Shure leaving the phono market.

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Damfino59
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Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Damfino59 »

For those of us who like to play our 78’s with modern equipment:

http://www.shure.com/americas/news-even ... o-products

No wonder they had no phono gear at the recent Axpona show in Chicago. So we are left with Audio-Technica, Nagaoka, Ortofon and Grado, that I know of.

Phototone
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Re: Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Phototone »

Damfino59 wrote:For those of us who like to play our 78’s with modern equipment:

http://www.shure.com/americas/news-even ... o-products

No wonder they had no phono gear at the recent Axpona show in Chicago. So we are left with Audio-Technica, Nagaoka, Ortofon and Grado, that I know of.
Stanton has left too?

Damfino59
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Re: Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Damfino59 »

I’m not too certain about Stanton as I gave up on them when they became part of the Gibson group. There is a website listing several DJ cartridges and the latest version of the 500 series.

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Wolfe
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Re: Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Wolfe »

Stanton doesn't make cartridges anymmore. Gibson just filed for bankruptcy.
Damfino59 wrote:So we are left with Audio-Technica, Nagaoka, Ortofon and Grado, that I know of.
There are other smaller cartridge manufacturers around, usually catering mainly to the higher end audiophile market, not necessarily to 78 collectors. :( Denon is a significant player you left off your list. They've been making cartridges for decades, including the deathless 103 cart, but nothing for playing 78's these days.

Damfino59
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Re: Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Damfino59 »

I had forgotten about Denon but they really don’t make anything with a user replaceable stylus. Moving coil cartridges have that issue. The most exotic phono cartridges I have been using for LP’s are Audio Technica AT95 and AT3400. Plus the Shure M44’s for older records. I do have some vintage record changers setup with Pickering & Stanton’s, as they can track heavier.

I think this won’t impact me as much as I have an assortment of stock but what about younger collectors just starting?

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Wolfe
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Re: Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Wolfe »

Yeah, I wonder. Nauck's currently sells a variety of sizes of 78 tips for the Shure M44 that are sourced from Expert in the U.K. is that right ? There's a ton of old stock like M44 carts to go around the used market for a long time. It's the access to a decent range of stylus sizes that is the concern for the persnickety 78 spinner. If Expert stays in business, at least there is that. Grado, Nagaoka, also offer some flexibilty.

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Re: Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Victrolacollector »

I think Pfanstiehl is still around? I am not sure about Astatic?
Last edited by Victrolacollector on Thu May 03, 2018 4:34 am, edited 3 times in total.

Damfino59
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Re: Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Damfino59 »

Astatic is long gone. I do believe what they had for inventory has been dispersed third or fourth party by now. Pfanstiehl still offers a large variety of needles for defunct cartridges. Their 78 3 mil Pickering/Stanton and Shure styluses are a decent low price beginners needle. Jico in Japan makes a good Shure 3 mil replacement also. LP Gear offers them on their website. But the best are the truncated styluses offered by Expert in England.

I do know Pfanstiehl offers a 3 mil stylus for some Audio-Technica cartridges. I have some for the AT3400 & AT3600 but I haven’t tried them yet. I do have a Grado mounted in a Technics headshell. Tracks at 5 grams but it has a low output compared with the Shure M44. So many possibilities!

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Re: Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Marco Gilardetti »

I remember a dozen years ago when Pernod quit producing their more than a-hundred years traditional absinthe liqueur, which somehow survived prohibitionism and absinthe banning, right in the middle of the absinthe reissue when everybody was drinking absinthe as it was so cool and posh.

Now, right in the middle of the vinyl renaissance, with sales increasing at two-figures rates, Shure, which managed to survive the terrifying vinyl crisis of the '90s, quits producing their renowned cartridges. These are the kind of things that I really can't understand.

However, having been a loyal Shure customer for over 30 years, I have unfortunately to admit that this is no longer a great loss: some years ago they decided to prune their catalogue, and with a marketing strategy that I considered plain wrong back then and plain wrong today, they decided to keep going only with their low-end cartridges. Doing so, their M97xe model, previously a mid-priced honest "simple" elliptical, became their flagship. I mean: their flagship. Not the road that I would have personally travelled in a market that demands high quality and distinction.

Shellac-wise, their Shure M78S was a best seller as it was honestly marketed and readily available all over the world; however, performance-wise, there have always been more interesting choices. Here and elsewhere, it was always at the bottom of my list when anybody asked for advice. Again, not a great loss I have to admit.

Shure gave me a lot of amusement and listening pleasure over the years, and I'm rally thankful to all of the people who worked there with commitment (and most of all: I hope they will all be relocated, and none will be fired), but the decline of the brand began many years ago, and there is no longer much left to be sad for today.

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Re: Shure leaving the phono market.

Post by Victrolacollector »

Damfino59 wrote:Astatic is long gone. I do believe what they had for inventory has been dispersed third or fourth party by now. Pfanstiehl still offers a large variety of needles for defunct cartridges. Their 78 3 mil Pickering/Stanton and Shure styluses are a decent low price beginners needle. Jico in Japan makes a good Shure 3 mil replacement also. LP Gear offers them on their website. But the best are the truncated styluses offered by Expert in England.

I do know Pfanstiehl offers a 3 mil stylus for some Audio-Technica cartridges. I have some for the AT3400 & AT3600 but I haven’t tried them yet. I do have a Grado mounted in a Technics headshell. Tracks at 5 grams but it has a low output compared with the Shure M44. So many possibilities!
Is this the same Astatic?

https://www.canadianastatic.com/

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