Shelter 501MK II Cartridge In The House

[1KW]

Curiosity got the better of me and I had to have a Shelter 501 MKII . All the buzz on the internet about how good the Shelter was and how it compares performance wise to cartridges costing in the $3000 price range as well as multiple happy folks here mating it with a simillar to me SME tone arm got the better of me. I was actually very satisfied with the sound of the Dynavector 20 X and I still would highly recommend this cartridge to anyone looking to move from MM into a very good MC cartridge that has no buisness sounding as good as it does for almost 1/3 less than the shelter's price . On the contrary the Dynavector after about 30 albums sounded very very good.

My initial impression so far, is that the Shelter does indeed have a very "lush" midrange, vocals are silky smooth on the new Esperanza Spalding LP. I am still hearing lots of air between instruments and details in the high's maybe just a smidge less compared to the Dynavector so far but this may be to early to tell, not necessaryly a bad thing. Sometimes when I listened to falsetto voices I would hear a slight shrill sound that was a little bit off for a few seconds on the Dynavector. Playing the same track of Epseranza Spalding I am not detecting any of this now. What is the most pleasant surprise is that the bass is quite good at moderate volumes on the Shelter, not quite as good so far at lower volumes . I was afraid that the bass was not going to be as satisfing as the Dynavector, time will tell. I still need to listen to about 20-30 more LP's and let the cartridge break in to really do justice to a fair comparison. So far surface noise is more noticeable than the Dynavector which may have to do with stylus geometries.

[BearCubinNY]

David,
I'm glad that you're enjoying your trip down the rabbit hole. Give your new cart time to settle in. I'm sure there are many hours of enjoyment there. The Gyro SE is a nice table to experiment with. I threw a Clearaudio Stradivari V2 on it after having a Ortofon 2M Black and was blown away at the difference.

Enjoy every turn.

Reg

[jdandy]

David.......Playing 30 albums is insufficient time to break in any new cartridge. That aggregate total is barely 15 hours. Once you have 50+ hours on the Shelter 501 II the suspension will have had enough time to begin to settle into its natural state of compliance, although I think the break in period will probably extend beyond that time. You will need to play both sides of at least 100 albums before the Shelter will start to reveal its full performance potential. Pay the dues, and reap the rewards. Don't be impatient before developing a decision on the Shelter's sonic signature.

Your other option is to pack up the Gyro SE, SME 309, and the Shelter 501 II, and ship them to me. I have the patience to wait for that orchid to bloom.

[cmalak]

David...congrats on the new Shelter cart. Looking forward to hear what you think about it as compared to the Dynavector 20X once you have logged on some hours on both carts as Reg and Dan have pointed out

[1KW]

Here are few pictures

[jdandy]

David.......Beautiful photo. The Shelter looks superb on the SME 309. The Michell Gyro SE is very attractive. Thanks for letting us see it.

[jdandy]

David.......Your entire system is looking wonderful.


[IMG][/IMG]

[1KW]

Thanks Dan,

YOu had a big hand in everything that is in the rack. I think you recommended everything

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by 1KW

Thanks Dan,

YOu had a big hand in everything that is in the rack. I think you recommended everything

David.......I was just one of many trying to help you get where you wanted to be. I think you are there now.

[1KW]

I have to also thank everyone here for their recommendations . It has been a fun journey to get to this point. I usually like making one upgrade at a time so I get to appreciate the effect it has.