Shelter and Triplanar matching ?

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

In your opinion how many hours before retipping a cartridge ?

I have not put enough hours on any high end cartridge to know from my own experience. If you search Vinyl Asylum you'll find hundreds of posts from people who have. People report anything from 1,000 to 3,000 hours.

In theory, conical styli wear fastest, elliptical styli last longer, fine line and micro-ridge syli last longest.

Not all manufacturers retip/rebuild their cartridges. Koetsu, ZYX and some others do. Shelter does not. Aftermarket companies *might* retip a Shelter, but I don't know that for sure. If they won't, then when the stylus wears out the cartridge is a throwaway.

How much does it cost for an AIRY 3 and for a UNIverse?

In the US the best prices for a ZYX are from Mehran of SoraSound, who sells here on Audiogon.
- Airy 3 $2,350
- UNIverse $4,950

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgcart&1142247849

In other countries an Airy 3 can be bought from the distributor or their dealers. You'd have to ask them their prices.

The UNIverse can *only* be bought from Mehran (see link above). He underwrote its development and has worldwide distribution rights. This is a good thing, not a bad one. Mehran is one of the nicest, most honest and most generous people you will ever meet.

[quote]Do you still use your SUT Bent AUDIO with the UNIverse?

We did until two months ago, with quite satisfactory results. Then we got a new preamp with an MC phono stage that's better than the Bent SUT's. See my system for details. The Bent's are very good for the money, but they can be bettered if you spend enough.

Dear André: Due to your music priorities I think that you should put on your cartridge list: Dynavector XV-1, Allaerts MC2 Finish and Transfiguration W/V. Well the Colibrí too but this cartridge is for a " patience " people. Btw, Allaerts give a 10,000 hours on their cartridges.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.