Logical cartridge upgrade for a long time Shure M44-7 user

Nagaoka completely fails to extract that from the vinyl, it’s hard for me to buy into the idea of it being more ’musical’. I’d say the opposite.

Nagaoka MP110 made with BONDED Elliptical tip, Shure M44-7 made with BONDED Conical tip.

Nagaoka is Moving Permalloy cartridge (generator), Shure is a classic Moving Magnet but with extremely high output. 

As Jonathan Carr commented once: "The moving permalloy operating principle would be that of a Moving Iron but with increased sensitivity, which could be used alternatively to increase output, reduce moving mass, or decrease inductance."

You can definitely find much better cartridges than Nagaoka or Shure. I am not a fan of any of them too.

@chakster Thank you for confirming re the AT microline- I'm definitely leaning in that direction. I'm also curious about some of the Ortofon carts such as the 2M Red or Blue- do you have any experience with those or thoughts on the general sound signature of Ortofon carts vs that of AT? As expressed in the original post by @absolutlahmi, I'm also partial to the M44-7's "big sound", and I particularly like the exaggerated low-end as I listen to a lot of bass-oriented electronic music, along with more abstract/atmospheric sounds along the lines of Boards of Canada and Autechre. So, ideally, I'd love to find a cartridge that can extract more nuance and detail, but also bear out some of the "oomf" of a cartridge like the M44-7. I get the impression that the high-end, audiophile-oriented carts strive for a neutral/balanced sound that is as "unopinionated" as possible- and while I'd love to get even more detail from my records, I'm also interested in a bit of color in the form of boldness in the low-end. I'd say my price point maxes out at around $250-300, so I'm not sure which cart might offer the best bang for the buck with respect to the type of sound I'm after, but I'd greatly appreciate any further thoughts or feedback- thanks!

Ok, M2 Red is garbage, stay away from this one, in this series you could try Black. 
Within your budget at $300 or $350 (in my opinion) Stanton 881s or Pickering XSV-3000 (both with Stereohedron tip) are the best you can get, the sound is so sweet. 
An old Ortofon M20 FL (Fine Line tip) is best buy under $200 if you can find it (styli are still available new). 

Ok, thanks @chakster - I've read very conflicting accounts of the 2M Blue; some say it has great bass and others that it's non-existent. I'll stay away from the Red. Re the Stanton and Pickering carts you mentioned: those would both need to be purchased second-hand, as they're no longer manufactured, correct? Also, how would you say the AT microlines sound in the bass department? More neutral than the Stanton or Pickering? I'm partial to buying something new (from the manufacturer) but would consider other options to find the "right" cart.

Stanton and Pickering are still available NEW (NOS aka New Old Stock) from time to time and they are fine (this is really the best quality for lowest price today). Styli also available new (genuine). I rate them higher than Audio-Technica entry models with ML tip. A friend upgraded his M2 Red with Stanton 881s mkII and it was such a huge upgrade for him.

AT is definitely better than Ortofon in my opinion, my choice of AT is not in your price range, but i’m excited about AT-ML170 and AT-ML180 cartridges.