@daveyf i really don’t understand what your problem is. At this level one would presume you have a good understanding of a) the house sound of different cartridge vendors and b) your own preferences and c) the technical compatibility of your arm.
Reviews and trusted commentators on boards such as these can them let you narrow down to a cartridge family that suits your needs. Only them do you engage the dealer and the conversation should all be about entering at the appropriate level and having good trade up options within the family. Dealers won’t give unbiased advice on comparisons but why would you expect them to? Shows likewise are pretty useless given all the variables in play. Oddly one thing a show can tell you is something about manufacturing tolerances if you closely inspect how the carts are installed (especially azimuth) However, once you’ve settled on a family then developing a close relationship with a dealer or, where appropriate, the importer will pay dividends. If you’re really not sure what you want then either purchase the base models to mess around with, or experiment with used examples until you find the family sound you like.
In my experience I moved from a used Lyra to an Atlas and then an AirTight PC1 as I was looking at the time for something with more body. As my tonearms got better I heard more of the coloration in the AirTight sound and then made a move to Acoustical Systems Palladian based on on line comments from posters whom I trust and have steered me well in the past. I bought this direct from the US distributor without even having seen or heard it but found its sound matched the online comments and reviews to a tee. An advantage of the AS line is that the EU prices equal the US so you don’t need to feel hard done by 🤨
So overall there is no simple answer, cartridge buying is basically a money pit in which the first time you play the cartridge 50% of its value evaporates. If that bothers you then don’t play the game.
Reviews and trusted commentators on boards such as these can them let you narrow down to a cartridge family that suits your needs. Only them do you engage the dealer and the conversation should all be about entering at the appropriate level and having good trade up options within the family. Dealers won’t give unbiased advice on comparisons but why would you expect them to? Shows likewise are pretty useless given all the variables in play. Oddly one thing a show can tell you is something about manufacturing tolerances if you closely inspect how the carts are installed (especially azimuth) However, once you’ve settled on a family then developing a close relationship with a dealer or, where appropriate, the importer will pay dividends. If you’re really not sure what you want then either purchase the base models to mess around with, or experiment with used examples until you find the family sound you like.
In my experience I moved from a used Lyra to an Atlas and then an AirTight PC1 as I was looking at the time for something with more body. As my tonearms got better I heard more of the coloration in the AirTight sound and then made a move to Acoustical Systems Palladian based on on line comments from posters whom I trust and have steered me well in the past. I bought this direct from the US distributor without even having seen or heard it but found its sound matched the online comments and reviews to a tee. An advantage of the AS line is that the EU prices equal the US so you don’t need to feel hard done by 🤨
So overall there is no simple answer, cartridge buying is basically a money pit in which the first time you play the cartridge 50% of its value evaporates. If that bothers you then don’t play the game.