Need to replace a Benz glider series 1 HELP

The best money spent for a cart in that range is the Shelter 501. You will need your step-up device, and the sound of this cart will knock you on your ass. You will not believe that you can get a cart this good for that kind of money. The modified RB250 is a good match for it. It is $800 from the US distributor, or $650 plus shipping from Japan. Nothing at this price can touch it. I have recommended this cart to several Audiogon members, and they all have emailed me after they got it and thanked me for turning them on to it. One said,"I couldn't believe that there was that much more information on my records!" The 501 will pulverize the Glider. Not even in the same ballpark. You will no longer be thinking "lean" or "warm", you'll just be thinking "Wow!"

TWL, I have been hearing some lately on this 501 shelter, and you seem to know much about it. Your post here is making me go wow! what is this 501 shelter? How is it in comparisan to the lyra's (clavis d.c., for instance), what is the output? What does it sound like? Who makes it? Would it be an upgrade, from say, the better benz's or lyra's? Where do you rate it?

The Shelter 901 might be substantially better than the 501 for a couple hundred more, or so I've heard. Maybe TWL could shed some light on this.

Ben- I, too, am surprised that you found the Benz a little lean. Most find Benz skewed strongly toward warm. Perhaps you are trying to describe some other performance aspect that you are trying to address? Maybe you are looking for more/less/different low frequency? Your penultimate sentence suggests that you find the Benz to be "dark sounding", which conflicts with "lean"- perhaps you could clarify what you are looking for?

Regards
Jim

Basement do you thank VTA would have any thing to do with the Benz being lean . Jerrmie at musical surroundings just told me that the glider sounds best with a little sag on the rear of the arm. I had the arm level. I did not no this before. I will get it back from from my dealer.And try this befor I give up on the Glider...

Bj, yes an incorrect VTA angle can make the bass sound lean.

Basement, the 501 is made by Shelter in Japan. It is distributed by EIFL Japan over there and you can order it from them. The new US distributor is Axxis. Wavelength Audio used to do it, they may have some stock left.

Now, as far as the sound goes, people have different tastes on this stuff, so I will give my opinion. In my opinion, the Shelter 501 is the best cartridge under $1500. At $1500, you can get the Shelter 901 which is one of the best cartridges at any price. They are "old style" low output MC in the vein of the Koetsu, with low compliance, and not "tilted" forward in the treble like alot of todays MCs. I like the classic MC sound, and maybe others will like to modern "hot" stuff. You will need a step-up device, as the output is .4mv, and you need impedance loading capability. You need a good gimbal-bearing arm for these. If you put them in a unipivot, and they don't work well, don't complain to me about it. I have had some people tell me a unipivot will handle anything, and I don't agree.

There is a funny little story about the 501 that happened a while back. An importer decided to re-body the 501, and called it the "Crown Jewel". It cost $2695. It was reviewed by Stereophile as Class A, and one of the best carts they had heard. When some people started noticing the similarity to the 501, it came out that it was just a re-body of an $800 cartridge. The importer was embarrassed and stopped doing it. The cart came off the Class A list. But the bottom line is that the Shelter 501 is still giving that same sound quality as the $2695 Class A Crown Jewel. The magazines won't review the Shelter carts because they kill the carts that spend big money on advertising.

My upgrade path as best sound for $ is, Denon DL103($200), Shelter 501($800), Shelter 901($1500).