OP, It is a real shame the problems you have had with this cartridge. Nice that the manufacturer quickly stepped in.
But honestly, I do not like futzing with things like turntables and cartridges. This is why. My dealer loves turntables, and sets them up all the time. He is master certified in Linn and others I am sure. When I bought my last turntable we worked together to determine the sound I wanted and he assembled everything and installed at my home. He verified it sounded like it should. If it had not… he would have fixed it. He came over a couple months later to verify no adjustment was necessary.
While buying a DAC or other electronic (no mechanical components) is ok via the web (I still wouldn’t do it on a high end system). Unless you are a gifted person that loves to play with incredibly tight tolerances… then best left to people that do it all the time and are good at it.