Interesting question, Lew. Unfortunately, as we know, there's no solution that doesn't carry its own problems.
MI cartridges differ from MC's and MM's in more than moving mass. An MI propagates the signal by causing one magnetic field to induce a response in another magnetic field. The induced response is necessarily phase-shifted from the original, more or less depending on the cartridge's design/build characteristics.
The audible effects of this phase-shift will depend on these characteristics and of course on the transparency of the entire system. At one end we hear mere "smoothing" or "sludge" (think, entry-level Grado). At the other end we may hear a distinct "echo", very disconcerting, at least to our ears.
The first MI I ever played caused Paul and me to wince. His quicker ears and brain let him instantly describe the phase-shifted echo that was the reason for our discomfort.
After thinking (and wincing) for about 30 seconds he asked, "Does this cartridge generate signal in some unusual way?". I confirmed that it did, and described how MI cartridges work. He rolled his eyes and nodded.
Without knowing anything about the cartridge (he'd never even heard of an MI) and with no prompting whatsoever, Paul heard this inherent characteristic and deduced that the generator wasn't a typical MM or MC design. Scary but true.
