Shelter 501 versus Soundsmith Zephr ?

The 501 II does not work that well in my 9 sig in my opinion. Has a sometimes noticable upper mids peak and somewhat weak bottom end. Also has somewhat of a sibilance issue that can be moderated with a headshell weight from VPI.

I think it is not a good match for the 9 Sig. BTW, when you say JMW, you need to be specific. There are many variations.

Good Luck,
Robert

I had a 501 II in my VPI Classic with the standard JWM arm - it was ok, but unlike Robob above I actually found it to be too warm for my liking.

Haven't heard the Zephyr, but had another cart (Sumiko Blackbird) retipped by SoundSmith, and when it came back I was amazed by how good it sounded. I'm still using it (and have since sent the 501 II to them for retipping, though I've set it aside as a backup and haven't installed it since it came back).

Shelters are not good in VPI arms... Zephyr is much better for this application.

I just installed my Zephyr this evening on my Scout with std JMW9. I saw it here for sale last week, and thought I would give it spin out of curiosity.

Super easy to set up, no skating issues, and sounds BIG. Quite a bit more bass and detail than the 10 x 5 that has been installed for a few years. I have read on and on in these forums on how difficult it is to set up the Std JMW9. Either I am damn good, or just lucky. Half hour and enjoying.