OK.......I need more info on the Shelter 901......

The Shelter 901 is a low-output(.4mv), low-compliance(9cu) MC cartridge. It weighs 8.5 grams. It should have about 60db of gain from your Phono Section, or use a step-up transformer. It can be purchased from Axxis Distributors in the US, or from EIFL Exports of Japan.

The use of a 9cu cartridge in the JMW 10.5 is a matter of discussion, but my opinion is that it is not a good match. Some have differed with me on this opinion, but I still hold it. In my opinion, with that arm, you would be better off with a higher compliance of at least 12cu. I have heard that several people use the Lyra Helikon(12cu) in the JMW arms and have had success. That would be a better match than the Shelter. If you want the very best sounding cartridge for that arm, my selection would be the ZYX Fuji low-output MC cartridge, which is around $2k. Either the Helikon or the ZYX Fuji would be a great sounding package with your arm, with my nod going to the ZYX Fuji.

Rwd, 54db is a little low, but it will do. It will cause just a slightly higher noise floor, due to having to turn up the volume a little higher for the same SPL. But it should be about the same as with your Helikon.

Regarding the use of the Shelter in the JMW, just because it can be bolted in there and make sound come out, does not mean it is the optimal set up. The Shelter 501 or 901 will sound real good even if it is not in the optimal set up, but it will sound alot better if it is.

I guarantee you that the Shelter will microscopically "wiggle" that tonearm around, causing loss of dynamics and information. That's just what happens with low-compliance and unipivots. I'm sorry, but this is just simple fact. Just because an arm gets a good review and rating, and costs alot of money, does not mean that you can just go slapping any cartridge you want into it, and expect to get optimum results. The Helikon at 12cu, is on the lower edge of compliance compatibility with this arm. Any lower than 12cu, and you are asking for "tail wagging the dog" syndrome. Oh, it will work. But not the way it would work in the right arm. Even a good medium-mass gimbal bearing arm needs to have extra lateral stabilizing mass to properly handle it. A unipivot, damped or not, will get wiggled around enough to lose critical information. A Graham with the right armwand could do it because of the outrigger stabilizing weights, but it would be pushing the Graham to the max of it's capability. It is just a matter of matching the compliance to the arm design. It is not any kind of knock on the JMW arms.

Cp, no the cu is compliance units, and has nothing to do with your internal impedance. Compliance can also be expressed as (c)x10^-6 cm/dyn. The Goldring spec was given in the other metric version (c)um/mN. This is micro-meter/milliNewton. It is another way of saying the same thing. Just pay attention the the first number in these specs, that's what everyone refers to.(like 12, or 15, or 9, the numbers I represented with the (c) in my examples.)

Frank, don't worry, it'll be fine on an SME V.

Frank, for your Well-Tempered arm, I'd suggest the ZYX R-100 Fuji instead of the Shelter 901. The ZYX Fuji is in the same sonic category with the Shelter, but has higher compliance which would be better with your arm. The ZYX is a little higher in price, but still under $2k(barely) and is an awesome cartridge. The Shelter has a tad better bass and excels on large-scale music, and the ZYX is better on the small-scale music. This is splitting hairs, because they both are superb. ZYX is a better match for your arm though.