Almost Time to Replace My DV-20xl

My suggesting attention to "cart/arm synergy " is very biased? How so? Then reporting my experience based only upon equipment about which I'm intimately familiar? Big red flag there! : )
"Way past this point...." I thought I was too, $$-wise, but bottom line: the Dyna 20xl and JMW arm have high velocity tracking issues which cause thinning of sound as needle progresses. Upgrading to Xx2 relieved thinning but introduced gross, buzzing. mistracking on more than a few choral, piano Lps. If we were talking the subjectivity of "PRAT" I could understand your raised eyebrow but nothing could be more objectively reported than mistracking
The performance of the AT was nothing short of shocking after 3 years of tracking misery. But not the end-all.

Very fair response. I would only say, although that ship has obviously sailed for you, is that you were not getting proper setup. I know that will set off more red flags for you, but that's the truth.
I'm glad you found something that works for you.
And it sounds like the OP will as well.
End of story for me.

Just one last word about proper set up. My dealer came to house twice. We tried 3 of standard alignment preferences with no luck. He's been in the business for 30 years, (owns top Basis TT FWIW)
The moral I humbly offer is that perhaps one should start at the (quality ) bottom in order to witness the presence of good all around *fundamental* performance (what some people call "forgiving"sound), and thus demand said fundamentals in mega $$ cart/arm/TT when finally pining for more rarified "sparkle, " "sweet mids" etc. It also allows for more time to get familiar with a wider variety of records before auditioning the more expense stuff.

Oh me.
Not to offend anyone involved, but, not all dealers are experts at setup, whether they've been doing it for 1 or 30.

Your last sentence is fine for you- but not for a lot of us.
Like saying you should start off with a yugo till you've driven for years.
I wish I had had better gear when I had first started, and like I keep repeating, the Original Poster is way beyond that.

Life is too short to drink cheap beer--same goes for hifi!
Now I'm done....

Hmmm..a Yugo? A preferable metaphor: one may also start off buying a beautiful expensive house...built upon sand.