Best MC Cartridge $300.00 or less

AT-OC9, Denon 103, especially 103D if you can find one. Both are competitive with carts over $1K IMO.

i like my ortofon mc-25fl, also. i also liked my sumiko blue-point; never heard the *special*, but i wood imagine it's even better. i've heard nice things about the a-t oc9, but have no 1st-hand experience. i'm currently awaiting receipt of a 50-hr-old dynavector karat 17, retail $750, i paid <1/3rd that. we'll see if it's worthwhile buying a used cartridge...

Sumiko Blue Point Special

Dynavector 10x4 MK.II blows away all the other carts listed. I believe MSRP is $350 but shopping around should yield a price close to your limit. This cart is high output, 2.0 mv, so should work fine with either mm or mc stage. Always check for compatibility, though.

I liked my Sumiko BPS enough to buy a lot of vinyl, after hearing it. I then went to the Glider, and now the Lo4. I doubt the Dynavector "blows away" the BPS, but I haven't heard the Dynavector. If you wanna hear "blown away", you need to spend more IMO.