HELP Stylus Cantilever slightly bent to the left

I aligned the cartridge according to the directions. You basically pull the cartridge to the most forward position in the head shell. I'm not too experienced with turntable setup. I did check it against some of the free alignment printouts from the internet and it seems to be pretty accurate.

I also set my amp to mono and changed the setting so the meters freeze on the peak level. It looks to me that the left/right balance is even. Is there anything else I can do to test this?

As long as it sounds good to me I guess it is aligned properly. What can I listen for that is a telltale sign of improper alignment?

I'm having issues with inner groove distortion right now. I'd be interested to find out if you're having the same issues.

I honestly don't notice any distortion. I put on some new 180 gram vinyl and it sounds absolutely great. What does inner groove distortion sound like?

I've noticed that the louder sounds, like loud vocals, will sound grainy and distorted. Just an overall lack in clarity across the whole spectrum. I've been thrown into an OCD fit over this, but who knows...maybe a lot of my albums just have groove damage. That would mean that all my obsessing over this was for nothing, because you obviously can't do anything about that except buy new records. People have suggested buying the MintLP protractor, but I don't see how the provided alignment chart can be THAT flawed to the point where it doesn't even remotely do a good job at alignment.

The other problem is that the Virtuoso is a much more detailed and revealing cart than the Goldring 1012 I was previously using; these albums may have always been damaged, but now it is just easier to hear.