Omsed, you've made some v. salient points. IMO, carts and loudspkrs are the hardest components to get right in the analog chain, being the effective transducers, and hence in effect the portal to what's being listened to. Additionally, they end up determining the character of the system. Is it any coincidence that spkrs esp. are always being upgraded by audio nuts such as ourselves and others?
Your description of upper bass/lower mid bass leanness could well be accurate. However I do believe this is preferable to the opposite ie euphonically overwarm (oh, how I remember those mid bass coloured demos of the Linn Sondek LP12 in the 80s, when that tt ruled the analog world, at last in the UK! And Koetsus).
What's interesting is that I used to get a superficially similar tonal balance when using the Lyra Skala, but this resulted in a hard sound with strident treble. The SG, otoh, is a touch lean, but still rich, with no screechiness thru the mid/treble registers.
I'm really getting a sound that breathes, esp. guitar and vocals that take off and have no constraints.
This fast sound is highlighted by the rest of my rig (rim drive tt/linear tracking arm), and I fancy with my 101dB efficient Zu Definitions 4 spkrs an interesting synergy may come with SET amps.
So in conclusion, I'm aware of tendency to leanness, but the richness is still there, and this cart still remains the least characterful I've used, and is opening doors to greater appreciation of analog sound.