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Which cartridge should I upgrade to now?

Hi folks,

My Shelter 501 Mk 11 cartridge needs replacing after years of  wonderful service. What I get next will be going onto an RB250 arm with a Half Moon counterweight, that sits on a Nottingham Analog Studios Horizon table.

I haven't thought exhaustively about this yet, but my current candidates are a Denon DL 103R, & perhaps one of the Hana cartridges, maybe the EL or the SH, based purely on the rave reviews. The SH in particular is double the cost of what I can get the Denon for ($330 AUD {Australian dollars} with free shipping), but I'm prepared to pay the extra if the difference is thought to be substantial. 

I'd prefer to not spend more than about $500 USD, which with the current exchange rate & shipping will translate into about $750 AUD. I'm happy to hear your opinions, not only on these cartridges, but other candidates you deem worthy.

Thanks!

houseofhits
jperry
2,430 posts
 
Get the Shelter retipped and save your money to buy a better tonearm.
inna
7,132 posts
 
That arm is a perfect match for this particular Nottingham. Big upgrade would be to Nottingham Spacedeck/Spacearm but that's big cost too.
You didn't mention your phono stage. Also, I understand that you consider both MM and MC cartridges. $500 for new MC is tough.
houseofhits OP
11 posts
 
Only interested in MC. I'm in Sydney. As I mentioned, Denon DL 103R can be gotten for $330 out here.

Phono stage is a Lehmann Black Cube with external psu. That could be upgraded too, & the table, but funds don't permit that at this stage.

Re getting the Shelter retipped, that means shipping to the US. Not impossible but lotta mucking around. Who does the retipping btw?

jperry
2,430 posts
 
In the USA I have used Soundsmith and Phono Cartridge Retipping both with excellent results. In England, Expert Stylus does retipping, with good reviews, but I don't have personal experience. Just type cartridge retipping in google or Audiogon for additional comments and their websites.

That Rega tonearm is good for the money, but will not let you achieve optimal performance from your phono cartridge.
houseofhits OP
11 posts
 
Ok thanks for the info. Re tonearms, what do suggest as a replacement for the RB250? Not in a position to spend four figures on an arm. Second hand is probably the go for me.
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