One for the oldies

[rogerch]

I have this Marantz turntable, a 6300, originally it had a "Shure V15 mk3 cartridge. Some years ago I replaced it, with "Tis just as good gov" compatible, well it was rubbish in comparison but with the advent of CDs I lived with it. Now I want digitise my "plastic", so I want to find a real one, I don't think genuine is avail;able any more, so does anyone have experience< I'd like at least as good as the original.

Roger

[dodgy]

all i can sugest is google 'Shure V15 mk3 cartridge' and see what you get, i think shure makes a replacement

[ifly]

If not they make those turntables with USB connections to digitize the vinyl, although at the prices I would not guarantee the quality you will get compared to some of the turntables of old.

[TrapperJohn]

That's going to be difficult. The only cartridges I've been able to find are all 'p mount', and what you have there sounds like it predates the p mount. The older mount had two screws that held the cartridge in place, while the P mount was a 4 prong plug. Many moons ago, I had one of the old AR turntables with Shure/SME III tonearm, which also took the older cartridge. The P mount, as I recall, came out not too long before the CD, so it was a good but short lived improvement.

One suggestion I would make, as I'm thinking about this myself - there are USB turntables on the market to do exactly what you want, I'm looking into them myself right now. They have the digitizer built in, and yes they come with a needle and cartridge. Not terribly expensive, around USD$150 or so. Just plug them into the USB port, and you're ripping vinyl to digital. I have a stack of albums I haven't listened to in ages.

[matk]

Is it the cartridge or just the needle?

Would this be compatible?

http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_det...?Title_ID=12213

[TrapperJohn]

Which reminds me, I need to rip my old Tom Lehrer albums...

Like so many contemporary philosophers, he delighted in giving helpful advice to people who were happier than he was

He was also renowned as the discoverer of gargling, which had previously been practiced furtively by a remote tribe in the Andes, and passed down from father to son as part of their oral tradition (Dr. Samuel Gall, inventor of the gall bladder)

The rest of you can look it up, when you get home

But don't worry. Base 8 is just like base 10, if you're missing two fingers.

with complete participation in that grand incineration, nearly three billion hunks of well done steak.

Gather 'round while I sing you of Wehrner Von Braun, a man who's allegience is ruled by expedience

[rogerch]

And how many pigeons have you poisoned?

[redshift]

The V15 was the high-end product from Shure and noticeably better than all their other offerings. It did suffer from capacitive loading effects that meant that it sounded a bit too bright on most commercial amps. Doubt if you'll find one outside of e-bay now.

I use Ortofon cartridges for all my vinyl. The general purpose one being a 540 MkII (as in one that madame is allowed to use) and a moving coil one for serious listening.

I would recommend the 540 as a suitable candidate. Most visitors have said that it sounds better than the CD anyway which is a good reference.

[rogerch]

Thanks, that sounds like a good solution, and available ex Melbourne.

[Setras]

I too use ortofon

[rogerch]

OK so I'm finally doing something about it. I'm having trouble understanding the Ortofon range, seems to be everything from disco to recording studio.

My application is 100% classical, I would match to piano concerto, I'm not looking to spend a fortune but I do want quality.

Suggestions on a post card please.

Roger

[DanR]

It's been 20 or so years since I messed around with vinyl. Do be careful though with whatever cartridge you end up getting. From memory, they are like suspension systems and need tonearms that have compatible compliance. Some being light, some heavier. The wrong mix could seriously upset the sound quality.

As for digitizing old records I found this

http://www.dansdata.com/inport.htm

works really well and for a good rice too.

[esprit350]

IIRC Pickering used to make a good cartridge for classical, no idea if they are still going though...