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

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.

@nickpish - since my post, I went with an AT VM540ML based on the recommendations here. I don't want to sound like a confirmation-biased fanatic, but man.. the improvement has been incredible, even right out of the box. 
Much clearer details across the whole spectrum. 
Sonic details extracted that weren't available before with the M44-7.
Inner groove distortion gone for the most part. 
The 11khz 'peak' mentioned by @atmasphere makes a lot of sense now. I used to think that was a given with vinyl, but with the AT upgrade I feel like I have access to the full frequency range without distortion...
And just overall coherence, detail, and what I would call a more 'physical' listening experience. 

Specifically about bass: I don't think the VM540ML is MISSING much bass per se.. It's definitely not an M44-7 in sheer bass output.. it's a bit more subdued, but again to @atmasphere 's point, I do feel like the bass that's getting reproduced is more in line with what was intended, rather than what was made up by M44-7. Right out of the box, the initial feeling is that the bass sounds a bit 'woodier', slightly dull on some records. But even with about 20+ hours of burn-in, I'm already not really missing M44-7. If you have a decent phono stage, and somewhat capable speakers, I'm pretty sure the AT won't disappoint in the bass department. 

Also, I'm confident in my analysis, because I have tried other carts before the AT, unlike the Nagaoka MP110, and this is a completely different experience. 
Also to note - if you get the MV540ML new, and pre-installed on a AT headshell, it's more of less optimized for an SL1200 table (I find). I had to do very minimal adjustments to get it to sound great, track nicely, and extract all the sound I was missing properly from the first moment til the end of a record. 

@absolutlahmi Thanks so much for posting your feedback on the VM540ML- that's great to hear you're pleased with the purchase; congrats! I've spent countless hours reading about various cartridges on forums and review sites, but your feedback in particular as an SL1200/M44-7 owner is especially valuable. I've also been leaning in that direction, due in no small part to the feedback here. Here are a few questions for you, if you don't mind: first, do you have any recommendations as far as cartridge alignment, VTF, anti-skate and tonearm height w/ the VM540ML? Did you use an alignment protractor? I have an overhang gauge for the SL1200, which I've used to align the M44-7. Lastly, I've read many comments about the "brightness" of the VM540ML, which is sometimes described as excessive- how has your experience been in this regard? Thanks again for the phenomenally helpful feedback.

When someone who use CONICAL stylus (with rolled-off bass and high frequencies) comparing it to MICRO LINE stylus claiming the last one is bright, you have to admit that this person prefer colored rolled-off sound. Reading other forums you have to take in count that users of the m44-7 are often djs with average phono preamps in their mixers. You have to understand who post what. Most of the forums are useless and posters know nothing avout what they are posting.

Follow manufacturers recommendations from the manual of any cartridge, Technics tonearm is fine for AT cartridges (or any mid compliance cartridges). I have a pair of SL1210mk2 for more than 25 years and tried over 60 cartridges on those decks (including some of the best MM ever made). Technics is not in my main system, but I test all cartridges on SL1210mk2 first (with the headphones).

Shure M44-7 and Shure Whitelabel are the worst sounding cartridges, even $110 Grado DJ200i (MI) based on Grado Black is superior, not to mention a proper hi-fi cartridges that 10 times better than Grado!