Reasonable moving coil cartridge

Chakster is right again. You are better off with a MM cartridge at this price point. To get a decent MC cartridge you have to spend upwards of $1000
IMHO Grado rules at the price you are looking at.

Chakster,
Somehow in Lithuania we do have 2 masters who works with cartridges. I do know both in person. And had an opportunity to listen of some of their works. One of them is my friend and once he did prototype in two versions one nude 0,5 mil conical another is contact line. Manufacturer was the same Namiki as I do recall from my memories. And CL version was inferior from the first shot. So it's not so easy to get into. It's like a cuisine in which you are extracting taste with different additives.

I want to say i love Lithuania and been there many times in Vilnius, Klaipeda, Nida.

As i expected you compared re-tipped samples, so no comments. 

And if you'll look into low compliance and LOMC cartridges sometimes cuisine leads conical profile. Perfect example is Denon DL103 with 0.65 mil conical. Weakness of Denon DL 103 isn't the conical tip itself but as it mass product it has huge variation of quality from sample to sample. Some of these are really good ones, some of them are bad ones. All is the matter of taste, like in cuisine.

In my opinion a conical tip can satisfy people who are using some horn systems where the extended highs of the modern high-end cartridges can be too much for the nature of horns. In this situation rolled-off highs is a compromise. In conventional systems people normally looking for extensions.   

As about lifetime of tip you are right. But better to check is it nude polished one or bonded one, it gives better quality idea. I won't change 0.5 mil nude conical into 0.2x0,7 elliptical bonded in any case.

Bonded is for very low quality cartridges

I am happy that you liked my country.

No  both Lithuanian masters now don't retip, mostly both do new cartridges. To whom and how it's another story.

You are right about horns. Most of the horns users can't bear rolled up HF as horns do shout too much. 

I am always testing cartridge for artefacts in sound. I mean I am starting to listen music which a like quite loud and if my ears is still happy after 2-3 records it's good one.  If my hand wants to crank sound down or I am finding myself somehow in the kitchen drinking coffee it goes away from my system.  Spectacular sound doesn't mean good one. 

There is no difference in aligning an elliptical as opposed to a micro line or shibata or what have you, yes. But you will need to spend extra time and care aligning the line contact type stylus than you would with an elliptical. Elliptical stylus are a bit less fussy etc...line contacts will most certainly require a more precise VTA and zenith adjustment not easily done without proper tools. Watch fremers video, there is a lot more involved....a good usb microscope and very good lighting would be good first step. And BS to the guy who said you can't get a good MC cartridge unless you spend over $1000! The Hana EL is a superior cartridge at only $475. Herb Reichert loved it so much, he uses it as a reference cartridge. I agree with Herb. Yea if you are hell bent on a line contact or shibata etc then yes spend $750 and get the Hana SL. 

Fremer always goes to extreme with his alignments, his method is not for everyone, his own system is also not for everyone with that $30k SAT tonearm, i remember hot discussion about this tonearm alignment null points etc (some members claimed they are way off).   

Hana made by Excel Sound who released so many cartridges back in the days, no one mentioning them. They made cartridges for SAEC, Argent and many other companies in the 70s/80s.