Buy a new stylus for v15 III or swap it?

[Doubleplay]

Yes there is a noticeable difference... but it can mostly be adjusted for with cartridge loading

If you ask Jico, they will probably tell you that the V15 and the M97xe SAS styli are electrically identical. But i think they have made some physical changes, to compensate for the alignment, between the magnet and pole pieces.

So yes, there will be differences between a V15 and a M97xe, if you swap them between their respective bodies.

[dlaloum]

I have the N97 and V15Vx versions of the SAS styli, and have made some effort to measure the magnet locations - they appear to be identical to within 1mm.

Furthermore my N97xE stylus came loose from its plastic holder and can now be inserted to varying degrees in the different bodies - so I can adjust for pole locations in theory - There is another older thread where I and several other people measured a bunch of shure styli for magnet location, and there does not appear to be any substantive variation in pole/magnet location.

If you also look at the Shure patents for their generator design (M3D onwards) - you will see that the pole locations are in fact a "zone" rather than a point, and the magnets need to be within the "Zone" - which allows for manufacturing tolerances that might involve the magnets being up to a couple of mm forwards or back without substantive impact on the actual performance.

The V15III/IV/V are a bit different as they have a narrower shank, the pole pieces are therefore closer together and the "zone" within which the magnet needs to be located is much more precise and limited - but then these are not interchangeable with the M97 styli.

I did a series of experiments with styli positioning using my loose shank SAS - the main determinant of performance difference was not +/- 1 to 2 mm positioning of the shank, but rather the inductance of the body itself - ie the number of turns of the coils around the poles, and perhaps the type of wire used in the coils.

bye for now

David

[Ldg]

I did a series of experiments with styli positioning using my loose shank SAS - the main determinant of performance difference was not +/- 1 to 2 mm positioning of the shank, but rather the inductance of the body itself - ie the number of turns of the coils around the poles, and perhaps the type of wire used in the coils.

Presumably could also be geometry of the flux linkage, winding regime, sectional area etc etc which happens to coincide with altered inductance and an alternate wire type ? In other words, inductance and wire type might well not be causal.

[dlaloum]

True - but I feel that magnet positioning on the stylus is unlikely to be a factor.
The other parameters/possibilities cannot be investigated without destructive inspection!