Denon, Shelter arm choices

Joe,

I'll third the descriptions and kudo's for the 901. If neutrality, transparency, detail, harmonic integrity, speed, physical presence and endless extension at both ends interest you, this cartridge has all of it. It's alive yet non-fatiguing at the same time. With a solid table and a suitable arm the 901 is the cat's ass. Even a slightly crooked one like mine is jaw-dropping.

Be prepared to adjust VTF constantly. We hear differences with changes of .04g or less depending on the weather. Since January our typical VTF has dropped from 1.95g to 1.70, setting entirely by ear every time we listen. The easy way to do VTF on a Rega 250 is to add Twl's HIFI mod (get it from Tom) and then add my VTF-on-the-fly mod to that. If you have to move the counterweight to tune VTF you'll quickly tire of it, and you'll never get the most from a 901. Believe me, this is critical.

Also be prepared to adjust VTA, possibly for every record if you're a picky classical listener as we are. The magic of a 901 playing a large orchestra is indescribable, but you must set VTA perfectly to achieve it. Changes of .04mm (1/24th of a turn on the Expressimo VTA collar) make the difference between a flat presentation and a staggeringly 3-D one.

Finally, be prepared to have your records really clean. It may be partly due to our wood platter, but a properly set up 901 will play everything that's on a record, whether it belongs there or not.

I haven't heard any good arms except my modded OL Silver, so take the following FWIW. My current #1 dream arm would be a Kuzma Air Line, which "only" costs twice what my Teres 265 did. My dream pivoting arm for a 901 would be either a Schroeder Reference or a Triplanar. Any of these should be wonderful with a 901 or similar cartridges. A Basis Vector should play a 901 well but changing VTA on a Vector is a pain. I wouldn't put a 901 on a Graham myself, too many reports of loose bass for me to risk that kind of dough. Too bad, since in every other respect it's a wonderful choice. Maybe the new Graham Phantom?

BTW, what happened to "I'm on a budget"?! ;-)

Doug,

Budget, you're kidding, right? If you remeber when I started to go higher end vinyl about 8 months ago, I wanted to do it all for 2k. Man, that was some good single malt that night!!!!

That said, I must say that I have been able to find some very good deals, like the one on the Microgroove, then the Supratek. Also being able to build stuff saved me a ton. But as we all know this hobby can get out of hand. Besides, do I remember correctly something about a Lorricraft?

I guess I just figured there was no point in doing it half-assed. I looked at all kind of goofy arms & tables & other stuff that the fine people here talked me out of. Once it was explained why one thing works well and is "better" than another, I tended to follow the advice. So, as I get the extra cash, I upgrade.

Plus, I have just as much fun tweaking. Your VTF mod works great, even without the HiFi mod, which I may put on tonight. Can't wait to finally hear it for myself. Also, there is a new VTA adjuster out there. Look here:

VTAF

I think I'll give it a shot too. I can't stand that skinny little blue VTA adjuster. That's one of the reasons I went with cones under my armboard. Believe it or not, they are less of a pain in the ass to use!

As for cartridges, I also saw someone we know has a 501II listed here. Since I kick myself every time I think about not buying the arm he had for sale before, I probably need to get this. David, are you listening? But, I will end up with a 901 sooner or later. The only other cartridge I am really even considering is a Rosewood Plarinum Signature, and it is my second choice.

So, I really wanted to know what arms not to look for, so if I come across a good deal I can just go ahead and but it. I really like the looks of the SME V, want the performance of the Kuzma, the adjustability of the Triplanar, and if there was EVER a deal on an Illustrious....

Like I've said before, the main impediment is too much going on. Trying to figure out how much lead my new design wood clamp needs, graing matching red coconut palm, and trying to find a machine shop to help me prototype a bearing all help keep me busy, on top of running a business. One of the guys on the Teres forum has a great bearing design, similar to the Teres but inverted. The last 2 shops I talked to want $2500 to prototype it for me. Jeez, I need to buy a lathe!

What I really need to do is get the two-armed plinth done, so I can make all of these comparisons side-by-side. Until that's done, I'll just keep looking, and buy stuff when the right deal comes along, and I have some spare cash.

Once again, David, am I too late?

Joe

The Morch tonearm looks good; the more expensive one. With silver wiring it is about 2 large. Supposedly works well with all sort of cartridges inc low compliance MC units. Interchangeable arm wands are a Wonderful Thing.

Available from the same outfit that sells the Scheu/Eurolab tables. These arms can be fitted to the table prior to shipment if one is purchasing a Eurolab table.

Carl

Dear friend: I own the Shelter 901 and the 90X, both are great on the SME IV. I own, too, the KOETSU RSP and this one is an exelent match to an Audiocraft AC 4400.
Regards.
Raul.