Which one of these should I develop with a nice stylus?
Stanton 500 II
Shure M95ED

Or should I just start again with a new set-up.

Looking for something to suit a sansui amp / technics sl1300 tt and a pretty broad vinyl collection. I am looking for a warm rich sound.

Oh... and is there a stylus that you'd recommend for the cartridges?

[no jokes about talking to myself required]

What do you think about an Ortofon OMB 10 (OM 10) cartridge with elliptical stylus? Is this a real upgrade?

My choice would be the M95ED. Partsexpress has a stylus for $9 that's excellent, and you'll get your warm, rich sound. The Ortofon 10 has it's fans, but is not universally loved, and the sound is almost the opposite of what you want. Ortofons do get better as you go up the ladder, but you pay the price.

What about an ADC XLMII or Shure Me97HE- Are these a step up in quality and sound?

I reckon my budget is probably around $50 for the cartridge... then I'll think about a stylus... my budget for that would probably be about $75

M95ed and the Stanton a close second. I have heard of people sending in there old 500 stylus and having it retipped to say a micro line or ruby

I"d choose the M95ed but i have read about people sending in there old 500 stylus and getting it retipped into a micro line or Ruby.

What about an ADC XLMII or Shure Me97HE- Are these a step up in quality and sound?

Although the ADC XLM MkII is a very nice sounding cartridge, it won't give you the nice warm sound you're looking for.

The M97xE is just the current day replacement for the line of carts through the years of which the M95ED was a member. The M95ED (and the M95HE, same cart with the hyperelliptical stylus) were second only to the V15 at the time they were being sold. I and others have found that we prefer the sound of the older Shures to the current "x" version. Don't automatically assume that because it's a $9 stylus that something newer is better. Try it--you'll like it.

I'd give the $9 stylus a go.

But the website replied...
"Sorry, this order does not meet the required minium dollar amount for an international order. Please added $41.60 to your order."

Postage was $50 USD as well.

So, I'll have to find something locally.

Do you perhaps have a product number or name that I could use to track this stylus locally? Or is it a "Parts Express" version of something else?

Well we did not know where you were located. Put your location in your profile so it shows up in your posts.

You are right to listen to "hakaplan" and go for the Shure M95.
It is really smooth and enjoyable. I use a JICO standard stylus (N95E) on it and like this combination a lot. If you want to upgrade-to-the-max they also have a SAS stylus available, but that is a total different story (and not needed to enjoy your M95). See "export-japan.com" for this stylus (19,00 USD + postage).

How much of a difference would the SAS stylus make?

While I don't have lots of super rare vinyl - I'd like to take care of what I have - and get the most out of it.

To all those that have commented - Thanks enormously for your help, I really appreciate it.

How much of a difference would the SAS stylus make?

I can make a difference. The shape of the stylus is the key. Better contact in the groove with less record wear. Check this out:

http://www.export-japan.com/marketing/stylus/sas.php

I'll also say that I have their N97HE stylus in the non-SAS flavor, and it is also excellent.

Thanks heaps for your help.

I went for the SAS stylus because it seemed from the propaganda that the stylus would be nicer to my records - and hopefully sound a little clearer. Which I suppose is what they knew I wanted to hear.

Thanks again!

You did a good investment with the SAS.
I don't have a SAS for the M95ED but do have some SAS styli for other Shure cartridges and they are a perfect replacement for the original styli.
Be carefull cleaning the SAS stylus, as is it very tiny.
But I have to say that I also have several "standard" elliptical JICO styli for Shure cartridges and they are very good performers (they sound and track very very close or equal to the originals Shure styli) and cost much less then a SAS.
Any way, JICO has never disappointed me.