Ed_f, I've actually lent the cartridge to a friend who is using it with a SME V arm and Nottingham Spacedeck. His phono pre is a Sonic Frontiers. I ran it using SME V and Graham 2.2 arms with an Oracle V using a Herron phono pre. I think it's a fine cartridge, and so does my friend.
The fact that you have to purchase a phono pre ups the ante and cuts into your target budget, particularly if you go the MC cartridge route. I doubt if you could get a decent one for less that $500 used. Most phono pre specifically designed for MCs should work fine. Look to your dealer to give you specific advice.
The tricky part about your situation is that, if you buy a $100-200 phono pre and an inexpensive moving magnet cartridge, you might not like the sound as much as what you get from your digital source, (which is a nice one) and dump your experiment. But if you go for something better you might find that a good MC phono pre and the Dynavector is not be feasible within your budget.
Also, not knowing your Signet tonearm, I have no way of knowing whether it would work with the 17D2 MkII. That's why I suggested that you take your rig into a local dealer for a test.
If you don't have a local dealer, then perhaps Egoss's suggestion makes the most sense. But if your Dennon has a metal platter the Grado might not be a good idea because I have heard this combo can lead to hum problems. A phono pre by NAD or Creek that support MM cartridges can be found for under $200.
Good luck, and I hope you find a way back to vinyl.
