Much better MM cartridge than Shure V15 IV?


Hi, I have a Pro-ject 2 Xperience turntable, and I'm running a Shure V15 IV with Jico SAS stylus on it. I'm wondering how much higher quality MM cartridge can I attach to the carbon Pro-ject 9cc arm without exceeding the capabilities of the turntable/arm combination? Grados tend to hum on this deck unless I shield the motor's EMF. I have not tried anything else yet. What would you suggest as a clear significant cartridge upgrade?
sumaato
I never was a big Shure V15 fan. So I think there are many MMs that would better it, including nearly all that have been mentioned, but this is only my opinion. Obviously there are others who disagree, which should indicate to you that you should pay attention only to your own ears.
Nordost cables make my ears bleed. It's not that they are bass shy; it's that they are treble emphatic. Except possibly quattrofil, but it's not in this price range.
Jazzerdave, thanks for the Signal cable tip. Cheaper option too. Glad to know of at least one more 2Xperience owner! They are great tables IMO. Which phono stage are you using presently? Have you tried other cartridges on your Xperience yet?

Strangely enough, I just discovered a major tweak by replacing the ground wire from my table to my Cronus with a beefy piece of 12g stranded wire....reduced the noise floor from the phono stage enormously. Maybe I had a dud grounding wire before.
Sbrownnw, How would you characterize the difference in the phono stages between the Cronus and the Pro-ject tube box....was it slight or was it night and day, or somewhere in-between?

FYI, I just had my Cronus upgraded to a Magnum, and also went with the huge Tungsol KT120 output tubes instead of the KT90s. The changes to the overall sound are interesting. I get less audible record surface noise than before, blacker backgrounds and a sense that the music moved way from 'demonstrating' and into the domain of live music. Particularly at low listening volumes. The larger tubes increased the power rating of the Cronus considerably, but with my speakers, it doesn't show up as louder, but as more controlled.

The Shure V15 and the table are fully able to allow these changes to show up, so I'm having a new respect for the cartridge. Of course there may be other and better cartridge choices which I'm still looking out for.
Sumaato, I'm just using a Musical Fidelity V-LPS for now. It actually sounds quite good. I haven't tried any other cartridges with this table - just the Blue Point 2. I've been considering trying something else, but I just can't decide (plus the Blue Point 2 sounds pretty good).
Sumaato, to sum things up, I would say the Cronus was good and the Pro-ject was "yeah, that's right" but not the best I've heard. The Pro-ject images so well will a big and musical sound stage plus has MM/MC and tube rolling options. I hope to go to a low output MC Benz Ace soon. As for interconnects, I have used the Mogami 2549 for unbalanced with great results. Same with 2921 for their speaker wire. Have heard that their 2534 is great for balanced.