Smoothest and best sounding turntable/cartridge combo up to $1600??

To marktomaras:  "Smooth sounding" may be too nonspecific a term. I was trying to say less high end congestion where the sound get bunched up, (that is not separated to hear nuances), or tinselly crashing highs, or a general  lack coherence across the board resulting in a sour sound quality..  I would not mount a Lyre Delos  on my Thorens 145 ( You must have a fairly expensive table to use that cartridge).

 I am no expert at tonearm/cartridges interfacing, but at this time the Thorens TP60 tonearm on the 145 table does not sound right, and exhibits many of the negatives I briefly listed above. I did read somewhere that the AT440Mlb  cartridge can take a while to break in and sound smoother on the top end.

To Smrex13.... I saw the add for the VPI Traveler, but I want to sell the Thorens first. Catching good sale is not a top priority at this point.

 Member, Raymonda suggested trying one of the Denons he listed. And of course, there is the option of replacing the tonearm with something much better.  However, in both cases I am reluctant to dump any more money into this project at this point.  Thanks to all.

Cartridges, like speakers, are transducers and highly subjective.  And the two most difficult components to recommend.  Just as you have probably been advised to auditions speakers, the same goes for cartridges.  We all perceive them differently.

If you cannot audition TT/Cartridges packages and must rely on a general consensus from users on the internet, I agree with the above that Grados, Denons and Shures are probably the opposite of the AT-440MLB. 

Noticed that no one mentioned Ortofon yet - most of their better cartridges go right down the middle. 

Finally there is a question of compliance in properly matching a cartridge to a tonearm.   Premounted TT/Cartridge packages are good because the manufacturers have looked at selecting cartridges for their tonearms that result in the proper resonant frequency of the combination. 

Thanks again to those who responded. 

To Paraneer:  I am sure tables prepacked with cartridges represent an expert matching to tonearm. Unfortunately, I am not a big fan of Ortofon 2MRed which came with my previous Project DC Carbon TT. It was good, quiet, but the highs were a bit restricted. I was told the 2MBlue was better and would work with the 2M Red body. but I decided not to go there. 

Here is an a curious point, why does VPI package the Ortofon 2MRed with Scout Jr  TT, and also their discontinued  Traveler V.2 TT.  Both VPT table have to, or should outperform the Project DC Carbon TT. So, Paraneer, I am NOT sure the matching of cartridge to tonearm''s RESONANT FREQUENCY  is the only consideration. I think keeping the cost of the package down. If I had bought either of the VPI tables mentioned, I would replaced the Ortofon  2M Red.