Which low output MC cartridge

Agree with Tom hankins. Making the jump to LOMC without a suitable table, arm and (especially) phono stage is a classic error.

I currently own a $5K LOMC, a $2K LOMC and a $200 MM. Are the LOMC's better? Yes, but only in a suitably matched system.

It's fair to say my phono stage, table and arm are well above the level of yours. But if I dropped even one of them to the level of a Creek my LOMC's would become unsatisfactory. The MM would become the better sounding cartridge. I know because I've made that journey.

Unless money is no object and you plan on upgrading everything, the optimal bang-for-buck upgrade order is usually:
- Table first
- Phono stage a close second (but first if using an LOMC)
- Tonearm third
- Cartridge a very distant fourth

This is my experience but it certainly isn't my idea. Linn has been espousing this hierarchy for 30 years, because it works.

Thank you very much for the responses. I now see I have been putting the cartridge before the horse. As I am sticking with this TT for the time being, and the Rega 700 arm is what I've got to work with, I will look to upgrade the Phono stage next. As always very informative.

Dear Jhartbirdman : I agree with what Dougdeacon posted.

IMHO what you need to do is to take the MM/MI " road " with out change anything you own.
The MM/MI alternative is better that we could think and not easy to beat in the right environment.

Almost every MM/MI cartridge is below that 1K budget you have with a quality performance level that even easy LOMC cartridges in the 2K-3K price range.

These are some good alternatives you can try:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ortofon-M20E-Super-MM-cartridge-M-20-E-Super-NOS_W0QQitemZ400085013949QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5d26ecd5bd#ht_2567wt_1165

http://cgi.ebay.com/Andante-P-76-MM-Phono-cartridge-T4P-P-mount-NOS_W0QQitemZ110513991713QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19bb25b021#ht_526wt_1165

http://cgi.ebay.com/Empire-1080-LT-1080LT-T4P-cartridge-NOS_W0QQitemZ400101138353QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5d27e2dfb1

http://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LG&Product_Code=NAGAOKAMP050&Category_Code=NAGAOKACART

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

would either a Musical Surroundings Phenomenon 2 or a Jolida jd9a be respectable low cost phono preamps for use with a Benz glider low output cartridge? would one be better than the other? (i'm using a win strainguage w/transducer & good stylus on a j.a.michell hydraulic reference turntable w/fluid arm thru my line stage as my main cartridge but would like to try a quality mc on my other table w/a signet tk7e mm. mfa magus preamp w/mm phono stage, worked on by bill jones who helped assemble the moore/frankland luminessence line.)

Dear Kingmacaw: IMHO your MFA is a good phonolinepreamp as is your Signet cartridge ( that you can improve with a 9 model stylus replacement or with the lattest 7e stylus. There are over the net NOS sources for those Signet stylus replacement. ), a Benz Glider only can help for you spend money on a High gain phono stage but IMHO not with better quality performance.

Even you can choose one, two or more of the cartridges I posted/linked that could give you very good quality performance for so less/lower money than the Glider/MC phono stage.

You don't have to take my word for " sure ", please read what this person ( Halcro ) already experienced with those humble MM/MI cartridges against not only other MM/MI's but against top LOMC cartridges like the Universe or XV-1, these ones are around 4K big dollars against less than 200.00 in that MM cartridge ( and this is not one and only experience about, in the thread there are several ones " speaking " on the same subject: great quality performance from MM/MI analog source alternative. ):

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1200430667&openflup&1991&4#1991

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.