Grado Prestige Gold 3

@secretguy , what MC do you move to?

I had the OM 30. I thought it was quite good. I only changed to go to MC.

The effective mass of your arm is said to be 10g, which is probably a bit low to satisfy those who believe in calculations. Then again, my SME Series V is said to be too light for the Deccas, and it plainly works fine!

Thanks for all the great advice. The Nagaoka MP 500 has peaked my interest @dogberry but I wonder if I’m bumping up against the limits of the Linn Axis with Basic Plus arm. I love the table and I haven’t heard one better yet under $2500, but I assume at some point the cartridge is limited by the table and arm. I just don’t know what that limit is. Maybe the MP 500 is it?

It certainly is, but not really relevant in this thread. You're going to be in the strange position of telling others who have never heard them why they were so special, along with me. No one will ever believe us!

+1 @dogberry I've 3 Deccas and love them. That's bad news about JW retiring. 

I'm a fan of MI cartridges, and while these aren't in your price range, the comparison might hold true for more affordable examples in the two companies' line-up of products. I recently bought and compared a Nagaoka MP-500 and a Grado Lineage Statement 3. I've got 80 hours on the Grado, and it still doesn't excite me one bit. It does its job, but it doesn't make music - it's lifeless. The MP-500, on the other hand, absolutely rocks. Delightful, fun, maybe just a little overly bouncy. But a real bargain compared to the Grado.

Normally I use a London Decca Reference, but it has gone for a rebuild before John Wright (the maker) retires in November. So these two above, plus a London Jubilee and a BM Ruby 3 have been keeping me occupied. If I outlive the Deccas, which isn't likely, the MP-500 and the Ruby 3 will keep me very happy. I now understand why Grado cartridges have lost a lot of the popularity they once enjoyed.

I use a vintage Pioneer PL-707 turntable with a Darlinton Labs MP-7 phono amp on my main rig. I listen to mostly jazz and some rock and pop. Started collecting vinyl in the 60's.

I bought the Audio Technica VM 540 after reading all the positive reviews. It is very detailed in the mids but tends to be a little too sterile for my set-up. Never tried a Nagaoka.

I like vintage cartridges and my favorite is the Stanton 681EEE using a new Vivid Line Stylus. It is money. Very smooth and detailed with better separation and more bass slam than the the VM 540. I also own and like the Shure V-15 Type III with a Jico SAS stylus but the Stanton sounds better in my system.

I bought my Stanton 681 for $85 bucks off fleabay and the new Vivid Line stylus from LP Tunes. Best cart I've heard on my mid-fi setup. Great combo on the cheap.

@regg the Nag is warm yet detailed and sweet as a nut. You can't go wrong for the price. The VM540 and 750 are a bit more incisive and transparent.

Thanks so much, very helpful. Great link to a great review Yogiboy.  Noromance, how was the Nagaoka with voices and acoustic music, which is what I listen to most often. Speakers are Harbeth P3’s if that’s any help.

Audio Technica VM540ML is clear and detailed. I ran a Nagaoka MP11 (now MP110) in a Basik on an LP12 and it was great.

I’ve always liked Grado cartridges. The Grado would be a nice match with that Linn arm!

Here is a review on the  Grado Gold and Opus 3!

https://enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1120/Grado_Labs_Gold3_Opus3_Phono_Cartridge_Review.htm