I have tried almost every good cartridge in $5000 price and I prefer the EMT HSD 006. For just about $2000, it is an insane value and kicks ass of many top dollar carts. Huge dynamic range, flat neutral sound with just the right amount of warmth we expect analog to carry. Resolution is world class. Personally I used the EMT JSD Black which costs $3500. But even the HSD 006 gets 90% of JSD. I wont worry if I had the HSD instead of JSD. I am not sure why this cart doesn’t come up in discussions here
Time for a new cartridge
My current cartridge which is a Van Den Hul DDTII Special MC is starting to lose it's zing. Details are not as sharp as they were and overall I think I'd like something fresh. My tt is a VPI Prime with the 10" JMW Memorial tonearm. My phono stage is a Musical Fidelity Nu Vista Vinyl. My amp is a McIntosh MA8950 integrated. My speakers are Sonus Faber Cremona M. I have 2 KEF R400B subs, which I think compliment the Cremona's. I've emailed VDH and they said they would do a re tip and get it back to where it was, but I'm thinking maybe it's time for a different sound. With the info I've provided I'd like some alternatives. My budget is around $2500.