Buying a New Cartridge

My 2 favorites, depending on price are Clearaudio Aurum Beta S and Goldring 1012. The Goldring is 1/2 the price but there is a noticable difference.

I used an AT440 on a Technics 1200 table. It was muddy, dark and difficult to listen to. I repalced it with a Denon Dl 160 and a heavier headshell. Much much better, more natural and dynamic. Very good for the money.

I mounted the Denon 160 on a Rega P9 with 1000 arm. It was off and not quite right. I then added the 3G accessory weight and it really shined.

Zu had some really good prices (1/2 off) on their modified Denon 103R's right now. $300 entry fee, but you will need to buy or build a step up transformer. If you rebuilt the Scott yourself the SUT will be very easy for you. I am building a few right now for a friend and for me.

I had the AT440MLA and it offers great extension and detail with nice balance but had a quality that I did not especially like "mechanical" comes to mind

My Audio Note IQ2 (modified Goldring) trounces it -
at more than double the price...

The Denon 110 is both cheaper and better than the 160. I have had both and this is also the opinion of HI FI Choice in the days when they did serious testing. I currently have a 110 in use with my Scoutmaster.