Help me make a decision! Turntable overload

@shadorne ,

"Not looking for resolution from vinyl" ..Wow!

In my opinion the difference between 1 through 3 were minor at best but 4 stuck out like it hurt. That being said, I would have liked to hear what the various arms sound like on a popular piece that we all are familiar with. Although, 1 through 3 all sounded very good it would be interesting to compare how that front end compared to my much more modest front end.

I can say that after listening I was not in a rush to go out and buy the arm, or any variation of it. It made me reflect on what an amazing value I have in my system. I think Mike’s front end cost well over $100,000. Upgrading from what I have to his would be like burning money. I would need to be a multi-billionaire to get any dollar per sound value from it.

I’m not saying it is not the best front end around. What I’m underscoring is that the difference between the best and very good is getting smaller.

So, today we have now entered a new era. No longer is the "best the enemy of the very good" but, rather, "the very good has become the enemy of the best"!

Raymonda, wrong thread.

For the OP, I totally agree with those who maintain that the best bang for your buck would be to buy vintage.  But taking that pathway requires a certain level of sophistication, understanding of circuit design and of how products interact, and willingness to tinker. Those descriptors do not seem to match with your own characteristics or desires. Therefore I think you did the right thing to buy the pioneer turntable new. I would then advise you to proceed to buy the Ortofon bronze. Or any other very good moving magnet or moving coil Cartridge in your price range. I also agree with Chakster  that you should stay away from the denon moving coil cartridges, because they are very low in compliance and will not be a good match for the tonearm that comes mounted on your pioneer turntable. You will learn more and more about this stuff as you go along, and it is never too late to experiment with great sounding older equipment.

@lewm  Thanks!  I've been reading as much as I can...  I agree with everything you said, and already have plans to build a secondary system that will allow me to experiment a lot more down the line with Vintage stuff.  I'm really not totally opposed to Vintage stuff - I just am not knowledgeable enough yet to know what to go after, and then finding one in pristine cosmetic condition means big $$$.  

In the meantime, I have convinced myself that the av760slc is THE best cartridge for me and I should just drop the money now instead of going through a dozen different cartridges trying to figure it out.  The VinylRoom did a review on it that really resonated with me and what I think I am looking for...  I just want to spend the money once and enjoy my system without regrets or second guesses (probably impossible I know).

The more I read about the MC cartridges in my budget the more I realized that probably was not the best path for me to go down at this point.

@chakster  Thank for the message!  I've been slammed with work and haven't had a chance to reply.  I need to reread this thread and everyones suggestions now that I have a bit better idea what some of these recommended cartridges cost and how they have been reviewed and compared.  I still feel more comfortable buying a new modern MM cartridge over vintage at this point.  Maybe for my secondary system down the road the experimentation can begin!

It seems ludicrous to judge these cartridge by the words of others and not by the SOUND, but its all I have right now.  

So, can I get a final input from all you educated and patient folks about the following cartridges for the PLX 1000?:

**av760slc** (my current choice)
av750sh
ortofon Black
ortofon Bronze
Nagaoka mp200

I will be using a Pro-Ject Tube Box DS PreAmp if that matters...  :)