The Shelter Harmony MC Cartridge is a special order item and is ready to ship within 3-4 weeks!
With its seamless fusion of classic motor system with revolutionary carbon fiber shell, the Shelter Harmony cartridge transforms the listening experience.
For analog enthusiasts in pursuit of perfection, Shelter's Harmony moving coil cartridge is a musical milestone. As the newest addition to Axiss Audio's exclusive collection of luxury audio components, the Harmony delivers audio so refined that even the most familiar recordings sound new once more. As long-buried harmonic layers are uncovered and subtle nuances become audible for the first time, playing old records becomes a revelatory experience.
The Shelter Harmony MC cartridge owes its sonic superiority to a union between innovative ingredients and time-tested mechanics. The cartridge is handcrafted from state-of-the-art aerospace materials. Its shell is constructed from layered sheets of carbon fiber, an exceptionally strong yet light composite that absorbs and decreases vibrations. The motor system features an aluminum cantilever shortened for strength and rapid response and a line-contact stylus designed for enhanced tracking ability.
The latest in a long line of groundbreaking phono cartridges, the Harmony demonstrates once again why Shelter is at the forefront of the analog audio reproduction industry. And as the exclusive U.S. distributor of this elegantly engineered cartridge from Shelter, Axiss Audio gives vinyl connoisseurs an irresistible incentive to give their treasured LPs another spin and a fresh "first listen."
When I (Osawa-San) look back at early Moving Coil cartridge design, the models with the shortest life span were the ones that were not well balanced. Sonic characteristics stood out due to choice of materials used. For the last 30 years, the MC cartridge has been manufactured with various materials, both in the motor system and body-shell. However, just a handful of these trusted materials are used by most of today’s cartridge manufacturers.
Since the beginning, Shelter has chosen aluminum for its body-shells and cantilevers: although today’s models use boron or aluminum in regards to the later.
For the first time Shelter has chosen CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) for the body-shell of their new reference model named Harmony! The Harmony also has carbon fiber screws and a center damping disc to be placed over the spindle onto the record. This combination actually creates a Carbon Fiber Cartridge System! The Carbon Fiber material has superior characteristics of absorbing and decreasing vibrations. The resonance frequency of this CFRP material is out of the audible frequency range, thus having less coloration but allowing the reproduced signal many sonic advantages. This Cartridge sounds phenomenal!!!
The Shelter Harmony features an aluminum cantilever with OFC lead wire. The cantilever is slightly shorter for added strength and rapid response. The stylus tip is a line contact; used to prevent the tendency of unclear outline due to the aluminum cantilever; simultaneously improves tracking ability.
This combination of modern body-shell and traditional motor system allows The Shelter Harmony MC Cartridge to draw out subtle nuances from the analog disc. But at the same time it has the ability to capture and reproduce natural sounds regardless of the music genre.
"The Harmony MC features a body made of solid, carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic... (and) incorporates a comparatively short rigid cantilever made of aluminum.
"The result is a cartridge that sounds exceedingly detailed and nuanced, yet not at all 'analytical', and that offers expressive, explosive dynamics. What is more, the Harmony MC is also one of the quietest cartridges I've heard, providing an underlying quality of 'stillness' that encourages you to ignore the transducer and focus instead on where the musical signal may take you. And that's the whole point." - Chris Martens, The Absolute Sound, June/July 2009, Issue 193, pg 52
The Shelter Harmony MC Cartridge also features all Carbon Fiber hardware with polycarbonate nuts.
A Carbon Fiber LP Disc is included as a special bonus! This audiophile tweak, is recommended as a damping disc which fits between the record clamp and the record label.
Specifications:
Output Voltage: 0.5 mV at 1Khz 5 cm/sec.
Weight: 8.5 grams
Channel Balance: within 0.8 dB at 1Khz
Tracking Force: 1.4 to 2.2 grams
Stylus Tip: 1.6 X 0.3mil Line Contact Nude Diamond
DC Resistance: 15 Ohm
Recommended Load Impedance:
Step Up Transformer - 10 to 30 Ohms
Head Amplifier - within 100 Ohms
High Gain EQ-amp - within 47K Ohms
Channel Separation at 1 kHz: >25dB
