Is a Ortofon Black a step down from a Pickering XSV 3000

NOW, but you guys always referring to your faulty memories from the 70's, 80's. How can you even remember the sound of a cartridge you tried about 40 years ago ??

Well, their memories are probably more reliable than taking advice from someone promoting vintage cartridges on audiogon who conicidentally happens to have a business buying clapped out vintage cartridges from Japan and reselling them on eBay etc.

@tzh21y 
Sounds like you should just find the best stylus replacement you can for the Pickering - worthwhile even it ends up as a backup.

I'm personally not impressed by the Hana's - if I was going budget I really like the Audiiotechnica AT33PTG - a friend ran it on his TW Acustik Raven/Helius combo and it was very musical. I prefer the microcline/microscanner stylus profile to the shibata - its very transparent, but the shibata can be a little brittle in some instances.
I would back this cartridge over the Ortofon Black any time.

To give you context my main go to cartridges include Dynavector Nova 13D (with custom Dynavector rebuild), Ikeda kiwame, Koetsu Black and I can listen to the AT33PTG and be perfectly happy.

With my Nagaoka MM its great but it just doesn't engage me.