Which low output MC cartridge

Dear Jhartbirdman : I agree with what Dougdeacon posted.

IMHO what you need to do is to take the MM/MI " road " with out change anything you own.
The MM/MI alternative is better that we could think and not easy to beat in the right environment.

Almost every MM/MI cartridge is below that 1K budget you have with a quality performance level that even easy LOMC cartridges in the 2K-3K price range.

These are some good alternatives you can try:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ortofon-M20E-Super-MM-cartridge-M-20-E-Super-NOS_W0QQitemZ400085013949QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5d26ecd5bd#ht_2567wt_1165

http://cgi.ebay.com/Andante-P-76-MM-Phono-cartridge-T4P-P-mount-NOS_W0QQitemZ110513991713QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19bb25b021#ht_526wt_1165

http://cgi.ebay.com/Empire-1080-LT-1080LT-T4P-cartridge-NOS_W0QQitemZ400101138353QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5d27e2dfb1

http://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LG&Product_Code=NAGAOKAMP050&Category_Code=NAGAOKACART

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

would either a Musical Surroundings Phenomenon 2 or a Jolida jd9a be respectable low cost phono preamps for use with a Benz glider low output cartridge? would one be better than the other? (i'm using a win strainguage w/transducer & good stylus on a j.a.michell hydraulic reference turntable w/fluid arm thru my line stage as my main cartridge but would like to try a quality mc on my other table w/a signet tk7e mm. mfa magus preamp w/mm phono stage, worked on by bill jones who helped assemble the moore/frankland luminessence line.)

Dear Kingmacaw: IMHO your MFA is a good phonolinepreamp as is your Signet cartridge ( that you can improve with a 9 model stylus replacement or with the lattest 7e stylus. There are over the net NOS sources for those Signet stylus replacement. ), a Benz Glider only can help for you spend money on a High gain phono stage but IMHO not with better quality performance.

Even you can choose one, two or more of the cartridges I posted/linked that could give you very good quality performance for so less/lower money than the Glider/MC phono stage.

You don't have to take my word for " sure ", please read what this person ( Halcro ) already experienced with those humble MM/MI cartridges against not only other MM/MI's but against top LOMC cartridges like the Universe or XV-1, these ones are around 4K big dollars against less than 200.00 in that MM cartridge ( and this is not one and only experience about, in the thread there are several ones " speaking " on the same subject: great quality performance from MM/MI analog source alternative. ):

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1200430667&openflup&1991&4#1991

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

I'm going to have to go against prevailing opinion here. It's always been my experience that the biggest differences in sound are made by the transducers (cartridges and speakers). This is not a fashionable opinion, but it's what I've found to be true. So I'd go with a cartridge before upgrading the preamp. I have no experience with any of the carts you mentioned, but can say that the Shelter 501 II that I recently bought is absolutely superb in every way that matters to me. And it's within your budget.
-Bob

clearaudio maestro is a mm with qualities of a mc but less expensive