I use a Benz Glider on my Concept and they sound great together. My phono stage is the Sim LP5.3. Given your budget I would look into the Hana cartridges if you want to go MC. I have heard both the SL and the EL and they sound really good. The EL is a bit over your budget though at $749, the SL is $475. For a MM cartridge, the Clearaudio Artist V2 Ebony is an improvement on the Concept MM and within your $500 budget. Good Luck!