The Mk 2 has the best reputation but in my opinion as long as they all have the same arm then they are pretty equal. I have not studied all the models but that info should be available. Cartridges; well if you have the ortofon which is a good cartridge then that should be fine. Remmember as long as the cartridge is compatible with the arm then it is a matter of taste in terms of sound quality. Above you ask about moving coils and I admitt I am partial to them. They have a frequency response that reaches up into the 30k range so some who own SS equipment don't like the rising high end. Also you must have a step-up device to properly drive the phono stage and that adds to the cost. The MC carts track at higher level; usually around 2.5 grams. There are high output MC's like the Ortofon MC 5 that I like and they are reasonably priced and track at a lower force. Regarding high tracking force; Many think that means greater record wear but studies done in the 80's disproved that notion. In the interest of brevity let me say this; for the Technics and your needs there are many very good carts out there of the Moving Magnet type. If you have a 100$ to spend then the Shure M97 ED is a very good choice; nice and rounded with good tracking and smooth presentation. Other than that I prefer to stay away from Grado's for this table. I would suggest the Ortofon is a good choice. Their 540 model is an old favorite. If you have more money; then the Audionote Iq series is the best MM out there that I can see. They sound like moving coils without the hassle of step-up devices. If you want to go extreme with it; then the Denon DL 103/Audio Technica 150/ Denon 601 these are great sounding carts that will run you around 250$ and properly set-up in the Technics will equal almost anything within reason. I use an old Empire MC Gold at the moment. When that is done I have a Fidelity Research waiting in the wings. Hope this helps; cartridge recommendations are simple really; providing you have a well engineered deck then most of the good brands that are medium compliant and reasonable output will sound fine. While they may be different from each other; they will still play nice music. Since it is hard to audition these things it is my experience that the best course is to go with what you know; that being the Ortofon and since you like that cart, maybe just stick with their line since it is very musical and good sounding. They offer a range in price from 90$ up to 2500$ for a cart. so that means plenty of choices. If you decide on a MC; the Denon's are available for 250$, as is the excellent and rare Audio Techinica 150ml which BTW is a MM cart.
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