maxgh, prior to purchasing a Fuuga, I discussed this same topic at length with the designer of my primary analog front end (AF) who owns numerous Miyajima Labs cart's in addition to the Fuuga. During playback, these are very different animals with distinctively unique characteristics. Right now, I the Miyabi Fuuga is coupled to the 4Point on my AF NGS direct drive and could not be more delighted. Dynamic, lively, clean, clear and open yet musical with natural tonal hues. Huge scope and scale as well. Definitely prefer over my Lyra Atlas and sold off the Miyajima long ago, as it simply was not in the same league.
"Don't spend $9K! Unless you've just made a killing in the stock market!
The lower-priced Miyajima's are perfectly fine sounding cartridges!"
Humbly disagree here, all is relative. When you are well invested into the hobby ~ art of analog playback $9k for a reference level phono cartridge is quite appropriate and still lies far away from the most stratospheric priced carts. This is a critical part of the analog chain, perhaps in some aspects the most critical, depending on your individual perspective, opinions vary.
Try the Fuuga, it's a keeper.
