goldring or grado?

Eri,

Both should work fine, so it comes down to what type of sound you like: the Grado is smooth and has a terrific midrange; the Goldring is punchy and detailed. Sometimes there are hum issues with the Grado, and it can "wobble" in the wrong tonearm, but I've rarely found either of these to be a problem, especially with metal platters, and the Thorens low-mass tonearm. For safety and drama, choose the Goldring, for magic, choose the Grado. They are both good, though the Goldring has the better diamond.

Eri,

Hmmm, a Grado that sounds spitty and constricted, that doesn't sound right. Perhaps the cartridge was defective somehow. A better model would definitely be better, but perhaps there is a compatibility problem with your tonearm or your phono stage. Sdcampbell has actual experience with your 'table and seems to think the Grado a good match. A mystery he'd be better able to solve. If you don't want to spend too much money, then go for the Platinum, which is cheaper than the Sonata, but has a wooden body which kills resonances (spittiness) and design features which make it far superior to the Gold. But if you're nervous about Grado, then strike it off your list and buy the Goldring instead, which gets very good reviews too. There is also the Shure V15 (pricier than either the Gold or the Goldring, though, like the Platinum) which is the least sensitive to tonearms and sounds very even. More money spent, $300, but almost a guaranteed musical result. It lasts longer than other cartridges too, and so is a good investment.