Have you a couple of head-shell’s so that you can easily swop between stereo/mono carts?
Exactly. It just takes a few minutes to switch cartridges and adjust VTF, etc. Having a tonearm with removable head shells is lots of fun, and there are many interesting head shell choices out there. The stock Technics shell is frankly not very good.
Hi AHT
What HS do you recommend? Always seems a minefield
Rgds
Well, I am no expert in this area, but the Ortofon LH-9000 (carbon fiber), Yamamoto HS-6S (titanium), and Korf HS-A03 (ceramic) are all very good. Not exactly cheap, but you can spend a lot more elsewhere.
That’s brilliant thank you.
Just changed cartridge (first time solo)
I can definitely see attraction of headshells!
Excellent, I’ve a friend with a 1000R and a really vintage looking head (sorry not sure what brand) that plays beautifully 
I remember when this was the ‘go-to’.
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I think I would expect the mono version to be tonally similar to the stereo version? I’m interested in the stereo version. Can you describe how it sounds?
If you can get an old Jelco or Sumiko HS-12 headshell, they work really well on the Technics decks, but you’ll need the auxiliary weight attached.
One of the great things about those is that the Sumiko carts were designed to give the exact 52mm overhang from the base of the shell by simply aligning the front of the cart body flush with the shell.
I’ve also got a few others and use an AudioTechnica on one deck but the HS-12 is probably the last HS I’ll ever need.
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Still available too.
…and that’s got to mean something!
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This is my first Hana cartridge, but Herb Reichert in his review in the most recent Stereophile says yes, the mono SL Mark II is a “dead ringer” for the stereo version. He is the author of the mono vs. stereo quote in my original post.
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Can you tell me how it differs from the Sumiko Pearl? Many people on forums claim that a Shelter 201 is just a re-labelled Sumiko Pearl.
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To make a long story short, the Shelter is better, even though they’re quite similar. The Shelter offers a very musical reproduction and rhythmic presentation, though its timbres might be a touch too warm. The Sumiko, I find, primarily sounds like a cheap cartridge. I’d even argue that both have a different sound signature.
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Thank you for your assessment.
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The Pearl is said to be a A&R P77
Which suggests some interesting replacement stylus options are available from specialist retipers boron and ruby cantilevers, Paratrace and Microridge diamond profiles transform the old P77 performance.
Have a Google on the P77 with Jico SAS 1 Stylus it used to be a inexpensive way to dip a toe into the realms of features only exotic carts had when the Jico SAS 1 first came out.
Both Shelter 201 and Sumiko Pearl are actually based on the Excel ES-70, an early Masao Okada-san (Hana) design. The Vessel Cartridges from LP Gear are some of the most recent developments, with the standout being the low output versions, which cost more but easily outperform the high output ones like the Pearl. The Vessel A3SM is the sweet spot IME.
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