc.).

Remember the grooves on an LP are V-shaped, so depending on the diameter of the tip a certain stylus will ride higher or lower on them.

So if the previous owner trashed the grooves with say a chipped spherical tip and you switch to a V15, which should ride MUCH deeper into the groove, you'd probably avoid at least SOME of the damage done by previous plays.

Confused yet? :confused:

[CardinalFang]

Prix,

Thanks for the suggestions. Well, I think I might know what my Christmas bonus will go towards... ;)

Originally posted by prix
Now I have another question...you have a cleaning system, right? If not, that should be your NUMBER ONE priority over ANYTHING.

Disc Doctor on order... apparently arriving at Red Trumpet this week, then shipped to me.

[-=Rudy=-]

Originally posted by bigolbug
Can mistracking become more apparent towards the center of a record?

Very much so. The linear velocity of the LP drops toward the center of the LP, which means the musical information is "crunched" into a smaller diameter spiral. Proof of this? If you've ever bought albums from the 50's or 60's, you'll hear the groove wear get progressively worse as you play closer to the label. I can even live with a few minor ticks and pops, but I can't stand groove wear, or inner-groove distortion.

7" 45 RPM singles were a revelation after I got my V15. I didn't think 45s could play that well! :D

[-=Rudy=-]

Originally posted by bigolbug


Thanks though... I'm afraid some of my vinyl has been rendered useless by old cartridges.

Don't remind me. I buy a lot of 60's-era LPs, so a lot of those come with a free dose of "played on a console with a 5 pound tracking force" groove wear. :laugh: But even back in my days of having a very early "high fidelity" system of my own (all I could afford on my junior high school budget of mowing two lawns a week) I had a Realistic Lab 50 (actually a rebranded BSR) turntable and a Shure/Realistic cartridge. Some of the 12" singles I'd played heavily back then have gotten a bit ratty, especially on the inner grooves. Fortunately my cousin worked for a Radio Shack store, and the manager stocked one of the cheaper Grado cartridges and sold them on the sly. I must admit that although it didn't track spectacularly, it was still better than the Shure and I haven't noticed as much groove wear on those old LPs than I did with that cheap ancient Shure. And this was a turntable where you couldn't align the cartridge either. Ugh.