cartridge recommendation

@chakster - first, the article about Doug Sax is a bit old and I think that things changed from there.
btw the photo you put of Stanton 881s says some other model.
from my experience i usually don’t pay much attention to technical build spec, only sound.
by that i’m not saying that you are not right, just that i need other factors than legendary vintage, or build.

first, the article about Doug Sax is a bit old and I think that things changed from there.

Things changed, manufacturers start pushing super expensive LOMC as the ONLY way to reach audio nirvana and they are still doing it.

I’ve returned from modern $5000 LOMC cartridge to vintage MM and vintage MC because they are cheaper and better to my ears and i have auditioned many of them, first nearly all the discoveries from the old MM thread on here (it will take a year to read) and you will find many comments and contribution from other folks who are too lazy to post nowadays.

I do not ignore an MC, i have some farovite LOMC too, such as FR-7fz, PMC-3, Ortofon MC2000, Grace Asakura’s One, Miyabi MCA just to name a few.

This is for example a Garrott p77i made by legendary Garrott Brothers, it was a killer $700 MM cartridge on $6000 Reed 3P "12 tonearm.

btw the photo you put of Stanton 881s says some other model.

It is correct model 881 mkII, but what you see is a genuine stylus model number II D81s ("s" is for Stereohedron), here is a view from another side for you.

You need to know that Stanton 881s is a blueprint of the Pickering XSV-3000 - this is the reason i have recommended Pickering 3000 (Stereohedron) for lower price than your estimate budget.

For much higher price you can search for these:

Stanton CS-100 W.O.S. is my reference, signature model of Walter O. Stanton himself, sapphire coated cantilever and Stereohedron II nude diamond. Check the specs. Here is more about it. CS-100 is better than low impedance version Stanton 980 LZS i’ve had before. Stanton series of the low impedance MM cartridges is interesting, the output of those MM is only 0.6mV and they must be connected to MC input, not to the MM input.

@Stone1- I wasn't making any specific recommendation. My points were that I:
-owned some of the cartridges that Chakster mentioned when they were new, many years ago, and am now exploring some of them again as vintage, given the crazy high prices of new top tier cartridges;
- also agreed that just starting to use an old rebuilt Monster cartridge last week, I had a similar reaction to yours- the cartridge is very lean sounding, particularly given what I am used to;
and, lastly,
-that I also had at one time a Well-Tempered.
Beyond that, and the pricing issues, it is hard to evaluate cartridges without hearing them in your system. Also, they all have a character in my experience, so there's some degree of matching the sound to complement your system's strengths and weaknesses, as well as to suit your personal preference: 
Some people like very clinical 'accurate' sound, I prefer something that has more tone and richness, but not to the degree that it is over-ripe or imposing that sound on everything- that is why I've been using the Airtights for the last decade or so, after several Lyras- which are also very good cartridges, but tend to have more leading edge and less fullness in sound. 
I do think the Grados are a good value and sound good, but it i haven't used one since the mid-'80s or so, so cannot tell you about their current products or their sound. 

I do think the Grados are a good value and sound good, but it i haven't used one since the mid-'80s or so, so cannot tell you about their current products or their sound. @whart 

Joseph Grado Signature XTZ was the best model in the '80s 

I remember many of the cartridges you list from new, back in the day. That AT20 I had new, if I recall, it was an early Shibata- and considered a very good cartridge at the time.

AT-20SLa (Limited Edition). Yes, it was Shibata nude diamond on alluminum cantilever. It's a high compliance cartridge, high resolution, it's shockingly good even compared to today's LOMC 

whart - i totally agree with that:
"it is hard to evaluate cartridges without hearing them in your system. Also, they all have a character in my experience, so there’s some degree of matching the sound to complement your system’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as to suit your personal preference: "
the problem is that they are not available to me to listen and test, and for sure not on my system.
so i have to make my decision carefully as much as i can.
when i’m speaking about "correct" sound i’m not talking about "clinical ’accurate’ sound" i also looking for some "richness" aand i think i had it with my benz. for example brass were reach and very right to my ears.


chakster - i’m a bit confused from all the info.
i’ll take time to read and search a bit.