i guess needle-dr raised the price of the ortofon mc25-fl, since i got mine, at $225. still, i tink it's a great deal, even at $250. needle-dr recommended it to me over the at oc-9, when i was trying to choose... but, i haven't heard the oc-9, so i can't compare the two... the ortofon is a very neutral, accurate, great-tracking cartridge. good detail, not dry, not *too* warm, either. i'm using a pentagon solid-state fono-stage, w/a tubed melos preamp...
doug s.