FWIW, there are three major types of cartridges for audiophile turntables: Moving iron, moving magnet, and moving coil. All work by generating a (very tiny) voltage in coils by harnessing the "wiggle" in the actual needle caused by the undulations in the record's groove.
Moving iron moves a piece of metal (ferromagnetic metal, not aluminum or something like that) in a magnetic field. The coils, with magnet cores, are fixed in the cartridge body. The iron thing that moves is attached to the stylus (the "needle"). Examples include the Grado Silver and Gold, and my favorite of all cartridges, the Stanton 681 series (681ee to the 681eee MK III, the current one).
Moving magnet design moves the magnet around between the coils to produce the tiny voltage. Off the top of my head, I am not sure of examples. I think the Stanton 881s (out of production) is a moving magnet type. But the sound of these carts is very close, if not identical to the moving iron type. In these the magnet is attached to the stylus, and the coils are in the cartridge body.
Finally, and most expensively, there are the moving coil designs. In these the magnet is fixed in the cartridge body and the coils are attached to the stylus. These cartridges are the top of the line in quality, so say many audiophiles. Their output voltage is usually much lower than moving iron or magnet types, and they require a pre-preamp to bring their low signal levels up. Further, since the coils are attached to the stylus, you can't just buy a new stylus and pop it on when the old one wears out, like you can for moving iron and magnet designs. You either send the cartridge back to the manufacturer to have a new stylus put on, or throw it out and buy a new one. As you might figure from the fact that these are the ultimate cartridges, they are also very expensive, with some costing over $2500, well over. Quite a bit of change to throw out. On those where you can get the stylus replaced by the factory, expect to spend around $400 or so to get a new stylus. Compare this to $50 to $100 for a new stylus for a moving iron or magnet design. Examples of moving coil designs include the Stanton 981 (out of production), the wooden Grado line, and, I think, the Bang & Olufsen cartridges. All of these have very good high frequency output.
Make sure that you match the output level of your cartridge with your preamp's gain, and match their impedence too.
www.kabusa.com has a nifty gain matching calculator and quite a bit of info about cartridges and vinyl too. Edit: you don't just screw the cart to the tonearm, you have to make sure that it is mounted exactly right. Search the web for info on this, and get the proper alignment protractor(s), stylus force gauge, and test record, so you can do it right. You will be protecting your vinyl and making sure that you get the best sound that way.
Do you guys remember the days when vinyl, tape, and FM stereo were all there was? Good God, was that a GREAT time for music or what?
