Sumiko Pearwood Celebration II in da house!

[Puma Cat]

Had an opportunity presented to purchase a Sumiko Pearwood Celebration II literally new-in-box for 50% off, so I snagged it. Received it today and installed it in the P5 this evening. Got this as this should be quite a step up on the already excellent Shelter 501 MKII.

The cartridge came beautifully packaged and presented...here are some pix:

Nice cartridge box.


Owners manual describing the design and implementation of the Pearwood Celebration II...



The cartridge....


Setting it up....


Only listened to one side so far, but it sounds gorgeous right out of the box. Rich, full, and sonorous like many fine wood-bodied cartridges, reminds me of a cross between the Koetsu and the Shelter so far....more impressions as I get more LPs on this puppy.

[joeinid]

Congratulations Stephen!

Looks very nice. I bet it sounds wonderful. Good score

[turntable]

Looking good Stephen.

Tell us how it sounds after a few hours on it.

Btw, who makes the high end carts for Sumiko?

[Jerome W]

Congrats Stephen !!

This will sound very good for sure, especially with the white belt....

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by turntable

Looking good Stephen.

Tell us how it sounds after a few hours on it.

Btw, who makes the high end carts for Sumiko?

Good question, Shane, I don't know who but I have a thought it is the same company that makes the 501 and 901 for Shelter. If you look at the photo of the cartridge (no.3), the metal housing that the cantilever is in looks identical, and that white fabricy stuff that covers this housing looks identical to that on the Shelter. Both use a boron cantilever, but the Pearwood canti is longer than the Shelter, which was notable for its short cantilever. You can't see the canti in the photo because of the lighting, as it has blackish hue to it. Its perfectly straight in the cartridge body, though.

The booklet that comes with the cartridge goes into great detail about the design history of the cartridge, how and why the design choices were made, etc. For example, the Celebration II uses the same exact stylus as the much-vaunted Palos Santos.

The thing I like about the Pearwood is the warmth and color to the presentation that wood-bodied cartridges bring. I have a theory that metal-bodied carts can have a ringing component to them, and I think the Shelter certainly does. Having owned three wood-bodied cartridges now, I've become a big fan of them. The only non-wood body I like is the Dynavector XV1 series, which are gorgeous sounding, too. Haven't heard the latest gen naked-bodied carts yet, but the new Lyra Kleos is intriguing.

[JohnA]

Great score.
Congratulations on the purchase Stephen.
Looking forward to reading your thoughts once you have some hours up on it

[Puma Cat]

Thanks, John.

I'm really liking what I hear so far....

Here's another pic, the Pearwood with it's aluminum top plate and wood body matches the cherry P5 really nicely...

[ehoove]

Congratulations and thanks for the comments on this cartridge. I run a Sumiko Blackbird in my modded Thorens TD160, and really like the cartridge.
Regards,
Jim

[Puma Cat]

Here's a pic showing the underside of the Shelter, compared to the Sumiko. Note how the cantilever housing and wrap look identical. This is what makes me think both cartridges were made by the same company. Notice how short the stylus is on the Shelter.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by ehoove

Congratulations and thanks for the comments on this cartridge. I run a Sumiko Blackbird in my modded Thorens TD160, and really like the cartridge.
Regards,
Jim

Thanks, Jim.

The Pearwood only has about an 1hr 20 mins on it so far, but it sounds wonderful right out of the box. The highs are more detailed, yet smoother and sweeter than on the Shelter. I attribute this in part to the wood-body and the superior stylus. The Shelter's highs could be a bit ringy or forward at times, though using a SUT really helped that. Also, the Sumiko stylus is quite a bit quieter in the groove, almost as quiet as the Koetsu. The Shelter always had a bit more groove noise than other cartridges I've owned.