Technics SL1200MK2 Cartridge Discussion

The Shelter 501 Mk 2 works without the fluid damper but you owe it to yourself to put the fluid damper on as it provides the biggest improvement in the arm. I ran the Shelter without but after hearing my old table with the fluid damper on I probably wouldn't have sold my Technics. I used the stock headshell and didn't need the extra weight on the back of the arm, but with a heavier headshell the extra weight would be required.
The Denon 103 requires another 3gram brass weight on top of the cart if I remember correctly and the rear weight. The Denon 103's require a really good MC phonostage or a step transformer to sound their best as they are ~.2 mv, whereas the Shelter is .4mv and that's a lot of difference, plus you could get interference from EMI/RFI if you haven't used a low output MC, so remember you might have to spend more on the phonostage to get the most out of the Denon. The Shelter has a much more neutral presentation and way tighter bass, plus the Shelter has a better elliptical stylus and won't wear your records with it's 1.85gram loading versus the 2.4-2.6grams I think the Denon needs and it has a conical stylus.

but after hearing my old table with the fluid damper on I probably wouldn't have sold my Technics.

Do you think it would be competitive with your Clearaudio?

Drubin: First off THE SL1200's are a bargain and provide a base unit that can be upgraded to pretty stellar results. I intend to buy another SL1200 and mod everything on it and it will still cost less than getting a second tonearm on a high end table. I will do a comparison, but that will have to wait till next year after the bleeding on my analog upgrade has done to my finances.

The SL1200 in my setup with all the mods wouldn't be competitive because of the glass top shelf on my rack. You could rest your hand on the top and feel each string being plucked.. spooky weird. MY SL1200 sounded great on my last $2500 rack on the top shelf but looked really bad in my room. The Clearaudio Ambient provides a constrained layering plinth that dampens all vibration so that I can rap my knuckles on the glass top while listening at ultra loud volumes and nothing is heard. My 5" diameter rear bass port sits level a couple feet away and they don't disturb my table unlike everthing else I've owned so far. The Ceramic Magnet Bearing is stunning and the built in Syncro Power regenerator locks my speed in at 33.3 or 45 just like a direct drive... I considered buying an Technics SP10 MkII and putting a Graham arm on it in a custom plinth but I waited for like 6 months looking for a clean one with no luck (ebay and audiogon).... The Clearaudio tonearm and continous wiring is stunning compared even to the cardas wiring because it has so many splices... I could go on but I don't want to side track this great thread.. it's about the SL1200

send me a PM if you would like to talk differences offline...

Cytocycle,

So I take it that the fluid damper and arm rewire are a really good idea if I go with the Shelter.

I put an older Micro MC 80 Cart on and it is a pretty big junp in performance, even with the factory wires and no damper.

Tigerwoodkhorns: I think people recommend the rewire if you don't have the M5G version which has the better cabling (which is what I had). I can't speak for how it sounds with the stock wiring for the other versions.

I think the fluid damper should be an upgrade every SL1200 should have with ANY cart. My buddy is using it with a $90 cart and it made a big difference..

The Shelter 501 mk2 tracked fine and sounded great on my SL1210 M5G without the fluid damper so it's not required. So if you had to do it in stages get the arm re-wired first, buy yourself a cart and enjoy, and when funds happen get the fluid damper and re-discover your whole vinyl collection with each upgrade.