Is elliptical the best stylus profile

For me the biggest advantage of line contact over conical and elliptical is lower IGD and maintenance of HF level at end of record. Especially the latter! This is the main advantage of CD over vinyl AFAIC. The best line contacts (Shibata, Microline) do away with this problem. The record sounds the same all the way through - inner tracks do not sound less crisp than outer tracks. Not so with conical and cheaper ellipticals.

Arguable the ''best shape'' is Van den Hul (aka Gyger I). Van den
Hul designed this stylus for Gyger  but with stipulation to sell
them also under his own name. Hoever his first design was very
difficult to produce (polishing) so he designed Gyger II and
Gyger S(?) ; the latest Gyger stylus. The respective dimensions
are published by van den Hul. He claimed 5000 hour use for the
Gyger I. 

I think rauliruegas has the best handle on this subject. Any cartridge is going to sound better when it is set up properly. Tracking is paramount. The overall sound quality is determined by the design of the cartridge and the manufacturer’s attention to detail. Very tiny detail. 
Setting up a turntable is not rocket science. Some of us do not want to be bothered so hopefully they have a tech who can do it for them. But I think nobody does it better with more loving care than yourself. 

mijostyn

Any cartridge is going to sound better when it is set up properly.

Obviously!

Tracking is paramount.

Oh no, I couldn't disagree more.

I often read user comments here about phono cartridges that proclaim, "excellent tracker!" when, in fact, the cartridge can objectively be shown to be a poor tracker.
Tracking performance is properly assessed using a test record. That a cartridge will play an LP while also remaining in the groove is not sufficient evidence that the cartridge is a "good tracker." Any cartridge should be able to stay in the groove; it's low-distortion HF performance that defines the best tracking cartridges.

Some of the best tracking phono cartridges of all time are also considered by many to have mediocre sound quality. The Shure V-15 V is a good example of that. Yes, some audiophiles love that cartridge! But there are good reasons why many audiophiles don't, and perhaps that explains (in part) why Shure left the cartridge business even as many of its cartridge competitors have thrived.

I forgot. In terms of record wear there are other variables than stylus profile like compliance and tracking force. Styli with larger contact patches are a benefit given the same VTF. SRA and azimuth have an influence but not as much as you would think as long as they are within reason. I think they are more important for separation and high frequency performance. Today’s cartridges are significantly superior to the ones we had in the 60s and 70s particularly when it comes to build quality. It is hard to find one that is objectionable. We really are talking about nuances.