Best cartridge options for around $200.

I don't care what the arm and system matching is, the DL110/160 do not have as refined a treble as the AT150MLX. The HOMC Denons have a decent tonal balance and good macro-dynamics, but simply don't operate at the same level of resolution and detail extraction of the AT150MLX. If the AT sounds bright, it first of all needs the proper capacitive match (100-200 pF), and also benefits from resonance control. Once I wrapped my SL12x0 tonearm with Teflon pipe thread tape, the presentation became very linear with no loss of resolution. The AT150 wasn't bright; it was revealing undamped resonances elsewhere in the signal chain. It's part of what comes with a higher resolution transducer.

Some come call the AT sound om massed strings, Teflon or no, bright, others detailed, up to your ears.

I know the difference between detailed and tipped up. I can't stand tipped up. It sounds bogus to me and I have no tolerance of it. It drives me out of the room. The low level detail of the AT150MLX is earned with a micro-line tip and very low moving mass, not treble glare that spotlights overtones and hall ambience.

I listen to classical a lot and hear lots of massed strings on my record player, from Bach to Holst, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Hovhanness. I also attend live symphony performances several times a year, including three between October and the end of 2012. The treble on my analog rig is linear, not tipped up. There were some brightness elements that were completely ameliorated with vibration and resonance control applied to the turntable and tonearm.

The AT150MLX wasn't TAS's 2011 Cartridge of the Year for excess brightness.

I didn't read every post. The Shure MM97xE is inexpensive, but it's frequency response is one of the most accurate available, and it tracks well with the Stevenson alignment geometry at maximum VTF and the brush up. It's not for audiophile snobs. It's for music lovers who want accuracy. (Yes, I resent some if the bashing it gets). It's not justified based on testing and listening results. It's almost not fair a cartridge that cheap performs so well.

Ortofon 2M Blue. Does a real nice job on low to middle mass arms.