We are pround to announce Criterion Audio are now stockists for the award winning range of cartridges made by Shelter of Japan.

Shelter have been hand making cartridges since 1986 and have rarely been seen in the UK. They have earned an amazing reputation worldwide but here in the UK they have not been representated until now. Distributed by Padood who represent YG Acoustics and many other high-end hi-fi brands, we are very proud to be one of the first dealers in the UK for this unique brand.

They focus their attention on hand making very fine moving coil cartridges which start from £1100 although they have a stunning and affordable moving magnet cartridge at £255.

Sound quality? Well, check out this summary review of the 5000 model from Hi-Fi Pig which we think says it all…

‘In summary, the things that make this cartridge very special indeed are its notably low noise floor, incredible dynamics and bass response and extended but smooth treble which combine to give probably the most lifelike musical rendition in my listening room no-matter what is spun up. The sense of being there, the sense of scale and imaging are all exemplary and matched by nothing else I’ve heard to date (the 501 coming close but no cigar) and the lightning fast transient response without hint of distortion shows just how well engineered the generator and damping are in this cart. I don’t often lavish such praise on any piece of HiFi gear nor have I ever come across a single component that has made such a difference to a system, but in this case I’d happily recommend the Shelter 5000 as one of the truly landmark cartridges at or anywhere near its price, and I’ve listened to quite a few.’

http://www.shelter-audio.co.jp/index_e.html