Audiophiles for popular music ?

While gear matters in regard to the genre of music, you're a long long way from reaching that stage. It's only after you have received your "Doctorate of Audiophile" degree that you can begin to discuss what cartridge is best voiced for which genre of music.

What you have is fine.

What I'm saying is that it's not until you've gone off the deep end financially and otherwise can you begin to discuss such things in a way that it matters.

Well, I mostly listen to folk/alt-country/bluegrass/americana. I don't know if it's auidophile approved, but I know I have enjoyed it more and more as my gear has improved. some may say that my musical taste is one of the reasons why I don't find my Merlin VSMs bass-shy but whatever.

It isn't that you haven't found more expensive gear that suits your music well, it's that you haven't found gear that suits your ears well enough IMO.

I listen to mostly classic rock, metal and alternative. I've heard my music sound great on very high priced systems, and it's sounded bad on other equally priced systems. Switching to music I didn't know sounded better, but put on music I'm familiar with in a different genre - ie jazz - and the same systems have the same result.

Just my experience. If you haven't found a 'better' system that sounds good with your music, you should either keep looking or keep what you've got IMO.