Is There An "Absolute" Best Cartridge?

Raul, you are referring (maybe without knowing so...) to the Volunté Générale by J.-J. Rousseau. This gets automatic in opposition to the "Volonté de tous" of all the other audiophiles.
This is an old dilemma.
Even if we take you as the chief sommelier of analog audio's Maxim's de Paris (although I am pretty sure there will be a hell of a lot of other audiophiles volunteer for that position... ;-)....), there are always - after all is said and done - even in widely recognized outstanding vintages - different tastes among people.
Some can't stand subtle details in a bouquet that the next finds overwhelming in beauty and delight.
Accepting laws of nature (human here ....) does not mean to abandon the pursuit for perfection or the strive for progress.
And the individual recognition of a "Volonté Générale" in analog cartridge performance is not transferable to another person. Recognition in the sense of the words of this heroic phrase means abusing it.
This has been done to great sadness in politics in the past 2 centuries and our world was not changed for the better - but it filled the graveyards and corrupted our ethics.
There is always a "best" cartridge in the moment and for the individual listener's matrix.
There is always a "best" Claret (among other great but different wines) for the moment and the respective course of menu - there is no absolute best for ANY occasion.
Even Parker and Broadbent would agree on that.....

Raul,

Not sure if this is already covered but what capacitance loading are you using for the EPC-P100CMk4? I assume that resisitance loading is at 100Kohm?

Rgds

Dear Dertonarm: I remember now that you " touch " it from the school but no I was not thinking on that.

I start this thread with the Technics cartridge at " hand " because this was the audio item that IMHO deserve that " the best " status.

That the audio item in the thread is a cartridge is important ( like any other audio item. ) but not important to the " the best " subject.

This is the real thread subject: try to talk around " the best " figure like something that some of us can find and share with us.

IMHO the subjective/system-ears dependent argument is no consistent when you or any one else ( I already posted: there are some audio Sommeliers out there, including you. ) has the " training " for be an audio " Sommelier ".

Why is so difficult to accept " the best "? maybe because some of you are shy to say: " I'm an audio Sommelier? or because maybe you are an audio Sommelier but the other people does not believe in you? or maybe because you think you are when in reality you are not yet?

I see " the best " subject like a very important part in any human activity and always is difficult to find " the best " and define who has the capacity to discern what is " the best ".

Maybe the problem is that some of you are shy to by your self come here and say: I'm ( even if you don't have yet a " the best " audio item. ).

Gentlemans, does not exist yet in the audio high end or in this forum a " chiefs board " and a Chairman of the board that could be the persons that can give the audio Sommelier status to any one.
So, we have to start by our self and not because any one think we " are " but because in reality/honesty some of you has that kind of " training ".
This is the very first step to in a second step accept " the best ".

I'm not sure if this is the time to do it, if the audio high end and this and other forums already has the " audio mature " need it to give those " steps ".

Last but not least is that maybe because " Raul " is the proponent many of you not only can't accept it but even not want to discuss it.

Again, Gentlemans: the subject has nothing to do with who is the proponent or who start the thread. The importance of the whole subject is wide and deep and beyond any single person and what that person think. The subject is not about " Raul ", period.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Dear Driveman: 150pf. I think was in the cartridge review:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ranlg&1268864860

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Regards, Raul, Dertonarm: Rousseau was sometimes thought of as being more emotional than intellectual. An audiophiles' appreciation for music might be considered in similar terms.

Aristotles' "There is no accounting for taste" gives recognition to the integration of the sensitive and sensible in the individual. As there is no justification for mediocrity other than overwhelming force of circumstance, when tempered with economic, enviornmental and aesthetic concerns, these can be useful measures when examining the range between what an audiophile wants and what that audiophile needs. Arbitors can expect to sometimes find differing opinions from informed and knowledgable others. This was eliminated five centurys ago by appointed authority adopting the policy of "volonte' absolue", a factor in the reformation, the refutation of the flat earth/center of the universe beliefs, numerous revolutions and ultimately, authority by selection.

Raul, I regard you as intelligent, informed and progressive through what you have previously written, but insistence in absolutes places evaluation in (re. Nandric) the position of being either totally true or totally false. Again, I have no foundation for disagreement with your selection of the EPC-100m4 as the absolute best you have yet experienced but even my minimally enlightened perception still respects the validity of informed opinion and well examined personal choice by others. The only absolute I'm aware of I'd prefer to avoid.

As semantics make my head hurt almost as much as Nandric's metamathmatics, I'll say no more in this matter, except thanks for your generous sharing of information and energy. Peace, and of course, enjoy the music.