Cart for Basis Debut/Graham?

The Shelter 501 would be a good way to go if you want bass, though I prefer the overall sound of the Dynavector 17DmkII. Both of those cartridges will be substantially better than the Shure. You might also consider whatever Benz Micro has to offer in your price range - A.J. Conti has a lot of good things to say about both Dynavector and Benz.

Ngeorge - I too was surprised that I wasn't more impressed with the set-up. However, other than one particularly good-sounding LP, everything up to this point has been so-so. No buyers remorse though, as I realize that both the table and arm are first-rate. Could be the cartridge/arm set-up.

James & Esoxhntr - thank you both for your input. It would appear from your comments that the Shelter 501 is in the running. Esoxhntr reminded me that I should probably contact A.J. Conti and ask for his suggestions too. Thanks guys.

A couple of opinions I would like to make.

One, you were the lucky guy who just snagged that off Audiogon, huh?! (Great price.)

Two, it appears to me, that you are running a very, very good turntable, with a very good tone arm, and yet you are using merely a good phono preamp and a pretty good cartridge. I think you need to upgrade both myself of those first. (The rest of your system is very impressive, btw!)

In fact, I think you should get the phono preamp first. I would recommend getting a used Aesthetix Rhea. These go for around $2,500 used. (My opinion is to not skimp on the amplification end of things, and judging by your choice of the Viva, I appears you agree that amplification is very important.) There are lots of other phono preamps that sound as good, or almost as good as the Rhea. However, very few are as flexible, and as easy to use as the Rhea. (You can adjust both the gain and the loading, from a remote control, so you can really dial in whatever cartridge you happen to be using. And since picking a cartridge is really a matter of taste, it might take you two or three or more to finally find your "perfect" cartridge. This will facilitate your search.)

In trying to keep with your budget though, (and to answer your original question), I would suggest a used Koetsu Rosewood (or better yet, a Rosewood Signature). These can be had for around $1,000-1,200. Or if you can stretch it a bit more, a used Shelter 90X can be found for around $1,500. Both of these cartridges are a bit on the warm side, especially the Koetsus. (The Shelter 90X will do justice to this system, as it has really good frequency extension, and it has really good mid-range. The Koetsus on the other hand, not great frequency extension, especially in the bass, but they have that mid-range magic that will charm you.)

Anyway, my opinions on the matter.
Good Luck in your search!

I will agree with Kurt tank and go even further. With a serious system such as you have you should eventually consider something like the Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum. This will give the frequency extension missing in the non-platinum Koetsu's while keeping that "mid-range magic"

Whatever you get now, consider it a stop gap measure if you want to match the analog part of your system with worthy quality cartridge and phonoamp. You might also consider the Wavestream Kinetics Phonoamp which I have...It is terrific at about a similar price point as the Rhea.

HI Kenl,

I tend to agree with Kurt_tank based on my experiences with a highly modified 834P. This is a really good phono stage for the money. It does suffer roll off at both extremes and is warm and veiled compared to other phono stages. Last year the upgrade bug hit me when a Rhea came up in the listings. The differences where significant. Bass slam that will rival any digital source, not as warm as the EAR but to me this was a good thing. Timbre and dynamics in spades over the EAR. But at 3 times the price the Rhea should have these things over the EAR. It is very probable that your new Debut is being held back substantially.

I'm not intimately familiar with the Debut but I have owned a 2001 and currently own a 2500, along way off from a Debut but good enough to get the strengths of the Basis line. I can tell you that you should be feeling bass in your chest, voices eerily clear and right in the room, and small bells and cymbals that just hang in the air. Since you're currently using the V15VxMR I don't think the arm is an issue right now, but you could also improve your analog setup in no small way with a Vector tonearm. I have a Graham 2.2 and a Model 1 Vector. No, the Vector doesn't come with easy adjustment like some arms, but I have not found a situation yet that the Vector cannot breeze through without any re-adjustment needed. There is a very strong synergy with the Basis arms and tables. The 2.2 can do many things but seems to need more tweaking to get tracking and dynamics right. It also seems more sensitive to cartridge choice. Admittedly I don't have years of experience with the 2.2 but after trying for many hours I can say that the 2.2 does not handle a 103R as well as the Vector. However, I do enjoy my Benz Glider on the 2.2 and this cartridge should work well on your 1.5. This could be one to add to your list.