Cartridge Upgrade ...AT ART-9?

Chakster: thanks for the info . I was thinking of upgrading and making the jump to a “high end” table/arm/cartridge and keeping the SL15 as my childhood novelty table . $1000 was just for the cartridge , I’m open to suggestion on new everything , I like the look of some of the newer tables ...VPI etc ...I want a table that wows me but don’t have to take out a 2nd to get it 😀

Sidenote : I have 2 Technics SL15s w exact same cartridge in both ( no idea on which tone arm) whatever the box came with at the time suspecting . I notice that both tables produce distortion i believe mainly on the left side only , they may just need to be adjusted to get the stylus to press harder but it’s annoying ! Or your SAS upgrade may be a good option for my SL15s ...weird , I always have heard the Technics P205CMK3 were one of the better carts for that table ....thanks for your help!

You could try a JICO SAS stylus for your Technics MM cartridge.
Old SAS has Boron cantilever, NEO SAS can be Ruby or Sapphire
SAS (Super Analogue Stylus) is a huge upgrade for 205c mk3
Have you ever tried it ? Do you know anything about this option ?

For my old Technics 205c mk3 the SAS (Boron) was superb.
But on 205c mk4 i prefered the original stylus.

You have to try SAS, the price is just about $350-450

currently just have a Technics SL15 with a P205CMK3. I’d like to get something that is higher end around $1K that dramatically improves my setup.

Do you mean just $1k for a cartridge and turntable ?
I think you have a nice DD turntable and all you need is a better tonearm and maybe a better cartridge (if you don’t want just to try SAS stylus).

In my opinion JICO SAS will change a lot. 
But what is your tonearm now ? 

Which TTs / arms do you guys recommend checking out ? Definitely don’t want any siblance . I’ve been scoping : 

VPI 
Technics 1200g
Acoustic Signature 

Thanks 🙏 

Orto tends to get sibilant in certain arms/set-ups as can be read online in other forums. Buy a (vintage) Moving Flux instead, like GLANZ MFG-51L.
ART9 is a magnificent performer but needs 200 hours to really sing IME and THEN it´s very hard to "beat". Save that cart up-grade fund, including possibly better Shelter, for better TT. It´s ALWAYS worth to improve TT first, then cartridge. Only better TT can dramatically improve your system. Period.

The Shelter 501 is a really good cart in that price range, have had two of them and am trying to break in an ART9 now with 60 hours on it, so far my foot isn't tapping like the Shelter made me do but will keep going until I get at least 100 hours before judging the ART9.

Ortofon 2M Black is magic of technicolor proportion.