Help with cartridge selection

Dlwask I agree 100% - any cartridge's performance is influenced by the arm, table and the accuracy of set up.

93cobra I would suggest the 17D2 has the potential to be ideal for you. It's design concept (short diamond cantilever) is original allowing it to faithfully retrieve information from the groove.

I think that if you buy one you could then have a lot of fun working with the other variables to tune in the sound you want.

Look into a Lyra Dorian.

I heard one on a Scout w/ JMW 9 at Brooks Berdan's store a month ago and it sounded damn good. Granted, Brooks is famous for squeezing the best possible performance out an overall system, so there were probably several other factors in the sound.

That setup sure sounded smooth and detailed. Of course, he had a Hovland HP-100 tube preamp and Rogue Zeus amp downstream - that's an awful lot of tubes. The Dorian might sound a little more lean in your SS setup.

Anyway, for $800 it might be worth looking into.

I have to disagree with Mustang - the 501 is a great unipivot cartridge. Almost every table I have heard it on has a unipivot arm. It is heavy though, but most everyone knows to stay away from cheap unipivots anyway.