Shelter and Triplanar matching ?


HELLO

I have problems to match a shelter 901 with a tri planar VII.

Lot of records ( above all piano LP ) are playing tremulous and I can see the tonearm CLEARLY SHAKING on the record while playing it as if it could be a problem of resonance between the cartridge and the tonearm .

I have seen here and there that the Shelter was a LOW COMPLIANCE cartridge (I don't know the exact value).Its weight is 9,5 g.

I have choosed the maxi VTF : 2 g.


I am afraid that the TP is too light for the shelter.Its effective mass is 11 g,
Is it enough for the Shelter 901 ?

I am surprised because the Shelter 901 / Tri Planar seemed to be a combination used buy some audiophiles...without modification .

Could someone give me some help...

Thank you

Tenmus
tenmus
Some of my Lp ( most of them are second handed) have a succession of tiny waves
Yikes!
On these records of course the TP / Shelter still shakes but I think now that it is normal ... I only didn't hear it with the Rega /audio note because it was less transparent and perhaps (???) the TP/Shelter has less tolerance than the Rega / audio note when reading a bad record .
Well, the TP is one of the great tracking arms, certainly much better than my OL Silver, which is similar to your Rega. But I don't have any records quite as bad as what you described.

The Shelter is quite new... but I effectively already think to go farther perhaps with a Zyx ( wich model to really feel a difference?) or the Shelter 90 X or a Koetsu ( Rosewood ) ...I don't know wich one would match the best the TP
A ZYX is a better theoretical match for a TP than a Shelter or Koetsu. But it's also important to ask this: What kind of music do you play? Can you describe your sonic goals? What do you like best (and least) about your 901?

You apparently haven't heard a ZYX or Koetsu, but they are very different from a Shelter and also from each other. You will hear major differences between all of these.

You tell me that the Tp 's wire is copper , is it a problem if the two next modulation wires( From step up to preamp and from preamp to amplifiers)
are pure silver ( audio note AN V).
Would it be better to have exactly the same wire ( discovery) everywhere?
It's certainly not a "problem". It's just a matter of sound. I haven't tried all silver wire so I can't say what differences you would hear. Even those who have tried it might not know how it would sound in *your* system. With wire, tubes, resonance control, cartridge setup and other "tweaks", hearing in your own system is really the only way.
Dear André: +++++ " are pure silver ( audio note AN V).
Would it be better to have exactly the same wire ( discovery) everywhere? " +++++

The important issue here is not if it is cooper or silver or both, the important subject is which one is more: neutral/natural than the others. My experience with tonearm wires tell me that the silver ones ( at least what I try ) are better specially the Audio Note one, is a little expensive but it is really great, you can't go wrong with it.

Now, about what you are thinking on cartridges I think that with your TP you could choose with freedom any top cartridge.
I agree with Doug about the importance on your music bias because different manufacturer cartridges have different music presentation.
Btw, the Io is truly great and I don't know why the people in this forum never talk about. You can add to your cartridge list: Dynavector, Allaerts and Transfiguration.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
DOUG

You are completly right , the best solution is to try every equipment in your own system before buying.

Unfortunately that's quite impossible in France with all what concerns the Vinyl equipment: turntables ,cartridges, tonearms , step up or Head amps ...
because it's only interesting a few people and therefore it is not developped
by the sellers (excepted for budget equipment).

So it is difficult to describe my sonic goals as I have no precise references.
What I can say is that I want a sound wich is the more natural as possible(NO COLORATION at all) with the more details as possible ( no agressivity, no HARSHNESS) .

I am listening to 60% classical and 40% jazz .
I defer to Raul re: silver vs. copper wire, since copper is all I've heard. (One exception: copper coil ZYX's are more neutral than silver, and silver is more neutral than gold. This is not what I expected before I demoed them, but it is what I heard. Others have heard the same.)

What I can say is that I want a sound wich is the more natural as possible(NO COLORATION at all) with the more details as possible ( no agressivity, no HARSHNESS) .

I am listening to 60% classical and 40% jazz .
Well then, the good news is your present setup (901/TP) can be improved on a great deal. The 901 was slightly peaky on every arm I heard it on (except a Schroeder Ref). On a TP VII, Graham 2.2, Basis Vector and modded OL Silver it always overshot on leading edge transients. This gave it a lively but artificial character that would sometimes sound aggressive or harsh. Once you've heard a truly neutral cartridge a 901 becomes almost intolerable.

Forget Koetsu. Every one I've heard (up to the RSP) was colored. Many people love the Koetsu sound, but I was always concious of hearing the Koetsu, rather than the vocalists or instruments (especially instruments). The main characteristic is about the opposite of the 901. Transient leading edges are rolled off and smoothed. This makes the sound artificially pleasant, warm or sweet. (The silver and gold coils ZYX's do something similar.)

The regulars here all know what I'm going to recommend. Buy yourself a ZYX UNIverse-X-SB. It is a perfect match for your arm, a perfect match for your sonic goals, a perfect match for your musical tastes - all of which I share. Comparing it to a Shelter 901 would be ridiculous. The UNIverse is unimaginably superior. A ZYX Fuji, Airy 2 or Airy 3 would meet your needs better than a 901. A UNIverse will probably meet your needs for as long as you listen to music, or until you wear it out.

Please read the reviews linked next to my signature. They will give you many details.
Hi Doug

Read your rewiews ...It makes me dreaming

However could you answer those basics questions:

In your opinion how many hours before retipping a cartridge ?
How much does it cost for an AIRY 3 and for a UNIverse?
Do you still use your SUT Bent AUDIO with the UNIverse?

Thanks

André