Grado Master, Benz Wood body, or Maestro

Just picked up the Statement 1. I'll check it out tomorrow.

I have a Grado Statement Ref here, and have owned a BenzL2 (not s class) and by a wide margin prefer the Grado to the Benz. I also have a Lyra and Sumiko Celebration, and the Grado is on par with both - with its strengths being your listed priorities. If you are looking for a complete sounding cart, with some warmth, with bass and boogie, the Grado would fit the bill.... hall info too. But as others have said, watch how much VTF is used(less the better), and use almost no antiskate... When you add to much of either let alone both, it is like loading down a moving coil cart for the Grado, in terms of how to much VTF and antiskate "damp" down the Grado's life.

If you have a phono-preamp capable of loMC's and it has 47kohms loading, then get the statement .5mv version of the Grado model you are looking at - just more of everything...