Shure 15-II (dates not documented)
Little is documented about the Shure 15-II. The model name is part of the puzzle. The surviving period coverage tied to this entry doesn't refer to a microphone, as with most Shure pages. It refers to the Shure V-15 II, a stereo phono cartridge. The records on hand don't establish whether "15-II" was an informal shorthand for the V-15 II or a distinct catalog listing.
Here is what the period press does show. High Fidelity (May 1970, p.1) flagged "Shure's improved V-15 II cartridge" as one of its lab test reports. Audio (February 1967, p.60) pictured the V-15 II stereo cartridge in a technical feature. A later Audio retrospective (August 1973, p.22) noted that the V-15 II's trackability was substantially improved by moving the mechanical resonance up to 20 kHz. The earlier V-15 I, by comparison, would have had difficulty tracking material in the 15 kHz region. The same article observed that when Shure went on to design the V-15 III, the old body could not simply be kept. A completely new cartridge body was required to match the higher-trackability stylus.
Beyond that, the record is thin. Production years, original price and a full specification sheet for the 15-II have not surfaced in the available documentation.
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