SME V15
Not much is documented about the "SME V15" as a model of its own. The name sits where two companies meet: Shure's V15 moving-magnet cartridge and SME's precision tonearms. The period record treats them as a pair. The V15 cartridge and the SME 3009 / 3009 III arm show up side by side in the same equipment reviews, and at least one arm was badged "Shure/SME."
Audio (May 1981, p.44) printed the manufacturer's specifications for the V15 Type IV. It's a moving-magnet cartridge rated at 4 mV output (1 kHz, 5 cm/s horizontal) with 25 dB channel separation at 1 kHz. It was listed alongside the SME 3009 III, which has static balance, adjustable overhang and a 22.86 cm effective length. The cartridge's most distinctive feature was the Dynamic Stabilizer. Audio (June 1978, p.58) described it as a viscous-damped brush that cushioned the impact of a stylus drop, prevented bouncing, and dealt with the unwanted disturbances present on records.
The SME side is the better-documented half. High Fidelity (May 1966, p.70) reviewed the Shure/SME 3009 as a professional tonearm for manual turntables, priced at $100.50 and built by SME Ltd. of Steyning, Sussex. Later, High Fidelity (May 1970, p.43) covered Shure's improved V-15 and measured low-frequency resonance in the SME test arm well below 10 Hz, with compliance at 36 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne horizontally and 17.5 vertically. Audio (June 1981, p.65) supplied the backstory: Shure entered the high-fidelity magnetic cartridge market in the late 1950s and had introduced integrated tonearm/cartridge combinations by about 1959.
Nothing more is confirmed. Production dates and the exact status of an "SME V15" as a standalone product remain undocumented.
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