Turntable consultation

You should be specific about your cartridge if you want on point answers to your question.

Without knowing your cartridge, I would say the weakest link in your analog system is the Tube box.

I think you can take a couple of paths here. You can do some tweaking like a maple platform, tonearm cable, etc and make some change, also improvement to your system.

You could also take a path with larger steps. You do not say what your budget is, so this path may not work for you.

I think changing to a used SME 10 or Basis turntable would cause a quantum leap in the performance of your system. I changed from a Rega to a Basis tonearm on my Basis turntable with a Shelter 901 cartridge, and the change was a revelation to me. You have an excellent cartridge (Shelter 9000) which IMO is the highest performing component in your analog system.

Good luck in your search for performance.

I am not that familiar with your tonearm and turntable, but I did a little research. From looking at a picture of your turntable, it is not the type where you can have a different mounting board made. The Pro-ject website indicated the following specifications for your tonearm

Headshell 0,5" (12,7mm) standard
Mounting distance 212mm (Linn standard)
Supplied counterweight cartridge weight 6 - 10g
Effective length 9" (230mm)
Effective mass 8,5g
Overhang 18mm

The Pro-ject website says 212 (Linn standard), but when you look up Linn on Vinyl engine it says 211 mm mounting distance.I took a quick look at Vinylengine.com (free website, but you need to register) and Kuzma, Moerch and Ortofon have the a 212 mm mounting distance.

SME tonearms require a SME mounting hole so a SME arm would not work on your turntable and because of the mounting distance Basis and Rega arms would not work either.

If you want to change tonearms you will need to see if the tonearm you are interested in will fit. In addition to mounting distance you need to check the size of the mounting hole and the screw pattern for the mounting screws. Hopefully the information above will provide some guidance and assistance.

You could also consider a different turntable. If you like the pod style turntable like your current Pro-ject you could look for a SME 10, and sell your Pro-ject. It may be less hassle than putting a different tonearm on your Pro-ject. There is one for sale on Audiogon now with a IV tonearm (no relationship with seller).

As far as turntables go, I would look for a used Basis with a Basis Vector tonearm. A.J. Conti of Basis said the Basis tonearm was a good match for the Shelter 901 and my experience was that it worked very well for me. The compliance of the Shelter 901 is the same as the 9000 according to vinyl engine. The 9000 is 1.9 grams heavier.

Make sure your cartridge and arm match up. Vinyl engine can help you with this information.