Still looking for a new Moving Coil Cartridge

OP

"I listen to 95% 60’s, 70’s and 80’s Rock and want whatever cartridge I purchase to make the records sound good without excessive surface noise."

Where are you getting the LP’s?

I had a LOT of LP’s, bought in 60’s; 70’s, 80’s. Then along came CDs. LPs gathered dust, friends gave me their used LPs ... I had about 2500 lps, some new, then I inherited 4,000, mostly Jazz played once.

When I started playing my old ones again, OMG, noisy, nearly unlistenable.

I developed my manual scrub routine, and was/am very happily surprised, they play much much quieter than when dirty. Night and Day difference.

You need to get aggressive with them, dirt has been pushed down into the grooves, and modern stylus get deeper in the grooves, digging junk out if you don’t get it out.

I mean SCRUB!

What I mean to say, no new cartridge will make them as quiet as you hope, but aggressive cleaning will help a lot, with any cartridge.

I only discuss equipment I have had personal experience with.

Goldring Eroica LX (low output MC) with Gyger II stylus:

My friend owned one, was not set up for MC, so I mounted/played it here. Nice, but we both preferred my AT33PTG/II (what a stupid name).

Recently he got setup for MC, played it thru his system. Nice, but he's going back to his Grace MM which sounded better to him. I hadn't heard the Grace recently, but when I set it up properly for him it sounded damnnnn good I remember.

He knows what to do to align, but does not have the steadiness to do it himself. I still do, for how long??

In my OP I said I wanted little surface noise. That does not imply my records are dirty.  I have a VPI 16.5 RCM and all my records have been cleaned and put back in the jackets.  I just don’t want a cartridge that emphasizes the surface noise and I want whatever cartridge I buy to sound fantastic with Rock music.  
 

There have been a lot of different cartridge recommendations but no one is telling me they will make my rock records sing.  Does anyone have first hand experience in the cartridges recommended with rock music?  

To explore 'stiffer cantilever/better bass', I bought a

Sumiko Talisman S, Line Contact on Sapphire Tube

30dB at 1kHz. Channel balance: 0.5dB, tracking force: 2gm

https://www.stereophile.com/content/talisman-s-mc-phono-cartridge

Overall, I actually like it as much as my AT, and who knows if I hear what I want to hear, but I think there is a speck tighter bass playing Cecil, Mila, Niels/Sam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_Spaces

mila drumke, my funny valentine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukrNpHCDSjc

double bass, niels and sam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jvz_hcTZ9k

I listen to my AT more because it is on my long arm/fixed cartridge, and the talisman fits my removable headshell arm usually with my new AT Mono with advanced stylus on boron that Steve at VAS made me.

Anyway, Sumiko, Talisman S: very highly recommended

There are far too many variables from one cartridge to another to enable one to say that a stiffer cantilever, per se, makes for better bass.  One way to get relevant data would be to buy two samples of the same cartridge, both bearing what you deem to be a "flexible" cantilever.  Then send one sample off to one of the re-tippers and have him install a cantilever that you deem to be stiffer, but with the same stylus if possible or at least the same stylus shape.  Then listen and take measurements.