Best cheapo Cartridge

- Nagaoka MP-110
- Grado Prestige 2 series ~ Black2, Green2, or Blue2
- Goldring E3

"The statement that all new cartridges are good is false"

Has anyone actually made such a statement though?

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

For that to be true the AT-ML170/180 would basically have to be the best cartridges ever made, by some margin, as to my ears the 150MLX/Sa are both reasonably close to being state of the art.  Maybe they are just that, as I've never heard either, but I kinda doubt it.  Or at least I doubt that it is anything even vaguely approaching an objective fact.

As far as reasonable & good cartridges go, the VM540 and the lower-end Nagaokas are no doubt among the better bets available today.

I have an old AT 440 ML body with a NOS AT 125 SLC stylus on it. It works well on my vintage Technics deck. I was using an Ortofon 2M Red, but it sounded somewhat flat. The Ortofon, however, sounded better on the Project deck I used to own. I think there has to synergy between tone arm and cartridge. I'm guessing that the AT was developed around the time my Technics was new and may have been the reference brand the Technics was developed around. I think low end Ortofons were used by Project as their reference cartridge as the OM5e was the supplied cartridge and 2M Reds are pretty standard on their more recent budget decks. When my 125 SLC wears out, I may try one of the new AT Microline or Shibata styli that fit on the old body designs. I think AT's are a safe bet for a sub 1K cartridge.

Uberwaltz: the MP200 BORON stylus fits the MP 150 for a great and easy upgrade