cartridge recommendation

i’m not sure you can get those cartridges like the stanton today.
when you talk about "AT-ML150 with MicroLine stylus"
you mean something like this?

You can get every cartridge from cartridge collectors on audiogon, including some extremely rare units, people even swap cartridges from their collections, but it’s a private deals. I have owned each cartridge from my recommended list, how do you think i got them? Stanton or Pickering are not the rarest, but the condition is important. I am not that old as many audiogonners who bought them when the price was low 10-20 years ago, but it’s still possible to buys nice vintage MM cartridges even in NOS condition (that’s my main interest). I am trying to document each cartridge from my collection, you can check my pictures below:

Stanton 881s (Alluminum cantilever / Nude Stereohedron stylus tip)
AT-ML150 (Beryllium cantilever / MicroLine tip )
Victor X-1IIe (Titanium Cantilever / Elliptical tip)
Grace LEVEL II BR/MR (Boron Cantilever / Micro Ridge tip) - this one is very rare
ADC TRX II MI ( Sapphire cantilever and Vital II )
AT-ML180 (Gold Plated Boron Cantilever / MicroLine tip) - also extremely rare
AT-ML170 (Gold Plated Boron / MicroLine tip)
AT-20SLa - also killer MM
Glanz Moving Flux cartridges - on of them is the rarest 61 model
Victor X-1II (Beryllium / Shibata)

He can explain better, just watch his lectures:

https://youtu.be/F65mODzn4Gk

https://youtu.be/WmwnN_T_wW8

and you will understand what's the difference between MI and MC 

The pinnacle of MM is 70s/80s production, not sure if you’re familiar with this MM thread with a lot of discoveries. With your budget you can buy great MM or MI cartridge for sure, the Glanz (Mitachi Corporation) for example patented MF (Moving Flux) generator, must be used with MM phono stage.

You already have Moster Cable LOMC (designed by Nakatsuka-San, now ZYX). People who prefers LOMC are happy about this cartridge, but you’re not so happy. The phono stage for LOMC is much more critical than for MM, also cartridge loading etc.

I think a decent MM or MI is what you have to try, at least $500 is not a big deal, but it must be a right choice of cartridge.

I’ve linked the TAS article about cartridge neutrality, one of my favorite is Audio-Technica AT-ML170 and AT-ML180, both are much more expensive than your budget, but Stanton or Pickering with Stereohedron stylus is cheaper than your budget. Or maybe lower models in AT-ML series like the AT-ML150 with MicroLine stylus. These cartridge are neutral.

I’ve never used SoundSmith cartridges, he made all B&O cartridges back in the day and repaired nearly all cartridges in existence. I think we can trust his words regarding MI even if the lecture is just a promotion of his own brand.

However, only you can judge a cartridge in your system.
In today world every $500 cartridge considered "cheap", buying those gems from the 80s we often pay less to get much better quality and it’s true with MM design. For some exceptional MM cartridge made in the 80s the budget must be $1.5k today.

P.S. Brand new $12 000 Top Wings cartridge is MM, designed by Hiromu Meguro, former design assistant of the Grace F-8 cartridge and principal designer of F-9 cartridge. I love Grace and collect them, got some uber rare Grace models and they are shockingly good, but $12 000 for a Top Wings is a good illustration of the modern High-End world and its prices.

WTL tonearm normally goes well with Dynavector cartridges, but those cartridges have relatively high compliance for MC. They are also LOMC (low output), but 23RS MR or 17DS can be found for $500, for this price they are absolutely amazing.

If you’re looking for High Output MC then it’s a waste of time, you’d better upgrade phono stage to use LOMC or just find MM/MI/MF

Usual suspests: Victor X-1IIe, Audio-Technica AT-ML150, Glanz MFG-610LX and if you will check WTL toneam effective mass you can maybe use some high-ish compliance Pickering 3000 or Stanton 881.

