Is There An "Absolute" Best Cartridge?

Shane,
I wasn't suggesting any answer to the question per se - intellectually I prefer to stay out of discussions of 'absolute' as arguments about semantics are a favorite on this forum and accomplish little (but sometimes I just have to throw myself in the mud too :^). That said, I think you have hit on the issue with your point about musical taste and ears.

There are lots of ways to skin the cat and once one gets a fair ways down the path of quality, things are much more alike than different in the grand scheme. Where carts are concerned, if one has a canvas of excellent table/arm/isolation/setup (a big if), it allows the carts to render their individual flavors differently and thus while the base level of great carts is 'greatness', there is still quite a bit of 'personality' to many carts.

I tend to agree with Shane on the issue of 'judgement' according to 'favourite test material'.

Raul, you have assembled and refined your entire system so that it suits your tastes as precisely and happily as is currently possible.
This does not imply that everyone else will like the sound of your system or agree that it is the way music should sound.

When you listen quickly to your favourite test records on another system, you are simply correlating how the tracks 'differ' in presentation to your own system.
This is a very easy thing to do and requires very little 'training' as you seem to imply, however it should not be confused with validating the true worth of another system?

Only when most of our LP collection sounds so authentic and touching, feeling almost like "being there". Then it will be the absolute best cart for you in your system.

Dan

Dear Downunder/Halcro: I don't think that you are understanding ( because my bad explanation ) what and why I choose those specific 8-9 different music tracks and I can't explain with detail about because we need to hear it to be aware what I looking for with each track.

Through these tracks I check the cartridge set up mainly on VTA/SRA and Azymuth, I check low mid-bass/bass/hf, specific different sounds/instrument not only the specific timbre but its sound stage specific position where the sounds comes ( sometimes the voice is in focus but other track sounds are in different " normal " position because azymuth not in target. ), I check even the breath on singers with its position/timbre/intensity, even how some LP clicks performs, etc, etc.

I don't heard/hear the recording track as a whole music recording but with those especial tracks I'm only try to detect what I know is there and how is there when I'm playing that recording.

For you can do this you need first to choose the different recording tracks where you think could make the job, then know in deep every single second playing time on those tracks, then choose what are you looking for in each part of the track ( not the whole track ), then that your process can be repetitive and always with success on any system or audio item.

Halcro maybe this is easy for you ( like you say ) but I take it some years to be here.

I can tell you that ( till today ) I almost ( I can't remember when. ) never fail about in my system and in several other systems/audio items.

Do you think that was at random that only in ten seconds I can ( past of can. ) tell my friend that there was a trouble with his system tweeter ( this was the first time I heard that system. ) and tell him why where he and the other friend that was with us were unaware about?.
But not only my friends were unaware on that you or any one else be unaware in exactly the same way my friends were.

Do you know why?, simple you don't know what to look for in that recording track where I'm training to do it.

Btw, after those tests any other recording will be on shape for the bad or good.

I remember when I was in USA hearing a top audio system and I was hearing the PB ( Cafe Blue ) track:

in that moment the system owner was in other adjacent room and then suddenly comes to me and told me " now I see why you choose this PB track to test " that he I think never heard it before. Btw, I think I help him with my system advise to improve it.

Any one can do it if has the training to do it. Part of this training is how deep is your audio experience, live music events experiences ( how often? ), how many audio system you alredy heard? how many different audio items do you know/heard? how good is your audio system? how precise/right/well choose those test recording tracks and how good are you? , oh! I forgot: no bias mind!

Unfortunatelly you are not near of me to make a test live in your system where you can understand what I'm talking about that is totally different of what you are talking about. Is complex as a process and complex to explain.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Dear Halcro: What I discern through that process is not only the obvious but more important what is not obvious even by you that are the ornwer system.

My method/process is the one that ( between other things and one way or the other ) permit that many people now are enjoying other analog source alternative like you with your great Empire 1000 ZE/x.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.