Shelter 501 III Stereo Moving Coil Cartridge

Shelter 501 III Stereo Moving Coil Cartridge

Shelter  cartridges and step-up transformer are made by Mr. Ozawa, a former employee of Fidelity Research. For those too young to remember Fidelity, this company thrived during the seventies an eighties, making wonderful tonearms and cartridges that were renowned all over the world.  Hence, Yasuo Ozawa has a strong background in cartridge design and in 1986, he left to establish Shelter.  Yasuo Ozawa holds the notion that music, in its purest form, is art.  Instead of believing that a phono cartridge is a mechanical device for music reproduction, Yasuo  feels in his heart that his cartridges are indeed a musical instrument in their own right.

Lovingly and meticulously hand-crafted, Shelter cartridges are so precise that every nuance and every delicate passage of music is faithfully reproduced at a level that is unmatched in the audio world. Twenty years of painstaking, passionate and meticulous attention to microscopic detail has lead Shelter to the pinnacle of audio perfection.  More and more great reviews are now circulation on the internet about the outstanding qualities of theses cartridges once only available to wealthy Japanese audiophiles. Shelter's cartridges are renowned for their flawless construction and high-precision performance.

Owners of this wonderful cartridge have said the Shelter 501 II easily fills the sonic shoes of cartridges costing two or three times as much. Rumor has it that this is exact same cartridge was available in the US under the name Crown Jewel, but sold for over 1000 €. The 501 II blends its musical presentation with a warm, extremely musical mid-range, deep, authoritative bass and a smooth as silk top end. Instruments shine and are easily placed, showing plenty of soul. Voices are heard with a wonderful 'you are there' feeling. With a 0.4mV output and great tracking ability, the 501 II will absolutely knock your socks off! 

Technical specifications:

• Output Voltage: 0.4 mV at 1kHz 5cm/sec.
• Channel Balance: Within 1dB at 1kHz
• Stylus Tip: 0.3 x 0.7mil Elliptical Nude Diamond
• Weight: 8.1g
• DC Resistance: 12 ohms
• Tracking Force Range: 1.4 to 2.0g
• Recommended Load Impedance: within 20 ohms with step-up transformer, within 100 ohms with head amplifier
• Compliance: 9cu
• Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz +/-2dB
• Anodized Aluminium Body with neodymium magnet