Rlips, you are correct in your perception that the low output moving coil cartridges do better, due to the lower moving mass of the smaller coils.
The answer to your other question is primarily no, but there could be some proponents of a radically different cartridge design originally pioneered by Decca. It is a very high output design which can use an ordinary MM input level. It uses no cantilever. These types of cartridges are still made today by Decca and Ikeda. I cannot advise you as to whether you will like them or not. They have a particular sonic signature which is very forward, and some would say "in your face". Some claim them to be the most dynamic and natural. It is a preference matter.
For the most part, the general consensus is that the low output MC cartridges give best sound. However, you can get too low, so that no readily available phono stage will play the cartridge. Generally it is advisable to stay above 0.2mv to ensure phono stage compatibility with at least some phono stages. Or you could use a step up transformer to bridge the gap, which is what I do.
One other note of interest. There is a definite difference in sound between the Japanese and European cartridges. My preference personally is strongly toward the Japanese sound, with cartridges such as Shelter, Koetsu, Denon, Miyabi, and the older Supex, Fidelity Research, etc. These are typically low compliance cartridges with pretty low output, and have the "Japanese sound", which I think is much more musical, on the whole. The European cartridges have very good specs, analytical detail, and often a lift in the high frequencies. Most of the Japanese cartridges I mentioned are loaded at around 100 ohms or below, and most of the Euro cartridges load at 47k ohm or thereabouts. To my ear the Euro cartridges tend to be too etched and analytical, at the expense of the "magic" that is often associated with Koetsu, but is present to some degree in the other cartridges from Japan that I mentioned. It is a personal preference matter, to be sure, but my preference is definitely in the Japanese cartridges of lower compliance.
The answer to your other question is primarily no, but there could be some proponents of a radically different cartridge design originally pioneered by Decca. It is a very high output design which can use an ordinary MM input level. It uses no cantilever. These types of cartridges are still made today by Decca and Ikeda. I cannot advise you as to whether you will like them or not. They have a particular sonic signature which is very forward, and some would say "in your face". Some claim them to be the most dynamic and natural. It is a preference matter.
For the most part, the general consensus is that the low output MC cartridges give best sound. However, you can get too low, so that no readily available phono stage will play the cartridge. Generally it is advisable to stay above 0.2mv to ensure phono stage compatibility with at least some phono stages. Or you could use a step up transformer to bridge the gap, which is what I do.
One other note of interest. There is a definite difference in sound between the Japanese and European cartridges. My preference personally is strongly toward the Japanese sound, with cartridges such as Shelter, Koetsu, Denon, Miyabi, and the older Supex, Fidelity Research, etc. These are typically low compliance cartridges with pretty low output, and have the "Japanese sound", which I think is much more musical, on the whole. The European cartridges have very good specs, analytical detail, and often a lift in the high frequencies. Most of the Japanese cartridges I mentioned are loaded at around 100 ohms or below, and most of the Euro cartridges load at 47k ohm or thereabouts. To my ear the Euro cartridges tend to be too etched and analytical, at the expense of the "magic" that is often associated with Koetsu, but is present to some degree in the other cartridges from Japan that I mentioned. It is a personal preference matter, to be sure, but my preference is definitely in the Japanese cartridges of lower compliance.