Shure V15 & M97xE fans, here's a rare cartridge. Want to reduce record wear? MASAR tip, anyone?

I do not believe we have discussed this very interesting cartridge, the Shure SC39. Essentially, it is Shure's flagship professional series cartridge for the broadcast and professional record industry. On various boards, people have been raving about the merits of Shure's older, USA-made SC35C cartridges for years, but the SC39 is scarcely mentioned. From what I understand, the SC39 was used in the 'high-end' jazz and classical stations and in mastering studios whereas the SC35C was used by the rock stations. The SC39 tracks at 1 to 3 grams and there are a variety of styli available. NOS styli appear frequently on ebay, but the cartridge bodies are very rare. I know that some of you are searching for the perfect cartridge and that Shure no longer offers the V15 while the M97xE is often hit or miss due to pretty extreme quality control issues. The SC39 is perhaps something to keep an eye out for. I have heard these and they are very nice. I would say that they are, sonically, somewhere between the M97xE and the V15 VxMR, but with a slightly bolder sound, wider and deeper soundstage, and a little bit more character and life than both. The SC39 is very smooth and tracks superbly. Here's an old review I found:


From Grammophone magazine-

"Shure SC39ED-

This new SC39 series of cartridges from Shure has been designed specially for professional applications and might at first be considered of less interest to domestic users— who are already more than adequately catered for by the standard Shure range. Yet many domestic situations can arise where rough handling and the need for accurate cueing might arise: so read on.
Stylus damage is a frequent possibility in speedy studio and discotheque operations. If the stylus is pushed sideways, for example by being bumped against the edge of a record, irreparable damage could result. So the Shure SC39 design incorporates a new "Side-Guard" platform which deflects the stylus upwards out of harm's way in response to a lateral pressure, and limits the extent of the travel. The support wire and elastomer bearing at the rear of the cantilever are designed to stand up to backcueing (indeed at the APRS Exhibition in June I saw this pickup playing records backwards without mistracking or damage). The flip-down stylus guard operates from a lever at the front which has a V-shaped cut-out to aid visible cueing. Shure have also developed what they call a MASAR (Minimum Asperity for Abrasion Resistance) stylus tip finish which they claim causes less wear, particularly on 45rpm records, and is suited to playing studio lacquer masters. Trackability has been given special attention and a slight treble roll-off is introduced in the higher playing weight versions to suit broadcasting and disco applications.
The Shure SC39ED is the top model in the new range and has a specification well up to the standards of high quality domestic cartridges. In all respects the construction and finish correspond to Shure's famous standards and no problems of installation and matching should arise. The SME Series II arm and Shure cartridges might almost have been made for each other (indeed they share the same import agencies in some countries abroad) and so I was not surprised to find installation and balancing a very simple business indeed. At 1.5 g tracking was excellent and the squarewave response was as good as any in the tests. Low frequency resonance was at around 7 Hz and reasonably damped. The sensitivity was a little higher than claimed at 4.1 mV for 3 cm/sec and channel balance was good.
figure 6 shows a remarkably smooth frequency response, though with some 2-3 dB downwards slope at extreme high frequencies. Crosstalk is a real surprise, being down around —30 dB over a very wide frequency range indeed. This feature alone would have made me sit up during the listening tests, adding as it did a feeling of extra space in the stereo stage. As if to prove that it is a mistake to place too much reliance on measurements, however, my subjective reactions were of particularly well defined transients and high frequency definition on strings and voices. The bass too was impressive and only a lack of transparency in the extreme treble register differentiated this middle-price Shure cartridge from its higher priced brethren."

 

Just did a search. Somebody grab this! (no affiliation)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHURE-SC39E...632?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25a5b7e648

 

Might wanna be more patient, or take advantage of the "make offer" button. This one sold in April for much less than half that:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHURE-SC39E...628?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae6f4d3f4

 

I have never heard of that model! I do question whether the body is internally any different from the SC35 and V15-V, knowing how Shure tends to do things. Chances are the magic is in the stylus.

 

It is different. The Shure SC 39 is based on the original M 97 Era IV platform, and accepts that cartridge's styli.

 

Read the Grammophone article. Interesting, but I'm skeptical about the cartridge considering I have a very good Shure V15 Type IV.

 

Definitely 'make offer'.

Look carefully at the cartridge in the listing you sent. That is not a Shure SC39. That's the wrong cartridge and that's why it sold so inexpensively. On the other hand, it shouldn't have. The cartridge that came with the SC39 box was a Shure V15 II with original stylus that I recognized. That's why I bought it.

 

The SS39EJ is an interesting stylus that I'd like to hear. It has a .4 x .7 biradial (elliptical) tip and it tracks from 1.5 to 3.0 grams. The Shure tracking ability specs at 2 grams are excellent. At 2g the SS39EJ exceeds the V15 Type III-E and M97 Era IV and is just about equal to the V15 Type IV-HE, albeit at a heavier tracking force. I'm curious what it could do at 2.5 to 3 grams. Just for fun I'd like to give it a go on my Shure Era V trackability test record and see how it would stack up against my VST-III and my old Type V.

 

I agree! That would be very interesting. I have not run test records. Only listening tests. I have three SC39 cartridges and the truth is I probably don't need to hoard them all. I'm contemplating putting two of my three on the forum classifieds so that those who are interested can try these without having to risk an ebay loss.

 

It is done.

 

Hmm... nice job of using the forum to create a buzz and highlighting your item for sale ad.

 

I'm not sure why you would feel the need to insult my integrity without provocation in response to me attempting to provide something cool to other forum members. I can't say that I really appreciate your comment, but I respect your opinion.

 

Starting in 1982 the V15-V tip was masar polished, not sure about less expensive models.

 

That's funny. Of course, it's just as possible that talking about these neat old cartridges reminded him that he doesn't need a surplus and other people might want one. He could have just posted them on eBay for a ridiculous price and eventually sold them there.

 

Exactly.

 

That is good information. I did not know that. Perhaps explains why the V15-V sounds so good to me compared to the rest of them.

 

Have you heard the SC39ED? Grammophone really praised the crosstalk levels and soundstage on that one in particular.

 

Yes. I've heard it. I really like it. But I've been into the moving coil thing for a while. This thread has gotten me fired about to mount one again. What got me thinking about these cartridges again was finding an old Shure brochure and started reading about them. Very impressive data.