Best cheapo Cartridge

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.

@agrippa They are the best, unfortunately all audiogon users who actually have them and compared them are not active anylonger here and instead we have just the basic recommendations for usual suspects. 

The difference between MLX series and vintage AT-ML series is obvious, the cantilever is completely different, the moving mass is different, the frequency response is different ... and so on. They are from the same manufacturer, but different legue.  

Highly recommended if you have not tried yet, even AT-ML150 with Beryllium cantilever is a killer MM (cheaper than AT-ML170). 

The AT made a lot of cartridges, my first one was ART-2000 MC, it was $600 cartridge (limited edition) and i was blown away. But the AT-ML series is much better. I am a big fan of AT, it depends how far we would like to go in upgrade. In case with MM it's better to go backward to the 80's.  

@agrippa

If I remember correctly (seldom a given), the 110 and 150 share a body, as do the 200 and 300, while the body of the 500 is further improved.

Nagaoka trademark called Jeweltone in Japan
just like JVC called Victor in Japan (different trademark for different region)

a $40 Jeweltone MP-10 is Nagaoka MP-100 but for a lower price, because it’s vintage model.

The Jeweltone MP-50 is nothing but the most expensive Nagaoka PM-500

If you like Nagaone look for Jeweltone and i’m sure you can buy it cheaper.

P.S. Another very cheap cartridge is Fidelity-Research FR-5e (or 5se) MM which can be found for $50 and on the right headshell can be very nice, best bang for the buck. 

Be hard pressed to find a good FR-5E for much less than a $100 nowadays Chakster. And nearly all I have seen for sale of late are in Russia or Japan, hard to find one here in USA.

And it is a very light cart so not going to suit all arms for sure.

I bought an AT150MLX back in 2008. I got a lot of good sound and good wear out of it for around 10 years. Then I got a bent cantilever. At that time, AT was having trouble getting boron for the cantilever, so they switched the cantilever/stylus on the AT150 to a tapered aluminum cantilever with a nude Shibata. Price was really good and I mail ordered it from Wal-Mart of all things. I've been using that combo ever since. I thought I liked the MicroLine stylus, but I *really* like the Shibata.

It stands to reason that the Shibata would be an even better tracker because that stylus shape was designed to track discrete quadraphonic LPs, which have the back channels modulated up to 40Khz. So my Shibata negotiaates every part of an LP flawlessly, especially when it comes to the inner groove area, where it tracks without a hint of fuzz or grunge.