Best cheapo Cartridge

@rauliruegas It's the 540SH - $400.

The Sumiko Pearl works for me (Linn Basik/Akito)...I like these enough that I've replaced the stylus once for 50 bucks or something, but for whatever they sell for now ($120 maybe?) as I assume they're discontinuing these things, they're a bargain as they're a great sounding MM cartridge that seems to suffer from the fact that it's so inexpensive.

"I believe anything under $1k is a cheap cartridge for audiophiles."

Couldn’t really disagree much more, unless "audiophiles" is used as a synonym for "people with delusions of grandeur and/or obsessive/compulsive disorder"

I’ve heard/auditioned a good number of Koetsu, Kisekis, Miyajimas and whatnot up through the years and frankly my ART9 gives them all a run for the money. Many of the former sacrifice precision and neutrality for obvious emphasis on midrange, "body" or whatever else the maker(s) subjectively consider desireable. If that’s what you’re after then that’s well and good, but to say it makes them "better" is simply folly of the highest order.

My current favourite by a very, very tiny degree is the Allnic Puritas, since it reproduces the timbre of stringed instruments and female voices better and more accurately than anything I’ve heard up until now. It’s a $5000 cartridge, but quite frankly I’d say it’s worth maybe a couple of hundred more than the ART9 purely in terms of its sonic qualities.

As far as I’m concerned an AT150MLX or Sa (no experience with the VM series yet) properly set up will provide sound quality equalling most MCs up to several times its price and take you most of the way to audiophile heaven. Provided, of course, that audiophile is used to mean what it actually means.

All in my opinion, with my (very good) hearing and in my system (or rather systems through the years).

Dear @agrippa @pops  : Yes, Audio Technica is synonimous of quality. Here we can read something about the VM new series owners opinions:

https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/cartridges/6637a2f0787470c3/index.html#showreviews

and here we can read what M.Fremer found out in a comparison cartridges review where a very humble AT95E was  one of the contenders and other AT was the AT95SA ( I still own this " baby ". ) with different stylus. It's extremely good performer even at that so cheap/low price:

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/nine-cartridges-compared-reviewed-and-voting-results

R.

I’ve heard/auditioned a good number of Koetsu, Kisekis, Miyajimas and whatnot up through the years and frankly my ART9 gives them all a run for the money.

Yes, it’s exactly $1k cartridge, considered cheap MC compared to ART1000 for example (or to those $15k new ortofon:) . AT is great with their exchange policy, much better than any manufacturers, considering the price for ART9, the factory exchange (when the stylus is worn) is great option (but only from official dealers).

AT150MLX is not even near the old AT-ML170 or AT-ML180 series.

The statement that all new cartridges are good is false and there is absolutely no reason to stick to the new production when old available in NOS or Mint. Curious people and true audiophiles are normally comparing different equipment. Everybody knows all new models , new cartridges, the list of recommended products is the same, always. But some vintage models are unknown to most of the audiophiles, i think it’s worth to mention some great discoveries on this forum. Those gems are vanishing slowly, why the shops are full of new cartridges and will be sull of them for decades in the future.