I have a bit of a Vintage, or Golden Age fetish, and a limited source of funds. I'm very happy with my Shure V15 cartridges. V15 III is a good entry point. Don't buy from someone who doesn't post coil continuity in the description, stay as close to matched as you can. Stylus is not a consideration as you will be going on line to JICO in Japan for your stylus. It's not a fair comparison, but my Type IV V15 with a JICO SAS is superior to my Ortofon Bronze. I had an AKG top of the line, I'd have to get up to check... P8E, which was a very good cart, but needs a re-wind (which, sadly, I don't think it is going to get). I see used P8E carts on ebay for under $200, and I have a new stylus... Stanton, Goldring, AT, Grado, Pickering, Empire, Shure, all left the market with CD killer carts, but the CD wave was a tsunami. Some came back, notably Grado and AT, Sumiko and Ortofon never left. There are two pitfalls with Golden Age cartridges, mismatched or open coils and weak or deteriorated suspension/damper systems. Usually the damper is in the stylus assy (the black goo on Grado styli DO NOT REMOVE, it is intentional), and the suspension positioning the magnet in the field, is in the body. I am very curious about the Technics EPC-100MK3 MM integrated shell, and all the 100C series which use magnets for suspension and damping, I think, I could be wrong w/ damping... which seem to be on the Japan market in the 1K+/- range. I remember there was a golden age for MM carts and many of the premier brands went extinct during the CD uprising. But most can still be revived with a replacement stylus, which to my amazement are plentiful again. But not all styli are currently being built to OEM specs or above (quality, like JICO, pays dividends). There are jewels out there. I've been wanting to try the Ortofon 2m Black (I have a Bronze and will replace the stylus) on my KD 500, for which I have tonearms I can experiment with, but will probably go with Grado again. I have a Mono MC from AT which I bought when discontinued. I also have a Pair of Denon 103's, one stock, one hot-rodded with new shell, lead shot, re-tipped, etc The MC carts play through my, Kenwood KD 550, re-capped, stock arm, tonearm re-wired and converted to DIN, a new to me, Parasound V.2 system, and a, new to me, Mo-Fi phono stage (don't ask me model numbers, for the most part I don;t care about where the play-back electronics fit into the landscape of the hierarchy, just that they play nice with each other. I do know most of the brands I have, though ;). Speakers, btw, are a pair of, again, new to me, Totem Arros (small room--study/library former B-room), and the jury is still out. Didn't take me long to lose my train of thought, did it? There are some excellent new MM and MI carts out there around the 1K range. As I have learned, a mid to top range (500 to 1K) MM usually has no problem outperforming an entry level (1K) MC, all things playing on a level field. CLEAN RECORDS, proper phono stage (built-in amp or pre or stand alone, with proper set-up and compatible loading and uf), meticulous set-up of the cart and arm, decent cables and wiring/connectors, a dead level platter and arm, a broken in but not worn stylus (brushed correctly before EVERY side I choose not to expose my styli to magic potions, formulas, and elixirs, which is what I have decided on after a couple decades experimentation). Invest in a good test record, very handy for azimuth and anti skate. Feel free to tinker with all the variables. I think people who are serious about vinyl will end up with a cartridge collection and their favorites. I don't think there is a Single "Best" cartridge, or a Paramount Cart for every situation, Very very good, yes. I have 4 TT's set up right now, half DD half belt, there is a belt drive sporting a Ortofon 2m Blue that gets the first play, after cleaning, of my hunting trip trophies, and some of the older more worn, scratched and abused members of the collection, (which get replaced with a CD, when replacement vinyl is too$$$). If you must have new, and a 1K price point, ClearAudio, Mo-Fi, Sumiko, Nagaoka, Ortofon, AT, Grado and others all have pinnacle models. And even above 1k it's a crowded market. I don't own a television, listening is how I chill. I have a Good-Better-Best line-up (just like the old Sears catalog) and they get used every day. And now that the CD has lost some value, I spin more of those, and am delighted to find my odd ball small run Avant-garde, experimental, "World Music", free jazz, Prog, fusion, classical, regional artists, lost/forgotten and private issue (CDr) discs... which I covet, and mirror my record collecting. (have CD's become democratic?)
For me, this whole thing is about having fun, exploring what has been before, and discovering the new. I try not to get lost in the forest of tools, no reason to spend on a Titanium hammer when all my old hammer needs is a new handle to pound in this nail right here (it might be nice to own, though...). And I'm not afraid of mistakes and missteps, just about everything can be recycled to a new home. Zevon said, "Eat every sandwich". I say, "Try every cartridge."
So go forth, my sons and daughters, and joyfully engage in total recreation!