Yes Sean, I agree that the Denon 103 is a tough cartridge to get the right match for. But I believe it is worth it, because then you can get awesome sound for very little money in your cartridge. This allows more to be spent on the quality arm that is needed, but still gives low replacement cost for cartridges.
As a person who has actually tried and used all of these cartridges personally, the Denon is the best low cost cartridge I know, and the Shelter 501 is the same type of value at the $800 price point. I have the Shelter 501 on my rig right now, and it just replaced a DL103R. The Shelter is a significant step up from the Denon, which is saying quite alot, because the DL103R is a very very good sounding cartridge.
I also agree that the Lyra Helikon is an excellent cartridge, but is about the same level of performance as the Shelter 501, so I think that the Shelter is a far better value, considering the costs of the Shelter($800) and Lyra($2000). And remember that the Lyra Helikon is one of the best cartridges around, and the Shelter competes well with it, at a much lower price. This is outstanding value.
Also totally agree that the ZYX Fuji is one of the best sounding cartridges available. I would definitely get one of those over a Helikon, at the same price of $2k. But my tastes would lean a little more toward the Shelter 901, which is just as good, and only $1500. For an arm that can't easily handle a low-compliance cartridge, I think the ZYX Fuji is the cartridge to beat at this end of the scale. The Shelter 901 has a bigger sound, and is better on the bass, and in larger scale music. The Fuji is perhaps slightly more delicate, and slightly better for smaller scale music. They are both very close, and could be considered as the 2 best cartridges available. If anything is better, it is very little better, and may simply be a personal taste issue. In any case, anything that MIGHT be any better will cost way more than twice as much as either of these.
As a person who has actually tried and used all of these cartridges personally, the Denon is the best low cost cartridge I know, and the Shelter 501 is the same type of value at the $800 price point. I have the Shelter 501 on my rig right now, and it just replaced a DL103R. The Shelter is a significant step up from the Denon, which is saying quite alot, because the DL103R is a very very good sounding cartridge.
I also agree that the Lyra Helikon is an excellent cartridge, but is about the same level of performance as the Shelter 501, so I think that the Shelter is a far better value, considering the costs of the Shelter($800) and Lyra($2000). And remember that the Lyra Helikon is one of the best cartridges around, and the Shelter competes well with it, at a much lower price. This is outstanding value.
Also totally agree that the ZYX Fuji is one of the best sounding cartridges available. I would definitely get one of those over a Helikon, at the same price of $2k. But my tastes would lean a little more toward the Shelter 901, which is just as good, and only $1500. For an arm that can't easily handle a low-compliance cartridge, I think the ZYX Fuji is the cartridge to beat at this end of the scale. The Shelter 901 has a bigger sound, and is better on the bass, and in larger scale music. The Fuji is perhaps slightly more delicate, and slightly better for smaller scale music. They are both very close, and could be considered as the 2 best cartridges available. If anything is better, it is very little better, and may simply be a personal taste issue. In any case, anything that MIGHT be any better will cost way more than twice as much as either of these.