$800 Cartridge Shootout and Upgrade Path

If you like the Hadcock tonearm, I still wouldn't mark it off your list. The Hadcock with the Music Maker cartridge is a very, very good pairing. Heck, TWL gave the cart a good review and it wasn't even properly matched to the tonearm.

I am firmly of the belief that for the $2200 dollars spent on this tonearm and cartridge together, you would have to spend a bunch more to greatly exceed their performance.

Heard another great analog system last night as well. It was a Spacedeck with a Boston Audio Mat 1, Wave Mechanic power supply, Rega RB-1000 toneram, and a VDH Frog cart. Beautiful sounding vinyl rig.

My Spacedeck has the Hadcock and Music Maker Mk3 and a Living Voice Mystic Mat and it is extremely nice as well, wish I had the Wave Mechanic though.

But what I am getting at is that the other high class Spacedeck set-up I have heard which I had in my rig for two weeks was the Spacedeck with a Spacearm, Heavy Kit platter upgrade, and a Shelter 901 cart.

I would take either of the above two over the last combo in a second.

My thoughts and experiences so take it for what you will.
I guess I am just saying don't write off the Hadcock and Music Maker just because it is a moving iron cartridge.

Dear Artar1: Shelter 501 and 901. For the turntable: Acoustic Signature, please go to their website.
BTW, like you everyone thinks that Doug is really an expert in analog, but he told in this forum that he has only 13 months of experience in analog, the fact is that he likes to be in all threads ( water of all glasses ) with not a single own contribution, he is a inexpert man in analog, yet. Please read the Shroesder tonearm thread where you can confirm it.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Raul,
You and Doug have disagreed a number of times; that is no reason to make this personal attack. I find your efforts both unwarranted and offensive. There is no call for this behavior in this forum.
.

I would like to jump in here, if I may. I would like to keep this discussion friendly and helpful; I don't want this thread to deteriorate into an argument or to have it become personal. Please.

Maybe Dougdeacon is a quick study. He has a great system, he seems to know a lot, and he has helped me. Now, I am no genius nor am I an expert on anything, but Dougdeacon knows more about analog than I do, and I have 12 years of experience between 1974 to 1986. In those years, I did not advance my knowledge very much. I just played records. Now I would like to do a better job of setting up a turntable. I will only have one shot at this for a number of reasons. I don't want to make a bunch of dumb mistakes and lose a lot of money.

I am reading though what has been written here and I am reading other analog threads as well to learn even more.

Thanks

Artar, it is important to match the tonearm and cartridge well. If you want to use a "pretty" unipivot tonearm, then the ZYX will give a better match than the Shelter. In fact, the ZYX will be much more likely to match alot of other tonearms, due to its compliance rating of 15cu. When you get into the lower compliance cartridges like Shelter, Koetsu, Denon DL103, it is much more difficult to get a proper match with the currently available crop of tonearms.
I think the low compliance cartridges give the sound I like, but the ZYX cartridges are excellent, and they are easier to match to most tonearms.

Perhaps you can find a happy matchup with a nice pretty Morch or Schroeder, and a ZYX cartridge.