Table/Cartridge price ratio

The MCs I'm thinking of starting in the $250 price range are the Denons (hard to find) and Sumiko Blue Point line. MAybe Grados but never heard their MCs.

Other than these, yes, audiofeil, you are correct, you will probably have to spend more for a good MC to match a good system. I've tried various MMs I've accumulated over the years in the Linn Axis on my main system and either MC was to superior to any MM, though granted these were older MM cartridges that had seen prior use (grado, ortofo, Shure type IV, etc).

I have an older MM Goldring in my second, smaller system (Dual 1264), and that system is sounding the best ever now since I inserted a vintage Yamaha receiver that seems to have a very good phono stage. IT was not very spectacular with prior receivers tried, vintage NAD 7020 and Tandberg 2080. This revelation convinced me more than ever that all phono stages, even in higher end brands, are not created equal, so I think that has to be taken into consideration as well when matching tt and cartridge.

Haven't tried the Goldring on my Linn yet though.

Price is no indicator of good sound.

You probably have not heard the Grado MCs because no one has; they don't make them. All Grado cartridges are moving iron. Interestingly, Joe Grado had the patent on MCs in the US, but never enforced it.

As for the rest of it. It is hogwash, the cartridge is a transducer, it converts mechanical energy, into electrical energy, the loudspeaker is the only other component in the hi-fi system that does that, unless one wants to go back to the recording chain and throw in the microphone. Depending on the system, very expensive cartridges can be used to good effect on very cheap turntables, though the other way around usually yeilds more satisfying results.

Then there's the further complication that how good your cartridge sounds also depends on how good the phono stage is. I just upgraded my phono stage from the one built into a 1980s Amber to a modestly priced outboard Cambridge Audio 640p, and I never imagined that my humble little Denon DL-160 was grabbing that much sound out of the groove.

johnnyb53..i used to use a CA 640p with my dl-160, and yeah, it didn't sound bad. after reading Hdm's posts about dialing in db gain, i decided to give a phono pre, with adjustable gain and load, a shot. i was able to get a musical surroundings phonomena used for $325 on audiogon. when u dial in gain (44db on the phonomena) the sound becomes more effortless and natural sounding. my system played bright and i loaded it down from 47K to 300 ohms to tone it down. the phonomena also has an adjustment for capacitive loading. when i switched from 100pF(?) to 200pF the background became blacker and i was able to pick up more detail. i don't understand how this happened because, supposedly, MC's should be unaffected by capacitive loading.
anyway, what i'm trying to tell ya, is that your humble dl-160 can sound even better with a not so big bucks change. (u could get at least $140 for the cambridge the last time i looked here at audiogon) and maybe our dl-160's are not so humble at all....if u go over to pink fish media, you'll find that quite a few brits are using them on $2000+ tables!!