Looking for neutral cartridge see what’s been using by Doug Sax for mastering as absolute neutrality.

Make sure to check the brand new Garrott P77i

Actually with $500 you’d be better with MM or MI for sure, especially those kings from the pinnacle of MM

Denon 103 is a garbage, i’m wondering how many times people with mention this 60s design with conical stylus in 2019? A bit of search about diamonds profiles will help to understand that conical tip must be avoided in the modern world, we have so much better profiles available from almost any manufacturer.

first, the article about Doug Sax is a bit old and I think that things changed from there.

Things changed, manufacturers start pushing super expensive LOMC as the ONLY way to reach audio nirvana and they are still doing it.

I’ve returned from modern $5000 LOMC cartridge to vintage MM and vintage MC because they are cheaper and better to my ears and i have auditioned many of them, first nearly all the discoveries from the old MM thread on here (it will take a year to read) and you will find many comments and contribution from other folks who are too lazy to post nowadays.

I do not ignore an MC, i have some farovite LOMC too, such as FR-7fz, PMC-3, Ortofon MC2000, Grace Asakura’s One, Miyabi MCA just to name a few.

This is for example a Garrott p77i made by legendary Garrott Brothers, it was a killer $700 MM cartridge on $6000 Reed 3P "12 tonearm.

btw the photo you put of Stanton 881s says some other model.

It is correct model 881 mkII, but what you see is a genuine stylus model number II D81s ("s" is for Stereohedron), here is a view from another side for you.

You need to know that Stanton 881s is a blueprint of the Pickering XSV-3000 - this is the reason i have recommended Pickering 3000 (Stereohedron) for lower price than your estimate budget.

For much higher price you can search for these:

Stanton CS-100 W.O.S. is my reference, signature model of Walter O. Stanton himself, sapphire coated cantilever and Stereohedron II nude diamond. Check the specs. Here is more about it. CS-100 is better than low impedance version Stanton 980 LZS i’ve had before. Stanton series of the low impedance MM cartridges is interesting, the output of those MM is only 0.6mV and they must be connected to MC input, not to the MM input.

I do think the Grados are a good value and sound good, but it i haven't used one since the mid-'80s or so, so cannot tell you about their current products or their sound. @whart 

Joseph Grado Signature XTZ was the best model in the '80s 

I remember many of the cartridges you list from new, back in the day. That AT20 I had new, if I recall, it was an early Shibata- and considered a very good cartridge at the time.

AT-20SLa (Limited Edition). Yes, it was Shibata nude diamond on alluminum cantilever. It's a high compliance cartridge, high resolution, it's shockingly good even compared to today's LOMC 

Grado can’t compete with any cartridge from my list above.
I have Grado Signature XTZ as the reference Grado

i think i prefer a new cartilage.

None of the new MM/MI for $500 is equal to those rare ones from the hey day of MM/MI. Manufacturers ask much more today for entry level cartridges build with entry level parts. It’s day and night compared to those vintage high-end MM/MI cartridges if you will look at the stylus type, cantilever material, coil wire etc... even the specs if you want to.  

None of us buyin’ used or worn cartridges when it comes to the old ones, but even NOS (New Old Stock) unit must be checked prior to sell just to make sure it works properly. Even if a cartridge has been opened and used for 5 hrs it is considered "used", but in fact a burn-in process for any NEW cartridge is about 50hrs minimum.

If you really looking just for a brand new modern cartridge then look for Garrott or Audio-Technica top models. You can secure yourself with a warranty, but the overall quality of the modern MM is not better than vintage MM for sure.

We do not have anything at affordable price equal to the quality level of Stanton 881, 981 or Pickering 3000, 4500 for example.

People will tell you about those Nagaoka, Grado, Goldring, Ortofon, Shelter MM , but you limit yourself when you’re considering only modern cartridges.

The golden age of analog is not today, it was 30-40 years ago and some of the best phono pickups produced in the golden age when each big company tried to make something special.