2. analog
  3. 1054817149

Ok, so I mounted the Shelter yesterday........

....and it sounds very good out of the box. I don't think there is going to be any compatability problems with my Bluenote Borromeo (unipivot). Nice midrange, extended highs, good detail. But I remember reading that some think it is bass shy, and that's what I'm hearing too. My preamp has plenty of gain and adjustable loading. I have tried loading it at 120 ohms and 560 ohms, with the latter seeming to be a little more open. My question is, does the bass fill out and extend a little lower after a few more hours? It's not bad now, very articulate and quick. But it is much more lightweight than any other cartridge I've had in my system.

Thoughts?

Oz
128x128ozzy62
twl
3,251 posts
 
Give it some time to break in. It is sort of quirky on break in, and goes through stages. I had the opposite effect. On my system, it was a little boomy at first.

Also, the VTA needs to be dialed-in correctly. Let it break in for awhile, and if it is still light in the bass, lower the VTA a little to get the bass improvement.

The Shelter is not a bass-weak cartridge. It has plenty of bass.
ecclectique
509 posts
 
Hey Oz. I have also heard or read that the 501 was bass shy and like TWL's experience,I found it to be the exact opposite, a bit lumpy on the bottom end ,not really bass heavy just a little too much bloom.Unfortunately... it took a good 40 hours of run in time until it sounded coherent with the midband.AS TWL suggested... try lowering the rear end of the arm and the bottom should fill out a bit, however it will take some time and effort to dial it in correctly.I used George Cardas's burn in record and simply let it play for 5 days continuously.Like all cartridges...[especially moving coils]it is imperative that you run it in with a modulated frequency.You will gradually hear the midrange open up and extend outward further into the frequency extremes.Some like to hear it change as it runs in...ME...[been there,done that]and I'm far to impatient. Best of luck! cheers David.
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