Snook2, if you could move to the wood bodied Grado Reference Reference ($1500 retail), that would be a nice improvement from the Shelter 501 MkII in respect to reproducing the natural timbre of acoustic instruments and tonal quality through the midrange. The Shelter may still be quicker and more detailed.
The Grado Sonata is a very nice cartridge as an alternative, but would probably not offer you a satisifying improvement over the Shelter 501 MkII. Although the Sonata has a lovely midrange and tonal balance, you are likely to find you've given up too much in resolution and quickness compared to what you were experiencing with the 501. The Shelter 501 is a good value and a very nice match in the VPI Scoutmaster tonearm -- very difficult to match, let alone beat, at its price point.
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The Grado Sonata is a very nice cartridge as an alternative, but would probably not offer you a satisifying improvement over the Shelter 501 MkII. Although the Sonata has a lovely midrange and tonal balance, you are likely to find you've given up too much in resolution and quickness compared to what you were experiencing with the 501. The Shelter 501 is a good value and a very nice match in the VPI Scoutmaster tonearm -- very difficult to match, let alone beat, at its price point.
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