Lower end Soundsmith cartridges vs others in same price range?

You have to be at least  at the 2,000 $ Soundsmith range  to best a Nagoka  going for 400 bucks . And not by much .
Been there .

Schubert,

Agree. I have the Nagaoka MP-200. Absolute killer for $400.

Me as well  mr mr , doubt if I will ever change .

I have a new Otello, a new (6 month) Zephyr MIMC☆. I also have recently purchased a VPI Zephyr and an older MIMC. I have been re-capping/refurbishing older DD tables. On an old Denon DP-51f, the Otello has potent bass. Maybe a bit too much. A solid value at $400, especially considering the re-tip services.  That being said,  the Zephyr is still a solid value at near $2k. These cartridges are made in the USA, by hand. No others can make this claim. Peter Lederman actually cares about his customers.  I had a question about some crackling noises coming from my system. Peter called me ON A SUNDAY to help me sort it out. Who else does that?

If you go with SoundSmith, you might consider one of their preamps.  A friend has a Ortofon Black on a modded Jelco 750 arm and wanted to try different preamps.  One I brought over was a Creek OBH-2.  It sounded "best" - as in balance, clarity, soundstage, and all the other subjective stuff - to both of us vs. some higher priced units, so he bought the latest version.

When I finished rebuilding the suspension of an Oracle Alexandria and installed a rewired SME 3009 II Improved, an original (now older version) of a SoundSmith Othello was mounted.  I started with the Creek OBH-2 given how good it sounded with the Black, but it didn't prove to be a good match.

While not impressed they use a wall wart power supply, reviews from others had me try a SoundSmith MMP4.  The combination was a significant improvement.  As others have commented, clean and clear mid and high frequency, and with no fatigue, even through modded Klipsch Forte I speakers.  Bass is tight and strong, which I like; you'd have to decide if it's enough for some good old rock n' roll.  I'm pleased enough that I'm not as interested in trying the Carmen.

I'm not familiar with the Elac PPA-2 phono preamp, but it makes sense an in-house preamp "tuned" to their MI cartridges would maximize your listening experience.