Shelter 501 versus Soundsmith Zephr ?

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.

my JMW is a 10.0 on an Aries 1 turntable. Just re-wired the tonearm with VPI's regular wire but my junction box got the nordhost valhally wire.

Now I am considering the SMMC1 which has a class A rating, and today just heard a Benz Glider S Low output which also sounded very good, but I have not yet heard any soundsmith cartridges although I started out way back with a Shure and have used Grado. I think moving iron sound must be somewhat different from low output moving coil sound, perhaps nuance versus image solidity and size??

It sounds so far from your responses like a soundsmith may be a better choice even though Shelter and Benz make great cartridges.

The effective mass of my JMW 10.0 according to Mike at VPI is 10.7 grams plus the weight of the screws so around 11 grams which is on the very low end of a medium mass tonearm.

Bluelight988,

Did you call SS? If so, what did He/they say?

Thanks,
Robob

I have owned and used both the Shelter 501-II and Soundsmith SMMC1 cartridges your rig - Aries 1 and JMW10 arm. I was not fond of the 501-II stereo cartridge.JMW arm combination. It's not so much that it was bad, as there were other combinations that were so much better IMHO.

It's hard to compare the Soundsmith to the Shelter (or other LOMC carts) because of the difference in design and the additional circuitry in the chain (SUT in my case). Needless to say, I think that the SMMC1 is one of (if not the) best bargain in a new cartridge. Is it the best cartridge I have ever owned or tried? No, but it gets you very close to the ultimate, and having a more expensive cartridge requires you (or at least, me) to improve everything else in the chain to the point of economic unfeasability.

Knowing what I know now, if I still owned the Aries 1 I would order a pair of Soundsmith Zephyr cartridges; one for stereo and one for mono, and be done with it. But that's if it were me.

I ordered an SMMC1 and it is due to arrive at my house in 2 days from today on May 6th so after I set it up and play it for a number of hours I will give you my initial impressions. I am looking forward to it. I will be curious how this design sounds different from an MC cartrdige like the 501. I grew up on a shure cartridge used on a Pioneer PL 12-D turntable when I was a teenager. There was plenty of bass in that set up. Basie :)