Vinyl Asylum: System context, system balance. by Elmo

Great always will be the temptation to go up the cartridge ladder. A really nice cart can sometimes soothe some system shortcomings. Lost my AT OC9ml a couple months back, had a thousand hours. I liked it a lot. Delivered a lot for the money. However, I think it is NOT a budget cart. I think it will perform best mounted in the best arms, on the best tables. I don't think I ever got the most out of it, though I eventually got it to make music. Found it a tad finicky, seeming to need SRA or VTF adjust every month or two. Though possible my counterweight was creeping? Replaced it with an earlier Signet dual moving micro coil of nearly identical spec. Save elliptical vs hyperelliptical. I find the less highlighted sonic portrait more to my liking. Now rethinking my entire front end approach. Instead of installing a linear/air that I acquired years ago, and never set up. I just may go high mass again and give the Denon 103 a whirl? Less may be more? Thorsten hinted a while back that type/vintage of vinyl can also influence cart/stylus profile selection.

However, sounds like you dearly miss your new cart, and have already answered your own question?