MONO cartridge recommendation

@rossb I also own all the Coup Martzy’s (I’m not so rich that I can justify ERC prices) and love how they sound with my Zero. They also sound good with my Palladian but somehow there’s more vim with the Zero which suits the material. Have you tried them both ways and liked the stereo set up best?

Some other works, such as the recent 45rpm Pet Sounds, seem to work better with the stereo cartridge. I have two arms and so can make comparisons easily. Still great to have the dedicated mono for the older stuff in any case.

folkfreak, I am a little embarrassed to say that I have hardly listened to the Martzy set, even though it is the most expensive LP set I own! I haven't done a serious mono/stereo comparison, so I will make some time this afternoon to do that, with the Shelter 501 mono against the Etna SL.

Actually, it would make more sense to compare the LPs using a Shelter 501 mono vs a Shelter 501 Stereo with the same phono stage. The only variable then would be mono vs stereo version of the same cartridge. Fortunately, I have both versions of the Shelter 501 and my EAR 912 preamp has two phono  inputs. But that comparison will unfortunately have to wait until my new arm arrives in a few weeks.

That’s the problem in most of these comparisons. The basic cartridge is different. Not surprising that a cart costing 5 times as much (as in my Palladian vs the Zero) can drag out some more detail, but often the cheaper Zero is more sympatico. Anyway the 501 comparisons are just the way to go, would love to hear your results 

I've just listened to the Martzy LP of the Mendelssohn concerto with Kletzki on Coup d'archet. First, the Etna SL (with and without mono switch engaged), then the Shelter 501 mono, then back to the Etna SL.

It wasn't even close. The stereo Etna SL has more extended highs, a more natural tone and a very sweet tonal balance. The Shelter 501 mono sounded flatter, duller and just less engaging. As a new LP, surface noise was not a factor.

The mono switch on my preamp hinted at the result, since engaging it with the Etna SL immediately removed some high frequency information and dulled the sound slightly, so the result from the mono cartridge was not really a surprise.

Of course, the Etna SL is a much better cartridge than the Shelter 501, and it is on the better of my two turntables and arms. Even allowing for this, the result was pretty clear.

Soon I will be able mount both the stereo and mono versions of the Shelter 501 on similar arms on the same turntable, and that will be a more interesting comparison. But I suspect I know what the outcome will be, at least with this particular record.