Not sure if it's still the case but I understand that the McIntosh turntables were largely made by Clearaudio from Germany.
I have 2 Clearaudio tables at home, they are very well built, I never had any issues, they are usually fairly easy to set up (the one with tangential arm is a little more complex but I have great support assisting me).
For cartridges you can't go wrong with Lyra, the Kleos and Delos are very good models considering (I use the later). Benz Micro is another go to maker. Those should be suitable for the type of music you listen to, Benz cartridges have a bit more relaxed presentation so depends on how you like it (and rest of your system).
I don't have experience with mono cartridges, on my bucket list though, the Miyajima gets good reviews.
I'd second the earlier advices of keeping your MT10 for the time being, together with a decent cartridge it should certainly convey a very nice musical experience, especially paired with the MA12000
If you really can't pass the looks after a while then go full out there hunting for your dream table (but keep the good cartridge!)
