The MM Carts typically reside in the budget arena and that is often why MC carts are said to be better (but they cost more) and like most things the more you pay the more you get. So yes a $2,000 MC cart will sound better than $150 MM cart but a $1000 MM cart will sound better than $400 MC cart.

My Cartridge sounds like an MC cart in most ways without some of the problemsrelated to picking up external noise or fussiness of set-up. It is Audio Note's top of the line MM cart and runs $1,200. For me for personal use it is an end of the road kind of cartridge. Moving up would be their entry level MC cart at about $3,000 where in their view is the beginning of where MC technology begins - and thye have tried every competing MC cart in the world.

The issue become about money. I can't speak for every turntable set-up of course - not at all - but going down the MC road and to do it better than the best MM carts will cost a ton. My dealer carries several of the best known turntables and carts and when they get into MC carts they also prefer to put them on better turntables - their favorite "budget" (chortle chortle) high end table is the Voyd Reference or old TT2 with three motor system. Used you'd probably pay $5,000.

It's a road I will look at but probably 10-15 years down the line. I would recommend against the Shure M97xE however. I had one for years - it is a very nice sounding cart for the money but it really doesn't let the star qualities of vinyl through. It has a kind of dead sound. Quiet and tracks great. Perhaps I am being unfair comparing it to my new cart at many times the price but the big improvement in the "jump factor" and live open presentation is startling and I can't go back. Maybe look at a Shure's top of the line MM as it might open up more.