basis 1400 belt & cartridge

What tonearm does your Basis 1400 have on it right now? Cart recommendations without knowing the tonearm is a bit dicey. You want to make sure you match cartridge weight and compliance with effective mass of the tonearm.

Flo...sorry I also forgot to ask what phono stage you have? Can you consider MC carts over and above MM carts based on your phono or no? If only MM or High Output MC, a good fit with your arm and your phono would be:

(1) Sumiko Blue Point (list $299 but you should be able to get it closer to your budget with a discount). Nicely reviewed cart and good value for the money. When matched with your arm, you get a resonant frequency of 9.59Hz which is pretty close to being smack inthe middle of the recommended range of 8-12 Hz. This is a MM cart.

(2) Ortofon 2M Blue (list $199). Also nicely reviewed cart. When matched with your arm, you get a resonant frequency of 8.1Hz. Also MM cart.

(3) Grado Gold 1 Prestige (list $220). When matched with your arm, you get a resonant frequency of 8.5Hz. Also MM cart and nicely reviewed.

Good luck