Shure V15V hum problem

My Shure V15V has developed a sudden hum/missing channel. I thought it might be the tonearm wire/clips but all other carts are fine. And the V15 has the problem on both my 'tables, with the right channel replaced by a hum.

Any reason why a cart can suddenly have a hum/missing channel problem?


Also, when listening (under 'phones) to some older mono 45's last night, I noticed that my Benz MC20E II slightly "shifted" the mono image when I pressed the MONO button on my amp. The others carts have no shift at all, it's identical pressing in and out of mono. Does this mean that the Benz might have a slight phase problem or is this a typical moving coil characteristic?

 

Beagle,

Ya sure your pre is doing the correct things? 2 carts doing funky things?

I'd buy a POS AudioTechnial for $20 at Best Buy to see if THAT is acting funny. Sounds like something's amiss, but 2 carts in a row?

 

Sounds like an internal wire has come loose on the Shure. Not much hope there I'm afraid.

As for the mono question, it is surprising how often there is a slight level imbalance in phono cartridges. It's not serious, just means you need to shift the balance control slightly to compensate.

Of course you will always notice a slight "collapse" in the image even on a mono record when you switch to mono, because you get some out-of-phase distortion components that give a mild sense of width, which disappear in mono.

 

Sckott, the VAC-In-The Box is acting OK. That was the first thing that occured to me as well. But I also tried my two Grado's, my two V15Type IV Shures and the Ortofon and they were all OK.

It seems that the V has crapped out and the Benz "problem" seems to be explained in sgrahams second paragraph.

Not sure why the V has gone kaput, I keep it in a safe place and haven't dropped it.

But I am wondering if, since I keep my spare carts in a small compartment tray, the V problem might have been caused by it being in too close proximity to another cartridge and affecting the magnets? Could this be a possible cause?

 

Might be, but most carts aren't that senstive. Meaning, if you put two magnetic carts together in a dish, as long as they're politely handled, no, there shouldn't be damage that way. Did you leave the cart in a magnetically charged situation, like next to a degauser or something? Nah, betcha didn't.

Like Graham said it also could be an internal wire and/or pickup problem, which renders the cart useless minus trade-in if such a thing exists for the poor thing. You know your arm and pre is ok, no?

I agree with the mono comment that Graham mentioned as well.

Sorry to hear it, Beagle...

 

Oh well, at least I still have the two Type IV's. But dammit, that V was so flat and tracked so well. It was music.

Maybe tonight I'll give the pins a little tap and see what happens...who knows?

 

Sure Will Help

Just give the nice folks at Shure a call. Likely they will replace it for free or at very low cost; really.

Richard.

 

No. The amount of magnetism coming from a cartridge is tiny to begin with and entirely negligible at the distances involved even if they are right next to each other. Now if you kept your cartridges next to an energized bulk tape eraser, then you might have a problem, but in that case both channels would be affected.

It's just one of those things.

 

Try putting a screw driver near a moving coil cartridge and see how negligible that magnetism isn't!
I would agree with the above - you have a break in the continuity of a wire in one channel of the Shure cartridge body.
Your Benz cartridge has a slight channel imbalance - use the balance control if you are concerned, otherwise forget about it. Moving coils are nearly all hand assembled. Think of this as a flaw in fine leather, to quote an old excuse for crappy sound from the Woodstock album

 

You're right, I was thinking of typical moving magnet types, sorry to have mis-spoke. Still, moving them an inch or away from each other would reduce the field strength adequately.

 

This is bizarre...

Last night I decided to check the V15V again. When hooking the clips on, the left channel 'hot' clip came off and I resoldered it. When I rehooked the V15, it was fine. Both channels, no hum.

I know what you're thinking, maybe the wire was off under the heat shrink, that's why I lost the channel. But when I experienced the problem the other day, it was with the right channel. And the other cartridges were fine when I hooked them in after the V15V. And the Shure was bum on both tables!

Strange. Anyway, all's well that ends well. I'm glad to have her back safe and sound!

Thanks for the input everybody. I did learn a few things in this thread.

 

Beagle,

I am using a V15VMR, and have re-discovered Shure's generous repair policy. Contact them for the exact details, but it is something like they will repair it or sell you the current replacement model for 20% of retail.

I think it was about 18 months ago when I sent them my stylus for checking, expecting to pay the small fee for a new one. Nope. They sent me a new one for free.

I say re-discovered, because I then remembered from my rock band days that they would replace any microphone, even an abused one, for a nominal charge.

DaveD

 

Same exact thing happened to me a few months back with my Dynavector 10x4 Mk II. Through a process of elimination I determined it was a fault of the cartridge.

The cart was only eight months old, still in warranty, so I sent it back to the US distributor (Mike Pranka, a real stand-up guy) and, after he inspected it, he sent me a free replacement.

I was never able to get a good answer from anyone about what might have happened. It was a sudden and very odd occurrence.

 

Went to listen to the V15V last night and guess what? Yes, the right channel is once again absent. And yes, my other cartridges once again checked out OK too.

But something nice happened. I installed one of the V15IV cartridges a buddy gave me and I was surprised how tight and musical it sounded. Similar to the V, warmish, but more definition in the bass and less bland sounding. And I've got two of them.

A simple twist of fate?