"Harder" cartridge recomendation

Bydlo, 'used underwear' may appeal to some persons but I
don't believe that any person who buy second hand carts
has this assotiation. The FR-7 series are made to last.
But of course the stylus need to be substituted from time
to time. You may be interested inwhat Halcro has to say about his which is just retipped by Axel in Germany (MM thread, Halcro 04-27-12)

Used underwear?........I dunno.
Used Classic car?.........oh yeah!,
I bought my 1963 Porsche 356B Super 30 years ago and drove it every day to and from work for 25 years.
It is the best car I have ever driven ( and I have had current Mercs. BMWs, and Audis also for 30 years).

I bought an FR-7f which had a poor stylus and had it replaced by an expert in Tokyo who replicated the original conical configuration.
Setup in an FR-66s tonearm......it bettered all my previous high-end (expensive) cartridges except for the ZYX UNIverse.
When that new stylus inexplicably exploded one day......I sent the cartridge to Axel who recommended replacing it with a nude line contact pressure-fitted into an aluminium cantilever.
The performance of the FR-7f with this stylus easily exceeded the previous original one and can be heartily recommended.

Well, I don't know if the automotive analogies, which seem to be a kind of standard here, are applicable and for sure do not appeal to me. Let me explain.
I have no problem with old used cars, or used TT's (mine 930 has worked in Yugoslavian radio for example). We all know
what a "programmed obsolescence" is and it has become a modern standard, but anyway with carts I do not feel safe buying 2nd hand. Carts are obviously much more delicate and the precision scale is orders of magnitudes higher than cars. Buying 2nd hand one never knows what the previous user(s) was doing with the cart, how are the magnets, suspension, etc etc and the stylus condition is only one but not the only one variable. So the bottom line is that there would be no warranty that the cart is within it's original specs (save the stylus). I have no experience with FR7 so judging by ear if the cart is as is should be would not be possible.

An eventual rebuild is also a tricky business.
Even well established cart manufacturers do have problems here. I sent my TSD15 to EMT for a complete rebuild and it came back tracking and distorting worse than a DJ cart abused all it's life with scratching! They had to rebuild it 2nd time...

Halcro, yes VW's have always been reliable, simplicity is the key. I would rather have your 356 than any 911. I ran an Audi Quattro Turbo Coupe ( the real one ) for a few years and it handled way better than anything they make today apart from maybe the RS4.

Cartridge that is fast, has a big sound and better than TSD15 under 1.2k Euros ? I do not know of any modern cart that fits all these criteria, but pleeeese if you do find one, dont forget to post it here on the thread. I will also love to own a cartridge with similar sonics. Seriously!