Love the shelter 501MK2, what's the next step

Dear Firewall: On that budget there are a lot of options that could outperform your 501. looking to your system seems to me that if you want to improve the analog quality perfromance level my first step ( if I was you. ) should be a better Phonolinepreamp because is here where the pick-up delicate and sensitive cartridge signal pass through a whole " hard " proccess to amplify that signal ( some times 10K times: 80dbs+. ) and must do it with adding no noise/distortions that degrade the cartridge signal. Is in this Phonolinepreamp where the cartridge signal is equalized: inverse RIAA eq. curve, to achieve a frequency response according with was in the recording and this RIAA eq. must do it with out frequency deviations that again degrade the cartridge signal.

Even that your PHD is a nice unit IMHO can't honor top LOMC cartridges for these ones can shows at its best.

In the other side and before take that " road " my advise is that you try the other analog source alternative: MM/MI, that IMHO is very good too and where you don't need to make any up-date in your system to enjoy it. This MM/MI alternative can not only even the quality perfromance of the 501 but outperform it overall. The Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood is a good place to start.. You will be surprised with its quality perfromance for less than 1K.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

If you like your Shelter 501, the Shelter Harmony is worthy of consideration. I like mine a lot. It has pretty low compliance though so make sure your arm has enough effective mass to flex that short cantilever.

You guys are very good at spending someone else money!

Based on the reply so far on the associated equipment.
Is my shelter one of the best cartridge that a Phono preamp and a tonearm can take advantage of?

I do like SQ that I have already. As I mentionned at the beginning, I am wondering if any other cartridge would make me happier while keeping the the sound signature that I currently have.

The suggested cartridge are so far:
Shelter Harmony
Lyra Kleos
Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood

Anyone with an Oaracle delphi MK VI and Oracle SME 345 tonearm to chip in?

---------- Correction -----------

Is my shelter one of the best cartridge that a Phono preamp and a tonearm can take advantage of?

should have read:

Is my shelter one of the best cartridge that MY Phono preamp and MY tonearm can take advantage of?

If it ain't broke, why fix it?

Seriously - if you are happy with your analog system I wouldn't mess with it. Change one variable and it could mess up a bunch of others.

Spend the money on improving your room acoustics instead