@@ -1527,16 +1527,8 @@ OBJECT_to_@TOTYPE@(void *input, void *output, npy_intp n,
  * #oskip = 1*18,(PyArray_DESCR(aop)->elsize)*3,1*2,
  *          1*18,(PyArray_DESCR(aop)->elsize)*3,1*2,
  *          1*18,(PyArray_DESCR(aop)->elsize)*3,1*2#
- * #convert = 1*18, 0*3, 1*2,
- *            1*18, 0*3, 1*2,
- *            0*23#
- * #convstr = (Int*9, Long*2, Float*4, Complex*3, Tuple*3, Long*2)*3#
  */
 
-#if @convert@
-
-#define IS_@from@
-
 static void
 @from@_to_@to@(void *input, void *output, npy_intp n,
         void *vaip, void *aop)
@@ -1550,41 +1542,10 @@ static void
     int oskip = @oskip@;
 
     for (i = 0; i < n; i++, ip+=skip, op+=oskip) {
-        PyObject *new;
         PyObject *temp = PyArray_Scalar(ip, PyArray_DESCR(aip), (PyObject *)aip);
         if (temp == NULL) {
             return;
         }
-
-#if defined(NPY_PY3K) && defined(IS_STRING)
-        /* Work around some Python 3K */
-        new = PyUnicode_FromEncodedObject(temp, "ascii", "strict");
-        Py_DECREF(temp);
-        temp = new;
-        if (temp == NULL) {
-            return;
-        }
-#endif
-        /* convert from Python object to needed one */
-        {
-            PyObject *args;
-
-            /* call out to the Python builtin given by convstr */
-            args = Py_BuildValue("(N)", temp);
-#if defined(NPY_PY3K)
-#define PyInt_Type PyLong_Type
-#endif
-            new = Py@convstr@_Type.tp_new(&Py@convstr@_Type, args, NULL);
-#if defined(NPY_PY3K)
-#undef PyInt_Type
-#endif
-            Py_DECREF(args);
-            temp = new;
-            if (temp == NULL) {
-                return;
-            }
-        }
-
         if (@to@_setitem(temp, op, aop)) {
             Py_DECREF(temp);
             return;
@@ -1593,36 +1554,6 @@ static void
     }
 }
 
-#undef IS_@from@
-
-#else
-
-static void
-@from@_to_@to@(void *input, void *output, npy_intp n,
-        void *vaip, void *aop)
-{
-    @fromtyp@ *ip = input;
-    @totyp@ *op = output;
-    PyArrayObject *aip = vaip;
-
-    npy_intp i;
-    int skip = PyArray_DESCR(aip)->elsize;
-    int oskip = @oskip@;
-
-    for (i = 0; i < n; i++, ip+=skip, op+=oskip) {
-        PyObject *temp = PyArray_Scalar(ip, PyArray_DESCR(aip), (PyObject *)aip);
-        if (temp == NULL) {
-            return;
-        }
-        if (@to@_setitem(temp, op, aop)) {
-            Py_DECREF(temp);
-            return;
-        }
-        Py_DECREF(temp);
-    }
-}
-
-#endif
 
 /**end repeat**/
 
 
@@ -39,22 +39,36 @@ def test_repr_roundtrip():
     assert_equal(np.longdouble(repr(o)), o, "repr was %s" % repr(o))
 
 
-def test_unicode():
-    np.longdouble(u"1.2")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(string_to_longdouble_inaccurate, reason="Need strtold_l")
+def test_repr_roundtrip_bytes():
+    o = 1 + LD_INFO.eps
+    assert_equal(np.longdouble(repr(o).encode("ascii")), o)
 
 
-def test_string():
-    np.longdouble("1.2")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(string_to_longdouble_inaccurate, reason="Need strtold_l")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("strtype", (np.str_, np.bytes_, str, bytes))
+def test_array_and_stringlike_roundtrip(strtype):
+    """
+    Test that string representations of long-double roundtrip both
+    for array casting and scalar coercion, see also gh-15608.
+    """
+    o = 1 + LD_INFO.eps
 
+    if strtype in (np.bytes_, bytes):
+        o_str = strtype(repr(o).encode("ascii"))
+    else:
+        o_str = strtype(repr(o))
 
-def test_bytes():
-    np.longdouble(b"1.2")
+    # Test that `o` is correctly coerced from the string-like
+    assert o == np.longdouble(o_str)
 
+    # Test that arrays also roundtrip correctly:
+    o_strarr = np.asarray([o] * 3, dtype=strtype)
+    assert (o == o_strarr.astype(np.longdouble)).all()
 
-@pytest.mark.skipif(string_to_longdouble_inaccurate, reason="Need strtold_l")
-def test_repr_roundtrip_bytes():
-    o = 1 + LD_INFO.eps
-    assert_equal(np.longdouble(repr(o).encode("ascii")), o)
+    # And array coercion and casting to string give the same as scalar repr:
+    assert (o_strarr == o_str).all()
+    assert (np.asarray([o] * 3).astype(strtype) == o_str).all()
 
 
 def test_bogus_string():