Shure V15 Type III vs Grado Gold

12-11-08: Normansizemore
AT 150MLX is a GREAT all round performer... Hard to find anything that it doesn't do right.

I've been taking my AT150MLX for granted so much I hadn't really noticed that. I have fairly eclectic tastes--Renaissance, choral, classical solo sonatas, chamber music, small orchestral Baroque, large-scale bombastic orchestral, acoustic pop and folk-tinged rock, classic rock, power pop, punk, new wave, country (e.g., Dwight Yoakam), bluegrass and acoustic country, small group jazz, big band jazz, vintage jazz, the great vocalists--Sinatra, Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, etc.

I hadn't really thought about it before your post, but the AT150MLX traces right through all of them and lets the music speak regardless of style, instruments, voices, ensemble size, or genre. In fact, it tracks so well that it significantly elevated my system to play larger scale music such as Holst's "The Planets" and big band jazz.

I am a big fan of Shure. I have a III and a Ultra 500. I listen to a lot of jazz and for me their is no finer than a Pickering XVS 3000, 4000 or 5000. It is just explosive. AT 150MLX is a GREAT all round performer... Hard to find anything that it doesn't do right. I have never cared for Grado, any of them.

Norman

To get the best from the Grado Gold .. you should buy the MintLP Best Tractor
I did on my Technics SL1210 MKII and really sounds great

Shure with VN35MR sounds better than Grado on my Thorens TD145MKii. I could notice it right after I replaced the Grado with Shure.
However, I have not seen much posts on direct comparison of those two cartridges, so I wondered.

I have AT125LC, and it is pretty good for the price, but it is no match with Shure. I have yet to try AT150MLX, but I would not be surprised if it sounds better than Shure.
The downside of Shure would be that it is not easy to get an original VN35MR any more. I need to settle with new replacement cartridges once the current one is done.

My preference is None of the above. Get an Audio Technica AT150MLX instead. It costs about the same as a Grado Gold (if you know where to shop), but has a MicroLine stylus which is similar or identical to the last manufactured version of the Shure. Unlike the Shure, the AT is currently in production and OEM replacement stylii can be had for $179.95.

I believe if also uses superior materials (such as the cantilever) over the Shure and Grado. I sure like the way mine sounds and tracks. It reminds me a bit of the Grado while maintaining tighter control throughout the frequency range.