Phono cartridge advice


My turntable is a Garrard 401 in skeletal plinth, fitted with an SME3009 series 2 imp arm (fixed shell) with a Shure V15vxmr cartridge and a Trichord Dino MM/MC phono stage.  The stylus on the V15 was broken my cleaner!  My question is should I shell out on a new Japanese Jico stylus (which has had very good reviews) as Shure no longer make this stylus, or should I get a new cartridge, if so, what?  I have been looking at the Denon DL110 moving coil, but how will it compare to the V15vxmr?  The Jico stylus is very expensive  (£350GBP) so the Denon cartridge would save me a few pounds but I don't want to be disappointed.  Because I have a good phono stage, I could consider a more expensive lower output MC cartridge but if the cost is approaching that of the Jico stylus I may as well just buy one of those and continue with the V15. So, in short, do I replace the stylus or will the Denon cartridge be a better bet and save me money ... or is there another MC cart that would work well in the SME arm and offer an improvement over the Shure?  Thanks in advance for any help. Les.
lesadams

Showing 2 responses by johnnyb53

How about the Audio Technica AT150MLX? The ML stands for MicroLine, and it's reputedly the same cut as the Shure MicroRidge. Plus it's on a boron cantilever (boron is lighter than oxygen) with all PCOCC internal wiring including coils. Great tracker, retrieves good detail, very dynamic, reasonably affordable and still in production, which means the replacement stylus is too.
OK then. How about a Shelter 201? Rather than spending the $258 needed to replace my AT150MLX’s stylus, I sprang for a Shelter 201 from a Japanese vendor on eBay for $167. I’m *really* loving this cartridge. More dynamics than any .3x.7mil elliptical stylus mounted on a tubluar aluminum cantilever has any right to be, I’m astounded by this cartridge’s musical ivolvement, transparent and honest midrange, and stunning dynamic range at its price. I think everyone should have one--the budget-minded for its performance for under $200, and as the spare for the well-to-do while their 4-figure LOMCs are getting retipped.