Shelter cartridges...Any thoughts?

I have Nottingham (Spacedeck)/Origin Live(Illustrious)/Shelter(501 MkII).

Fabulous.

I have heard both the 901 and 501 in the Illustrious. They are, IMHO, equally fine cartridges, depending on tastes. I find the 901 a bit more detailed while the 501 has a certain warmth (not dark) that makes me sometimes have a hard time deciding between the two. Either way, they are fine cartridges and I think they both best the Helikon (which I have heard on several occasions). If buying an OL arm, I advise to inspect it thoroughly before purchase. Great performance. Uneven QC. IMHO

With a proper arm, you can't go wrong with a Shelter cartridge. I agree with Craig, and with David's assessment above. I use a 501 and like it very much. I use a modified OL Silver tonearm with it. They make a good match, OL/Shelter.

Of course, there are other good cartridges, but Shelter is very tough to beat for the money.

My only thought is that you can't have mine, though you're certainly welcome to come over and listen!

Shelter 901/OL Silver/Twl's HIFI Mod/Teres 265

Agree with David on OL's QC, but not to worry if you buy new from a reputable source. OL stands behind the product. I received a wonky VTA adjuster with my new arm and it was replaced lickety-split.

The table it would be going into is a VPI hw19mk4(all tnt mods) with a ET 2.5 arm...if that makes any difference. I think that the mass ratio for the arm/cartridge will work...and it sounds like this thing is worth giving a try. I was very impressed with the Helikon's sound on many tables at Brooks Berdan's shop in the LA area...but alot of people are saying that this is a largely underated cartridge company. Thanks for your time...and if any of you are in the LA area, I'd love to hear the cartridge in a setup.

Thanks for your time...J

The Shelter will do fine on an ET 2.5 arm.