Help me make a decision! Turntable overload

Find myself leaning toward the Pioneer over and over again (I like blue lights lol).  Seriously though, I do like the lines of the S shaped tone arm, and I'm not super fond of used/vintage gear.  To my detriment I'm sure

Pioneer PLX 1000.

It is plug and play, sounds excellent. The bonus is that it also sounds better than the other candidates you have.

What cartridge would you recommend?  

I listen to Classic Rock, Jazz, Indie, Electronic, Alt Rock, HipHop, etc...

Not really feeling vintage... If it were immaculate, maybe. I would prefer to buy new, or old stock NIB

And I have a Phone PreAmp.  Hopefully a decent one https://www.crutchfield.com/p_252TBBXDSB/Pro-Ject-Tube-Box-DS.html?tp=204&awcp=1t1&awcr=1903...

Lets say the Pioneer PLX 1000 / Pro-Ject Tube Box DS PreAmp / Sony 2ch 100w/8ohm Amp / Infinity Kappa 8.1's Speakers.  AudioQuest Golden Gate Cables and Legend Audio Bi-Wire Speaker Cables.

And lets say that I will do critical listening and have a pretty good ear.  My musical interests run the gamut but lets set the bar at Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Lana del Rey, Tori Amos, Miles & Coltrane...

The EDM I reference is more Electronic than Dance:  Banks, Tove Lo, Zhu, Chet Faker, etc

I also love Reggae!

Now what Cartridges should I be honing in on???  :)

That being said it’s not very difficult it’s just about making sure you are thorough and take your time.

Okay I'm back in!  I'm methodical and thorough, and a researcher - drives my wife nuts because it takes me forever to make decisions lol.

If I were to get an ortofon bronze or black, I need the whole Pnp assembly right?  something like this:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ortofon-2M-Bronze-PnP-MM-Moving-Magnet-Cartridge-incl-Stylus/232904358573

Also, would the Black have a longer lifespan over the Bronze, being a diamond and all...?

Wow that Black is spendy! Is it really that difficult to setup? I skimmed through a few threads and it sounds hit or miss - all coming down to proper setup.  I only plan to buy NEW 180 gram records and take very good care of them so that should help with some of the surface noise issues - but I'm still unsure.  Its been fun collecting, already up to 37 albums and I don't even have a TT!  :0

I have no experience in this arena. I’m a handy guy, but maybe I should start out with the Bronze...

Appreciate the help everyone - keep it coming please. I’m a sponge!

I just pulled the trigger a few hours ago on the Pioneer PLX 1000 $699 to my doorstep w/ one year warranty.  I'm really excited, but now that I made THAT decision, I have to make another one on the Cart...  

I think I will forgo the Ortofon Black as my "first cartridge" and am leaning toward the Ortofon Bronze right now.  Anyone want to talk me out of it?  

I'd say my budget is $500.  And my Preamp will tolerate MC so if its in my budget and sounds good...?  

I'm having a hard time finding the effective tone arm mass...  this is all I can find:

Arm typeUniversal type S-shape tone arm, gimbal-supported type bearing structure, static balance type
Effective length230 mm
Overhang15 mm
Tracking errorWithin 3°
Arm height adjustment range6 mm
Stylus pressure variable range0 g to 4.0 g (1 scale 0.1 g)
Proper cartridge weight3.5 g to 13 g (single cartridge)
– When shell weight is used: 3.5 g to 6.5 g
– When only balance weight is used: 6.0 g to 10 g
– When sub weight is used: 9.5 g to 13 g

Sounds like I can put almost anything on it?  

I am quite interested in the Denon 103R.  Not sure how I'm going to be able to hear a side by side comparison (although I'm looking for a shop). Can anyone try to describe the differences between the Denon 103R MC and the Ortofon Bronze MM for me?  I read that MC are superior to MM, but why?  

Thank you Chakster!  Diving into those links...  The more I read, the more I realize how little I understand abut this stuff.  Honestly, I had no idea there would be such a steep learning curve.  I'm all about it, I just wanted to get up and running without making a big mistake out of the gate.  Definitely looking for a shortcut so i can start listening to my records.  I'm starting to get the feeling that this hobby could get expensive...  

@lewm  Thanks!  I've been reading as much as I can...  I agree with everything you said, and already have plans to build a secondary system that will allow me to experiment a lot more down the line with Vintage stuff.  I'm really not totally opposed to Vintage stuff - I just am not knowledgeable enough yet to know what to go after, and then finding one in pristine cosmetic condition means big $$$.  

In the meantime, I have convinced myself that the av760slc is THE best cartridge for me and I should just drop the money now instead of going through a dozen different cartridges trying to figure it out.  The VinylRoom did a review on it that really resonated with me and what I think I am looking for...  I just want to spend the money once and enjoy my system without regrets or second guesses (probably impossible I know).

The more I read about the MC cartridges in my budget the more I realized that probably was not the best path for me to go down at this point.

@chakster  Thank for the message!  I've been slammed with work and haven't had a chance to reply.  I need to reread this thread and everyones suggestions now that I have a bit better idea what some of these recommended cartridges cost and how they have been reviewed and compared.  I still feel more comfortable buying a new modern MM cartridge over vintage at this point.  Maybe for my secondary system down the road the experimentation can begin!

It seems ludicrous to judge these cartridge by the words of others and not by the SOUND, but its all I have right now.  

So, can I get a final input from all you educated and patient folks about the following cartridges for the PLX 1000?:

**av760slc** (my current choice)
av750sh
ortofon Black
ortofon Bronze
Nagaoka mp200

I will be using a Pro-Ject Tube Box DS PreAmp if that matters...  :)

Well...  I just ordered the av760slc and it should be here Weds!  

My TT arrived today and everything is setup and hooked up  - except for the Cartridge...  

I am really excited.  The TT is beyond my expectations in build quality, I really feel like I made the right call on that, for me.  Same with the Cartridge.  But there is only one way to find out... :)