Hi tane0019,
I recently purchased an hx500 and faced the same issue; I went to a hi-end audio shop run
by a nice german fellow who suggested the sumiko pearl cart which he installed and adjusted (I
made sure he understood the adjustments/lack of on the hx500 and he was able to align it well)
He said the final system sounded "very good"; but not quite as good as his mcintosh tt's w/ MC carts.
I have played a few records, although my main goal was digitizing/ripping some vinyl; the resulting
dsd files (128/256) sound great.
Good luck, calbears