Shortlist of best cartridges with VPI

I had excellent results with a Benz Glider L2 on the Aries 2 with JMW 10.5 until I traded up the the current Keotsu Urushi. This put it out "of the park" in terms of resolution, detail and extension. My listening tastes are similar to yours.

Depending on your budget........ I have had great results from my ZYX Airy 3S on my VPI Aries/JMW10. Before this, I had been using a Grado Statement Reference........ It was nice, but the ZYX is on another planet in another universe far far above it......

Look for a cart with medium compliance ffor the best match with your JMW. I have heard people recommending Lyra and Benz as well; comming down to personal tastes. If you do however want to go the ZYX route 'Agone member Sorasound should be your source.

Chris

Cipher- there are a lot of really good cartridges that work well with the VPI/JMW arm. I have the same table as you do and I use a Benz Silerv Reference cart, but I have had good success with Shelter 501 and 90X, Koetsu Urushi, and the Helikon from Lyra. You want to steer clear of cartridges that have less than 8gm weight on this arm, otherwise you need to use a seperate weight, which is a pain. You can't beat the Benx Silver Ref for being able to cut thru minor scratches and surface noise with very minimal clicks and pops, but any of the above cartridges would be terrific. Have FUN - John

shelter 501 mkII. the sig arm is perfect for it. if you can deal with the long break in, you won't look back.

i've also used and loved the sumiko celebration.