Thanks for the questions. I have been using a Ortofon Rondo MC. It's about 12 years old and basically just died. I totally enjoyed this cartridge. The rondo was a mid priced offering from Ortofon I think it was priced around $800. With inflation it would obviously be priced much higher today.
I have a much more flexible budget today. So I am seeking suggestions since I really haven't looked at cartridges for a long time.