Is There An "Absolute" Best Cartridge?

Dear Downunder, Munich is an splendid idea . For me a piece of cake to get there from Holland. There is however a
problem. This Dertonarm guy seems to be very strong and he
is,besides, an descendant from very dengerous German warriors. Ie I would like to come back to Holland a live.
I have no horses for the competioon but intend to bring my
ears with me. But my proviso is twofold:
1. the winning horse should be decided by secret vote,
2. Dertonarm should promise in advance not to cause eny harm to me .
Ragrds,

Follow-up to Downunder's proposal:
how about everyone can name 3-5 records and one tonearm to work with and demonstrate the respective cartridge(s).
Maybe we will find a distributor/exhibitor who is interested in working with us and use the shoot-out as special promotional event.
Syntax - if interested at all - can join with his Miyabi and an Olympos.
I can even bring a small TT with me - equipped with my tonearm of choice.

Furthermore we could set-up a listening session at my private home - which is only a 45 minute drive from the show and situated at a lovely lakeside with great beer-garden and outstanding panorama view of the northern alps.

Meeting in person could get the egos and the posing out of the way and this could really be fun and refreshing to all.
And it would finally give real impressions - first hand ones - to everyone about the individual listening preferences of the other.
I know at least - off hand - 8 other Audiogoners who will certainly not wanna miss that.

And yes Downunder - in the very end each and everyone of us will always return to his individual taste.
Its natural - and frankly, would anyone prefer it any different?

Syntax, what are you going to bring?

Whatever you like to listen to. Miyabi/Olympos is no big deal to carry.

Better than my Phonostage with 6 inputs.... :-)

Meeting... at a lovely lakeside with great beer-garden and outstanding panorama

Go-Go-Girls too?

.

Dear Nandric, don't worry - I am peaceful and humanistic, despite my bad reputation...... ;-) ........

i hope you guys are able to do this; for the fun of it at least. and i have a suggestion as to a way to have a proper reference. i would love to be there, but Munich in May is not an option for me.

find some Lps with corresponding RTR 15ips master dubs which are the source of the Lps. then you have a reference which can reduce the degree of personal preference involved in the ranking. or, at least, have that be part of the process to sort out the 'truth' from the 'beauty'.

i've done this exercise a few times using the master tape as a reference and it causes one to have a slightly different viewpoint on the music.....as the tape has essentially no characteristic as a cartridge tends to have. we become enamored with an aspect of the cartridge 'sound' and the tape tends to expose that as 'coloration'.

my expectation would be the Lyra Olympos SL as the overall winner.....and closest to the RTR master tape.