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Shure Discontinues Phono Products

Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 8:36 pm
by mediatechnology
For more than 90 years, Shure has been committed to manufacturing and delivering products of the highest quality, reliability, and value. This commitment requires consistency in materials, processes, and testing, as well the capacity to react to fluctuations in demand.

In recent years, the ability to maintain our exacting standards in the Phonograph Cartridge product category has been challenged, resulting in cost and delivery impacts that are inconsistent with the Shure brand promise.

In light of these conditions, and after thorough evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue production of Shure Phono products effective Summer 2018.
https://www.shure.eu/company/press/2018/phono-statement

Re: Shure Discontinues Phono Products

Posted: Sun May 27, 2018 9:10 am
by JR.
Must have been difficult to walk away from that kind of profit margin.

Back in the 1980s they approached me to buy one of my surround delay line kits to use in developing their own surround product. IIRC I horse traded them some MM phono carts for the kit and we were both happy.... :D They were probably happier getting my kit for a few dollars worth of raw material. :lol:

This seems contrary to the popular meme about vinyls comeback but reportedly a significant percentage of record buyers don't even own a record player, or play the records. Of course an untapped future market. :oops:

JR

Re: Shure Discontinues Phono Products

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:15 am
by Leswatts
I was a Shure phono cartridge development engineer in the early '80s. It was the big cash cow back then.

Les
http://lmwattstechnology.com/

Re: Shure Discontinues Phono Products

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 10:09 am
by JR.
Leswatts wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:15 am I was a Shure phono cartridge development engineer in the early '80s. It was the big cash cow back then.

Les
http://lmwattstechnology.com/
Hi--

Kind of like the iconic SM58 microphones that they still sell. Perhaps not quite as profitable as carts were but still a very good business. $100 retail, $40-50 wholesale, $10 cost (guess?). IIRC they've been making the cheap mics in Mexico for decades.

Lots of fake SMs coming in from China.

JR

Re: Shure Discontinues Phono Products

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:01 pm
by billshurv
Hi Les,

Welcome. As you 'were there' I have a few questions to tie up some loose ends over things that don't quite stack up over the way the V15 range worked. Would you be willing to field them?

Bill