How to choose a cartridge you can't hear on your system?


My personal cartridge history has gone from a humble Goldring to a decent Benz H2 and finally a Dynavector XV-1s.  Recently my 3 year old decided to break the needle on both my Dynavector and Benz (two arm setup).  This tragedy prompted a me to send my Dynavector out for re-tipping and the purchase of a new cartridge to sustain me through the expected rebuild period.  I bought a decent Sumiko Evo III.  

All of this is to come around to a realization.  In many ways, each cartridge brings something new to the table.  The Evo II had more solidity or weight to the sonic presentation than the others.  The Benz had a seductive warmth and the Dynavector a detailed nuance I most enjoyed.  I don't think it is possible to know ahead of hearing a cartridge in ones own system which brands house sound one prefers.  

I find cartridges to be the hardest audio component to buy.  How do you choose?  
chadlesko
Sometimes, I can know by knowing my preferences well and reading about others' experiences. Even in your example, without much of elaboration on your part, I choose Sumiko. I would just go higher in line. Simple enough. But I suspect that if you want one cartridge combining all strengths of those three and without much negative, you might like Transfiguration more than Lyra. It's a guess of mine.
So that's the answer to your question. Unless we know for sure - we guess.
I also look at what members here with apparently good hearing, taste and budget use. They most often use one or more of those - Lyra, Transfiguration, Kiseki, Allnic, AirTight, Koetsu. I don't see many Dyna, Benz, Clearaudio etc. Some set-ups look like sound great with Ikeda and Ortofon. If I could afford any of those and wanted MC I would think and consult with someone regarding how all of them would work in my arm and with my phono. Then the choice would not be very difficult. Still, I would probably have to choose one out of two or three.
@chadlesko well, if you're a true analog hobbiest don't fool yourself and just realize that you will change the cartridges from time to time over the years anyway. This is the only way to learn more about cartridges, analog playback and the potential of the system. People who would like to stick to their first serious 2-3 cartridges without trying other cartridges are limiting themselfs, missing a great personal experience. You can not really "choose" cartridge without tryin' it in your system! You can buy cartridge, but then you can choose or not, only after you're listening your favorite records in your system with this cartridge. I'm just looking for the best TOTL models from the different brands released in the 70s/80s (they are more cost effective without any dissadvantages in quality, most likely surpass the new carts). I'm taking in count the type of the cartridge (MM, MI, MC), the materials used for cantilever, type of the stylus tip, compliance, specs to match the tonearms i have. I've learned what i have to avoid, i remember what cartridges does not impressed me and how they were build. I don't care about reviews.