In the magazine hifi & records Issue 1/2016 SHELTER was 501 II Mono rated excellent:

"... The Japanese manufacturer Shelter manufactures since 1986 pickups .... all previously tested pickups were characterized by a typical sound basic structure and customer-friendly prices from

.. ... The frequency response is balanced by way of example, the is no better possible ... like its counterpart stereophonic also offers the Shelter 501 MC II mono pronounced listening for

the music lovers to listen across the genres. the price is really reasonable , the recommendation is therefore deserve .... "

Model 501 MONO  Specifications

• Output Voltage: 0.5 mV at 1kHz 5cm/sec.
• Channel Balance: Within 1dB at 1kHz
• Stylus Tip: 0.3 x 0.7mil Conical 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, within 47k ohms with high gain EQ amplifier
• Compliance: 9cu
• Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz +/-2dB
• Anodized Aluminum Body with neodymium magnet

 

Bring out the best from your Mono LPs!

Owners of this wonderful cartridge have said the Shelter 501 II Mono easily fills the sonic shoes of cartridges costing two or three times as much.

It's said that this is the exact cartridge that was available in the US as the Crown Jewel, but selling for over $2600! The 501 II Mono 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 trackability, the 501 II will absolutely knock your socks off!

"The 501 Mk II is one of those rare products that does everything well-and some things spectacularly well. Its superb three-dimensionality brings to life

recordings one thought lacking in spaciousness, while its neutral tonal balance and audiophile virtues (resolution, focus, air, transient speed, extension at both frequency

extremes) and overarching cohesiveness "always seemed cut from whole cloth." Add these factors together and you have a cartridge

that takes you about as close as you can get to top-tier performance at this price point."

- The Absolute Sound Editors on the Shelter 501

"Shelter's [entry level] model, the 501 Mk II does everything well--and some things spectacularly well. Its superb three-dimesionality

adds spaciousness to recordings seemingly lacking in air and bloom, while its neutral tonal balance, audiophile virtues and cohesiveness make its sound always seem a

s if it is cut from a whole cloth." -

Product of the Year Award Winner, Jonathan Valin, TAS

"I recommend the Shelter 501 MK.II without hesitation."

- Michael Fremer, Stereophile, Feb 2005

Shelter has been manufacturing high-end phono cartridges as a specialized analog audio manufacture by traditional manufacturing technique since the company was established in 1986.

All Shelter MC phono cartridges are hand-made at a workshop in Japan by adept craftsmanship, then they are all inspected and quality assured by Yasuo Ozawa himself, the designer and founder of Shelter.

The brand name of Shelter is designated with hoping that the world analog record lover who aims the summit of music playback can trust the brand and becomes a dependent on a

place (shelter) of analog audio occasionally.

The Shelter sound brightens an individuality of analog sound.

The sound timbre of audio system mirrors each owner whose values and lifestyle so it never be the same sound. Especially the analog playback is very sensitive because the sound

character immediately changes with only changing the screw which fixes the cartridge and head-shell. This means that the hobby of audio isn’t a thing to compete superior or inferior of an

absolute sound, but it is indicating just like ways of self-expression to complete the painting a piece of picture. Through the smooth and warmth sound character the

Shelter phono cartridge was born to realize the sound character that is only possible to delineate by you. The balmy sound may feel a lack for the first listening, but it doesn’t

become weary for many years and there is always new discovery. This smooth, warmth and balmy sound is what we put the true personality to the Shelter product.

Aim for true satisfaction over a long time.

Shelter MC phono cartridge avoids novel design and providing simple structure with minimum model changes, as the result the product has a long lifetime characteristic.

Moreover, we also consider to prevent sound character change occur during the product lifetime by only using carefully selected component part. In addition, as another characteristic of

Shelter, a single individual designer supervises all products since the company establishment, also sincerely coping to the after follow of those products we sold.

For example, even model 701 which was sold in 1986, can change to current model at the cost of stylus change. We flatter ourselves that obedient and natural playback sound of Shelter

phono cartridge captivates your heart and is activating in your listening room for a long time as reference phono cartridge.

Ozwa Yasuo, the funder and designer

Born in Tokyo. He was fascinated from boyhood by the timbre of music instruments and started self-designing audio products to realize high fidelity sound reproduction.

He designed many tube amplifiers when he was in junior high school age, and majored in electrical engineering at the university with aiming an amplifier designer, but he found the

charm of analog pickup which can practice the whole design of sound reproduction that he imagines. In 1982 he joined Fidelity Research (FR) and started its career as a phono

cartridge designer.

He participated to design MC phono cartridges of MCX-3, MCX-5 and other products during his work at FR. He then became independent in 1986 to establish Shelter, thereafter he has been designing and developing the MC phono cartridge throughout his life.

• Worldwide shipment service where the Distributor or Dealer does not exist
• Free ship cost in Europe for order over 500€ (except speakers, we offer  50% of ship cost)
• Free ship cost Worldwide  for order over  2000€ (except speakers, we offer  50% of ship cost )