bkeske,
Not to muddy the cartridge water anymore but... ebay had a Grado XTZ signature (NOS) a couple weeks ago for around $700. That is a FANTASTIC cartridge. They also had an Empire 4000DIII that looked good for around $600. That is also a great cartridge. They may still be there.
FWIW I've been running both of them (on & off) for the last month or so. On my system the Grado XTZ sounds sublime with the Empire a notch down from that, but still great. The only down side with the Grado is a slight hum. It is not audible from my chair, but it bugs me that it's there at all.
Starlight Mints / Built on squares
Not to muddy the cartridge water anymore but... ebay had a Grado XTZ signature (NOS) a couple weeks ago for around $700. That is a FANTASTIC cartridge. They also had an Empire 4000DIII that looked good for around $600. That is also a great cartridge. They may still be there.
FWIW I've been running both of them (on & off) for the last month or so. On my system the Grado XTZ sounds sublime with the Empire a notch down from that, but still great. The only down side with the Grado is a slight hum. It is not audible from my chair, but it bugs me that it's there at all.
Starlight Mints / Built on squares