Shure Cartridges.

www.stereophile.com/content/shure-v15-iii-phono-cartridge

I had one of these for a little while and thought it was very enjoyable. I liked it.

I've had numerous Shure cartridges and still have a couple of M75 variants knocking about. My favourite all rounder was the M91ED.

Having owned just about every make of non MC cartridge (apart from Grace), I invariably find myself returning to ADC's when not using am MC. Good job I have a few with original and spare styli, they're scarce now.

I didn't realise they were defunct.
Sorry for the nonsense post then.

The M55E (USA) version is cheap and cheerful and easily surpasses the V15 mk3 with a decent neoSAS JICO stylus.

The generator of the M44/55 is dated though and goes back to the early 60's, so you're partnering a beefy bass with suspect definition, with the inevitable mid treble suckout (heard as a restraint rather than dullness) and although the SAS will all but remove the hf peak the original stylus had, which although not strictly audible, the phono stages wouldn't care for it, you cannot get past the dated generator design. Maybe you prefer the laid back balance? The diamond on a stock original M55E/II I looked at was awful and not well ground either, as were many 70's styli from non-japanese sources.

If only I had space for more system lol

My room is busting with stuff. I really need a bigger room. I've two system that are setup permanently and a third "REAL SOUND" system that comes out every so often when i can be bothered to hump the bits in from my other room.

I still have them both and TBH I don't think I'll be doing any more modding.  I may experiment with different carts. I have a Shure mono cartridge that I intend putting into a pure MONO system at some stage.

The Ultra 500 was, for me, one to lust after, but for everyone else and to quote Ken Kessler, it 'educated' rather than 'entertained.' Nice solid outer body/mount and I suspect selected internal parts, but we're talking thirty odd years ago now and MM as well as cheaper MC designs have been further refined since then (I cite 2M Bronze and Black, together with the AT 540 and 700 models as evidence and AT F7 for MC types). Not sure (sorry) many were sold, especially in Europe, so that would hike prices today. There was also an Ultra 300 I believe, but no ideas about that one.

if you see a good one cheap, the VST-V gives you most of what the V15/Ultra series did, the diamond was better/finer than the 97XE I recall and at the time, it was half the price of the V15VMR.

£850 - 1000 for a second hand decades old cartridge, fookin hell I think we've gone mad!! I honestly think the market for such stuff will eventually implode when people realise the stupidity of how costly things are getting.

I've found a M75ED sitting around that I haven't tried yet. I wonder if its any good?

I know it works. It came on a Thorens TD160 i'm doing up for the other half.

You can have mine for £10000000.  Only had seventeen owners, probably 20-30 thousand hours on the original NOS stylus, still got plenty of life. 

Honestly? For less money you can buy a new 1042 with Geiger S which blows the V15/3 out of the water and most people wont be using the low mass tonearms which the V15 was designed for. I've owned the Mk2,3 and 4 and whilst OK and the 3 was my fave, they tracked well but are outclassed by the latest 1042 in a medium mass tonearm. Prices are silly.

As for a Shure Ultra...stick £400 more onto that and just buy a new ZYX 100 Ultra...it's better in every way imaginable, that or a good used Shelter 5000 or Transfiguration MC.

AFAIK it was the M95 which shares a similar generator body to the V15...try buying a used 95He these days....like rocking horse poo. I had one and whilst it was ok and wuit entertaining in a non-analytical way without the darkness of the M75s it wasn't any better than a lot of good entry to mid level MMs these days. Lots of rose tinted specs when it comes to carts. I'm just as guilty as anyone as I still would like to find another NOS Sonus Blue Gold.