What is it in MM that can give me goose-bumps? 🤔

Hi, nice discussion, your passion for sound and music shines through.  
My experiences with MM and MC are different and summarizing I believe the key is to find the right MC.  
I agree that really good MMs can convey an emotional sound that seems to go beyond just playing back recorded music.  Pitch and tone along with the smoothness of vinyl can be mesmerizing.  
The problem that I have heard is that it isn't consistent recording to recording, can sound unrefined with challenging ones and lack ultimate dynamics that the best MCs seem to possess.  
If you ever have a chance I recommend trying the Audio Technica ART series MCs, the XA if you have 64db min gain, or the XI if you have 56 to 60 db of gain.  These to me have the best of both MM and MC.  
Ultra refined, dynamic yet with a slightly warm smooth character that is engaging.  

Currently using Pickering XSV/5000 (Stereohedron mkII stylus) Moving Magnet cartridge from the late 80’s. Two turntables connected, here is my system, two tonearms on each turntable. Some killer LOMC are here (FR-7fz, Miyabi MCA) on very nice tonearms like Lustre GST-801 and FR-64s with b60. Speakers are Tannoy System 15 mkII.

Pickering XSV/5000 (MM) cartridge is the cheapest of them all (replaced by Grado Signature XTZ), tonearm also much cheaper (Denon DA-401 for high compliance cartridges). I must tell that this XSV/5000 cartridge is amazing.

I like my expensive LOMC too, but MM is a different flavor, 4 times cheaper price than any of my LOMC, same about Denon tonearm for this cart. And I have everything for LOMC (SUTs, high gain phono stages, headamps, current injection phono stages... everything).

There is NOTHING to loose with the right MM, it’s amazing sound for 4 times lower budget, because all you need is MM phono (100k Ohm loading option is a must) and the right tonearm. I prefer high compliance MM.

What you can get for $700 with MM you can’t get even for $3k (including SUT) with MC.

And user replaceable stylus for MM is a great bonus instead of that crazy third party re-tipping service that ruin the originality of your MC. 

@chakster and all

Very dedicated responses, oh yes!
Also the sharing of set-ups for perspective.
Thank you!

My system is by far more 'stream-lined', far less dedicated, far less high-end, and more to my current room (and finacial) abilities. 

So, only one tt, one tonearm - and all SS from the ML 326S preamp included phono boards, (mostly surface mounted devices including op-amps for 40dB and 60dB options, all via internal jumpers, and lowest loading std. 49k ohm, also by tiny jumpers - no viable 100k, more open, loading) to the X350.5 power amp. Amen!

Living in South Africa, and 'suffering the 25th year of 'liberation' and now Covid changes - typical African corruption - the local currency has gone to hell in a hand-basket.) Amen! 

In short I had to learn to do with what I have, aquired some time back in better days, when mail, postal services were actually still functioning, and deliveries not being stolen or 'lost' as it's simply called.
It's all kindly called 'The New Dispensation' and all the world so much happier for it. Amen! 

It will give you some idea, why other than desperate measures, prevent one from purchasing anything other than what's locally still available - and any hi-fi highend kind things are by now 'scarce as chicken teeth'. Amen! 

Why choose to live here?! 
That's too long a story to relate, truly - or why chose people to live in the USSR at the time? 
Maybe less complicated, in general. 

Ok, back on subject now.
I most resently mounted my Ortofon M20FL super, and in better days also had purched the E super insert (all NOS from Germany). 

I'd just followed some positive AGONE block comments on the endlessly long 'Who needs MCs when we have MMs' by Raul... 
Though I wasn't aware at the time, of the 40cu compliance, more like Jello (or Wackelpeter in German :) despite the borderline compatibility with my SME V t-arm, working really great and yet again, sounding noticeably more 'real' than the more 'hyped-up' MC presentations - in my system. 

In closing, maybe it is simply a case of synergy and equipment set-up, as e.g. apparently the ML326S phono-boards where based on the much older reference ML35 phone-pre, add-on unit...
I surmise this to be so, as some time past, I had a chance to test and compare this stand-alone unit. It sounded absolutely the same when compared to my build-in phono-boards. 

So I'm currently enjoying once again the magic sound of an MI cartridge, the M20 E super, at a VTF of 1 gramm! (on a medium effective mass t-arm, 10-11g) and anti-scate force of 0.5 pond, no less! 

This is like the funky 70s - just with better gear, eh? 😅 👏

Michélle 🇿🇦 

Dear @justmetoo : As you I really like it those Ortofon MI vintage models. I don’t know why Ortofon detour to other direction and even that its today MM are good performers I think they should be to return with a today new MI be based ( not exactly same one. ) on those vintage ones. I think they can do it.

Today I will start to re-listen to really top vintage MI/MM performers and over the time I want to listen again to those Ortofon that I still own.
Today I will start with the best of the best the: ADC 26/27. No one MM vintage cartridge can even approach its quality performance, not Audio Terchnica, Grace, Stanton, Pickering, Ortofon and the like. The ones that approach that very high quaility levels are MI too: AKG P100 LE, Astatic 2500, Empire 4000D3 and yes exist one MM and is the Technics 100C MK$ stand alone model not the headshell integrated.

Follow enjoying your room/system, this is all about.

R.

100CMK4, sorry.