MM, MC, or MI cartridge

You can always do the 2nd headshell route. I'll be going that way with a Kuzma arm. 

RV, FWIW, if you were happy with the Clearaudio cartridge I'd go back to it in a heart beat! 

Setting up a great vinyl system is as close to rocket science as you're going to get in this hobby. Everything (!) matters. Some things which I've never seen discussed in these forums. 

For example, set up. With cartridges the Stylus shape matters. Conical - simple but not the most revealing. Line contact (micro ridge) very fussy set up wise but when done right its the most revealing. Elliptical - somewhere in the middle. So its easy,  you think, get the Line Contact. Not really, because all of a sudden VTA becomes critical. VTA can be a moving target and 'proper' VTA can depend on record thickness. You can solve this by using different thickness mats or getting a tone arm with exchangeable headshells , or you can get a tone arm with  VTA adjustable on the fly. Or you can get a second TT etc, one set up for great records and one for ordinary ones. This is only one of the many issues you have to deal with if you want excellence.

I'm sure you've got my point, all great stuff for a anal hobbiest, but it can drive  the average user up a wall. (FWIW back in the day I had two TT's, one with a MC cartridge with a line contact stylus (Benz Micro Glider) and one with a MM cartridge (Grace F9) . Lots to play with, too much perhaps for me especially after digital got good legs. My experience with my vinyl recordings validates your findings with the Hana. Some were absolutely great, some not so much, and some were dreck.

Which leads to my recommendation - unless you are prepared for an extensive/expensive trip into 'great' vinyl just enjoy what you are familiar with, i.e. your Clearaudio set up.

BTW I'm impressed with your hearing acuity and evaluative ability, especially for an old retired fart. :-) 

Newbee,

 You got that last part right.
 And maybe the rest, too. :-)

What I need now is to get back to the MUSIC!

OP

It is not as simple as sonic thrills versus just ok sound. This is where quality matters. For instance, my Koetsu Rosewood Signature gives you both. That is why one spends more. Or you can get a cartridge at the price level of mine and get a lot more details than you are getting.

Also, there are levels of other nuances to sound characteristics… which is why there are $20K cartridges… balancing all sorts of attributes. I recommend you give a try to a Koetsu of greater value than the cartridge you purchased and you will get both.