Cartridge recommendations

@noromance dl103 or 103r for shelter 501 mk2 owner? For those who like refined cartridges the Denon 103 is on the opposite side like the Ortofon SPU.

@houseofhits why not look for decent vintage MM cartridges of the highest caliber in the same $500-700 budget (such as Victor X-1 or X-2, Geace F9 or F14, Stanton 981, Audio-Technica AT-ML150 or higher)? Those MM carts will cream many expensive MC, but for much less money. 

@sturgus I wonder what is special about those Hana MC carts under $650? Do you own any or your advice based on other people reviews online? 

It's pretty funny when people suggest something they have probably never owned based on review online @sunnyjim 

DL-103 has conical tip, people love it or hate it, to my ears conical tip is the worst ever and it will be the worst choice for people who love extended and detailed sounds. Reviewers will tell you the conical Ortofon SPU is very musical cartridge, but in reality (at least for me, in tube high efficiency system) it is dull and uninvolving with lack of details on both ends. This is total oldschool. It is in the same caregory as cheaper DL-103. So many cartridges does it much better and so many vintage MM carts sounds incredibly good for the same price as conical DL-103 or elliptical 103R. People invest in mods of 103, but for the cost of this mods they could buy much better cartridges without any mods required. I just don't understand it. Denon S1 or DL1000 were the best Denon cartridges this company ever made, not the 103 or 301 series. 

@sunnyjim i’m not trying to insulting you or anyboby else on this forum (never), but if you leave a comment or advice something, trying to be helpful, please refer to your own experience with certain cartridges, not to the reviwers experience (who’s often got paid for review somehow). Before you will teach me good manners, It will be much more helpful to share your personal experience, don’t you think so? That’s why people ask questions here, including myself.

Apart from the stylus tip, The 103r model has different coil wire compared to 103, i hope you got the answer to your own question.

Nagaoka’s top of the line pm-50 (vintage model) and current pm-500 model are frequently mentioned in Raul’s post here (loads of personal experience), while the pm-150 is just an entry level model and can’t compete with Shelter 501 mk2 MC cartridge.

@invictus005 do you have tape machine?
Have you tried the AT-ML170 OCC or maybe Stanton 981?
This is the T.A.S. article to check about the cartridges that sounds closer to the mastertape, but this is the opinion of the guys who actually cut and master from the tapes: http://www.regonaudio.com/Stanton881AudioTechnicaATML70.html

Well, my real to real is too old, it is more for the decoration and looks very attractive, got it from my gradfather. 

Anyway, i have mentioned in another thread that one of my AT-ML170 is looking for a new home. I have the AT-ML180 OCC to keep.

I really doubt that any new MM cartridge can compete with AT-ML170 or Technics EPC-100c mk4 from that article, just because nobody uses such revolutionary technologies in MM design nowadays, materials are not available, and the market demand is not so high. It's hard to imagine the price for something like AT-ML180 OCC or Technics EPC-100c mk4 if they were made today. It's a pinnacle of the MM design and very few cartridges can compete with them, but i can mention a few: Grace F-14 BR/MR, Glanz MFG-61. 

But a friend of mine has replaced his Ortofon 2M with NOS Stanton 881s mkII and was very impressed even on his cheap project turntable.

Personally i like a lot my Stanton SC-100 WOS signature model with sapphire coated cantilever and nude Stereohedron tip.