Shelter 901 MkII

has anyone managed to compare the orig. 901 against 901 mk.II? what are the key differences?

do these cartridges generally sound better on "modern" (tight tolerance) or "vintage" arms?

I have both 11flat6 (and the 90x). The mk 2 is a bit more refined all round than the mk1, and just as exciting to listen to, but there's not a great deal in it, in my experience.

thks for the insight Sprog. i am however a bit confused abt the "there's not a great deal in it" remark... were you referring to the cart's value for money?

There's not that much of a difference, it's just marginally better in all areas than the Mk1. With new Mk1's available for as little as 1200 dollars and the Mk2 costing twice as much, it's a huge amount more for little additional improvement, from my experience. If both mine got nicked (or something) I'd replace the Mk1 only.

Haven't heard the MkII but the Shelter 901 MkI is one of my all time favorite pieces of hifi gear. In a Linn Ittok LVII arm on a LP12 with good tube gear and good speakers it can be almost breathtakingingly delightful (that's very good :) from the very low end thru the mids to the very top end - with great imaging; it does everything.