Shure is also famed for its
phono cartridges, which have an
ardent following. The company was the first to introduce a
stereo cartridge in 1958.
There have been many, many devices designed to take the analog scratch in a vinyl platter and convert it into music, but Shure is among the few names that ring through the history of audiophile endeavor. In a day where you can almost find a CD player in a box of Cracker Jack, people still routinely shell out several hundred dollars for Shure's version of a needle in a paper cup.
The Shure V15 Series of record pickups are a testament to developing design in pursuit of analog reproductive perfection. Since the line was introduced, V15 series phono cartridges have always stood among the best of what was commercially available. Groove-hugging stylus shapes, stong and lightweight cantilevers, superior tracking, and a tiny brush for vibration dampening are notable V15 features. The current version, the V15VxMR, has a highly-polished elliptical diamond stylus with a front radius of 0.003 in. and a side radius of 0.00015 in. It has a tracking force of only one gram.
As long as there is a demand for quality analog music reproduction, there will always be a place for Shure phono cartridges.
mkb reminded me to point out that Shure also makes cartridges for
turntablists (
turntable artists like mixers, scratchers, and DJs.) These have rounder styli for
back-cueing (spinning the record backwards to find the right spot to begin or just to make an interesting sound) and a more
robust cantilever and construction to handle the heavy useage.