Thank You Fumihiko Sugano and Koetsu

Of course a $2,000 Koetsu Blue Lace beater would be nice, but if it were something easy to do, it would have already happened.  I have heard quite a few nice sounding cartridges, and some sounded better to me in certain respects, but nothing sounded like a Koetsu that I preferred.  There are other warm and relaxed sounding cartridges, like Koetsus, but they tend to lack the clarity of the top end koetsus.  

So even other Japanese cannot really make a comparable cartridge. Just like Western Electric 300B tube ?

All high end MC brands sound different. Most of these sounds are truly excellent, just different. Koetsus have a particularly distinct sound (on the side of: voluptuous & full bodied, with a very vivid midrange), and are extremely good at what they do. That doesn’t mean they’re "the best" in an objective sense - but they have a vehement fanbase for good reason.

Years ago I didn’t buy the hype, and thought Koetsu’s pricing was outright stupid. Then I actually heard one (on loan, in my own system no less) - and that’s when they get you! I was blown away - expectations absolutely shattered, and I couldn’t box up my Ortofon Windfeld MC fast enough lol. In fairness, my system at that time was absolutely dying for some injection of warmth (Windfeld was a terrible match), and the Koetsu Onyx swap-in gave not only warmth in spades, but an overall quality boost as well.

These days I’m enjoying exploration of other MC’s. AirTight, MSL and Van den Hul are the newest on deck. All superb. But the Koetsus in my collection will always be like family.

Also, you can get a quality used Koetsu for $2K. You’re buying the seller as much as the cart itself.

Mulveling,

That is an excellent description of the Koetsu sound and why they are adored.  I don't own one, but, a lot of people I know do have them and I am quite familiar with the sound and I like them a lot.  I own quite different cartridges--a Lyra Titan and a Transfiguration Orpheus L--but I sort of wish I had invested in a Koetsu.  Cartridges with a similar sound as a Koetsu are also not cheap, such as the Allaerte cartridges.  

I don't play as much vinyl these days as I did in the past, so I am not likely to be replacing any cartridge in the near future.  If I did have to buy another, it might be a Koetsu, although my Vector tonearm is probably not ideal (not enough mass), and I have heard another cartridge that I like very much--the Audio Technica ART-1000--a leaner but very lively cartridge.

When even top cartridges sound so different, which one is more correct?

Tape is correct. More or less.