$800 Cartridge Shootout and Upgrade Path

You might want to look into the Music Maker Mk3. It is a great cartridge. You can find reviews of it on TNT-Audio, 6Moons, Stereo Times, and all the Bristish mags have reviewed it over the past year as well - most of the reviews are of the Mk2 version but still.

If you like what you find on the Music Maker, then you should also look into its natural partner, the Hadcock 242SE Incognito tonearm.

Together you should be able to get them for a hair over $2000, which would leave you plenty of room for quite a few turntables to chose from.

Nott Hyper, Nott Space, Michell Orbe, Michell Gyro, Platine Verdier, Simon Yorke S7, and the Eurolab Premier have all been reported as great matches.

Artar,

Just as TWL pointed out in his followup on his Music Maker review the cartridge is a bit picky about what tonearms it mates well with. I feel that the Hadcock tonearm is very similar in that regard. I initially purchased a Benz ACE H2 cart to go with mine, but after 8 months of never getting things to perfectly come together I decided I needed to just splurge and get the cart that is designed for use on the Hadcock tonearm - the Music Maker. It was a huge leap forward in sound. So I am saying I would be hesitant in recommending the Hadcock to anyone who isn't going to go with the Music Maker as well, as with just any other cart you may run into mismatch problems. For example you would be the first that I have heard of mating a Shelter to a Hadcock? Maybe? Hopefully???

If you like the Hadcock tonearm, I still wouldn't mark it off your list. The Hadcock with the Music Maker cartridge is a very, very good pairing. Heck, TWL gave the cart a good review and it wasn't even properly matched to the tonearm.

I am firmly of the belief that for the $2200 dollars spent on this tonearm and cartridge together, you would have to spend a bunch more to greatly exceed their performance.

Heard another great analog system last night as well. It was a Spacedeck with a Boston Audio Mat 1, Wave Mechanic power supply, Rega RB-1000 toneram, and a VDH Frog cart. Beautiful sounding vinyl rig.

My Spacedeck has the Hadcock and Music Maker Mk3 and a Living Voice Mystic Mat and it is extremely nice as well, wish I had the Wave Mechanic though.

But what I am getting at is that the other high class Spacedeck set-up I have heard which I had in my rig for two weeks was the Spacedeck with a Spacearm, Heavy Kit platter upgrade, and a Shelter 901 cart.

I would take either of the above two over the last combo in a second.

My thoughts and experiences so take it for what you will.
I guess I am just saying don't write off the Hadcock and Music Maker just because it is a moving iron cartridge.

I feel the same way about the Shelter 901 cart whenever I have heard it either at my house or at my dealer's. The highs are a bit ragged. Listening to stuff like the Dixie Chick's Natalie Maine's voice is quite fatiguing. So yeah, I would definately say the cart leans towards brightness.