additional processing and customs charges on goldring 1006 or nagaoka mp150

I have bought stuff from Japan, China, Canada, Britain, Germany, Lithuania, Argentina, India ... without ANY custom charges! Regarding your TT: I too have a recently acquired Pioneer PLX1000. I use a Denon 103R mc cartridge on it. Way better than any MM cartridge! The PLX/Denon is competitive with multi-kilobuck gear!

@roberjerman

I use a Denon 103R mc cartridge on it. Way better than any MM cartridge!

Have you tried all MM cartridges to make such statement for a cheap MC with a conical tip and alluminum cantilever? Even DL-107 MM cartridge is much better than DL-103 MC, and BTW your low compliance DL-103 is a total mismatch with the tonearm of PLX1000 (you can measure the cartridge/tonearm resonance frequency if you don’t believe). DL-103 must be used on high mass tonearms only. If you use a conical tip then you don’t even know what’s on the records, or you may like rolled off frequency on both ends, if that’s your sound then it’s fine, but it does not makes your average MC any better. It’s never too late to learn a bit about different profiles of the styli, different materials for cantilevers etc ... to understand the progress and know-how in cartridge design appeared in the 70s and 80s. Or you can ignore it if you’re happy with your oldschool Denon cartridge designed in 60s for radio broadcast. You may also like 78rpm records, but it does not makes them better than MicroGroove 33rpm LPs. The difference between your conical Denon and a proper MM cartridge is huge! But you may never tried a good MM yourself.

United States has some of the lowest duty rates in the world. Consumer electronics is less than 3%. I never got charged for anything under $500, or so. But did get charged for items closer to $1000 and above. For example, there was a fee of $100 on a $5000 audio purchase. You have nothing to worry about. The world surely takes advantage of this. 

Speaking of MC cartridges. Some people do prefer them and it's fine. But just note, no MC cartridge sounds like tape. If you want that master tape sound, it has to be MM/MI. 

The best cartridges built today are Ortofon 2M Black, Audio Technica VM760SLC, and Nagaoka MP-500. 

There's nothing wrong with aluminum pipe cantilevers. Some of the best cartridges ever made used aluminum pipes. I sonically prefer them to boron rods. Rods always add coloration that's not on the original tape. Same applies for ruby, sapphire, diamond, etc. 

Boron pipes are the best. But they might as well be unobtainium today. Resonance character of a pipe gets the sound right IMO. 

You guys are great, appreciate all your input.  I did contact LP gear and they suggested the Technica VM750 and Vessel A35V and never commented on the Nagaoka or goldring I was interested in.  It seems distributors will sell what they have in stock.  Anyhow.
Price wise Im leaning toward to Nagaoka MP-150 , goldring 1006 ($250-350) for my pioneer plx1000 , had considered the Ortofon 2m blue but was told its a bear to mount on my table.  But Im open to suggestions and would appreciate any other experience with either or perhaps  consider one not too much more costly.  As all these responses have noted there a many elements that one needs to take into account.  For example was thinking of the Soundsmith Otello which is an MI cart and luckily didn't proceed because its output is too low for the MM on my preamp even though its commented as a high output .  My preamp MM requires min 3mv/45k ohm and the MC requires low output and low impedence 0.2mV/2-100 ohm.  thanks again in advance.

PLX1000 is a nearly identical copy of Technics SL-1200MKII. I could mount the 2M Blue on it blindfolded.

Screws go right into the threaded Ortofon body. With Nagaoka, you’ll have to mess with nuts.

For a quick and dirty job, use the provided protractor to set overhang. Cartridge should remain straight in the headshell.

Sticking with the big boys like Ortofon and Audio Technica is a very good idea.