Cartridge Recommendation

DV is very good. A Shelter 501 would be a good choice as well.

AT ART9

AT ART9 is my next cartridge .

What's the effective mass of the tonearm? Cheers,
Spencer

The DV 17D3 is at the lower end of the stated range for the Clarify arm.  As you note, it can be a tricky set-up because of the super-short cantilever, but the results are worth it.  You could consider the XX2 Mk. II; it is only a bit above your budget range and a dealer might be willing to work with you on a trade-up.  It does have higher mass and the longer cantilever also makes it easier to align, IMO.  I'm very happy with mine and feel the bass is about the same and the mids are better than the 17D3.  My 2 cents FWIW.

Good luck & happy listening!

srafi ...

In your price range, the Audio Technica ART-9 is the obvious choice.  Its a wonderful cartridge, tonally correct, it makes nothing but music and never calls attention to itself.  Here's a link to a thread here on A'gon.  

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/audio-technica-at-art9-phono-cartridge

Here's where to buy the cartridge.

http://www.lptunes.com/Audio-technica-AT-ART9-MC-phono-cartridge-p/atart09.htm

Frank

Soundsmith Zephyr Mimc.  I had a dynavector karat on my table for almost 5 years and the zephyr absolutely took over the music and made me very very happy.

Thanks everyone. So its between the AT ART9 and the Dynavector XX2. The Soundsmith is not in contention as its not available to me. I will update once I have bought and played. 

" Thanks everyone. So its between the AT ART9 and the Dynavector XX2. The Soundsmith is not in contention as its not available to me. I will update once I have bought and played."

If you live in the US, why not give Cable Company a call? They have a big selection of phono carts, including Soundsmith. No reason to take a chance if you don't have to.

srafi:

So I've run both the XX2MKII and the ART9 in my VPI Scout. The bad news is that I had an OC9MLII in between and made a few system changes as well so I cannot report on a direct comparison. What I can say is that the XX2MKII was a nice cartridge for sure but I did not have the same reaction to it upon installation as I did the ART9 which really stopped me in my tracks and continues to inspire. FWIW, I would pick the ART9 in an instant, particularly at its price relative to the Dyna.

@srafi I just did a direct comparison of the ART9 and the XX2 (mkI not MkII), both on a modded to the max SL1200 with Terminator T3Pro arm. They were pretty close in my opinion, the owners of each preferred their own purchases. The ART9 was clearly a great value at its price.
My quick descriptions: ART9: balanced, more micro details, low key presentation, wider soundstage; great with full symphony, maybe a little polite & boring
XX2: Richer mids, more natural dynamics, organic; good on vocals, rock, lesser recordings, not as many "hifi attributes"
All this was based on only one session of about 3 hours. 
If I could get the Dyna for a small increment over the AT, I might go that way. Wish we had a 17D3 to try at the same time. That would have been interesting. There is another thread with comments about all this...In the end I chose something else and thought I could always head this direction later if I get the urge. Cheers,
Spencer

It's the day before Thanksgiving, I'm in the office and everyone is pretending to be busy.

Just thought I would add my vote for the AT ART9.Mine is 1.5 years old and it just plays beautiful music. I have owned other 1k carts. Forget the Benz, DV, Grado, Lyra,Sumiko, SS....
They all have their strengths, but the ART 9 has enough of all qualities.  

For the price point, your cart buying days are over with the ART 9.

Until one steps into the "big league" (20k+ table and appropriate peripherals)no need to consider anything else-IMHO

try one from soundsmith

<Ortofon dealer disclaimer>
The Cadenza Red sounds EXCELLENT :-) and is right in your target price range as well...
-Brian
Herndon Audio

Purchased the ART 9 thru Juno in the U.K. about 2 months ago. It has 100+ hours on it now and has not ceased to amaze me more each time I listen. This is a no-brainer. There are two available now on eBay by seller 2juki. At $850,this the best price I've seen anywhere. No affiliation here, just follow because I have purchased other items from them in the past. Very reputable. 

I'm buying one after the holdays either way,I am tired of hearing how good that thing is for a g.    lol

+1 on the Soundsmith Carts - I have the Denon DL103 with the Contact Line profile.

I found the MINT Best Tractor to provide the most accurate alignment and best perfromance for this profile. Much more accurate than the free tractors on the web.

This would probably be the case for this profile (or the Shibata or O.C. Contact line profiles) regardless of the cartridge it is attached too.