Best MM?

Just put a new Virtuoso ebony in my system on Thursday. It's not broke in yet but is showing great potential. Other MM's I've tried that are very good:
empire 4000 diii with bliss stylus
Grado signature with XTC stylus 

That said, chakster & lewm have a lot more experience than I with MM's...

 I used to have a Virtuoso Wood but IMHO the Zephyr is a better tracking and sounding cart.

Good to know. What's your phono preamp if I may ask?

Nagaoka MP500
Ortofon Black
Pickering XSV3000 or XSV4000
Stanton 881S
Shure V15 IV or higher
Grado Sonata II or higher

+1 on the Zephyr. You get to use/check out different gain and other settings on your phono-pre than your MC. And it is a nice sounding MM “type”, but a moving iron. I used to have a Virtuoso Wood but IMHO the Zephyr is a better tracking and sounding cart. 

What was the cost of the IQ3 and where did you get it ? New, I assume, correct ?

I have an IQ3 shipping to me this week.

Unless I am wrong Audio Note IQ MM is a refined Goldring 1042. I use this Goldring with Nottingham table/arm.

Thanks for the thoughts. Anyone have any experience with an Audio Note IO3?

Its so crazy that there’s no way to try out any of these cartridges before you buy.

Shure V15 type Vmr! 

The Zephyr Mk III IS, "something else", than a MM cart(and, yes- better than many): https://www.sound-smith.com/cartridges  Watch out for tonearm mismatches, before you pick a cart.

The correct answer is always "something else", no matter what.  Chakster got it right.

 Something else?

Yes, something else 

WTF??? 2M Black. Nothing else comes close!!!

Cue @chakster in 3...2...