What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

Dear @mikelavigne  : " amp linearity is not an issue. "

Certainly not and that was not my point.. You missed the main issue in my post. You said that at the same SPL the cartridge shows higher  " signal energy ".

A good amp ( like yours. ) just amplify what comes at its input with almost no modifications. The amp does not knows if are incoming musical information only or if that musical information comes with high integrated/added distortions ( developed in other system chain's links: cartridge/tonearm/phono stage and the like. The system electronics can't fix those distortions and the best it can do is to reproduce it that way. ) and when amplify the digital signal this signal truly comes with way lower added distortions and that's why lower watts peacks when the analog/cartridge high distortions provoque those high watts peacks. The higher the distortions coming in to the incoming signal amp the higher the amp watts peacks. 

This is not just an argument but something you have to understand because you just did not what I explained before. 

" digital rounds off the top of the transient compared to the analog..."

that goes totally against what normally happens that's the other way around. Almost all LP lovers make a negative critic of the HF agresiveness of digital  even hardness or brithness down there. Did you directly made the digital transfer?, the latest CD came from 2013  and as almost everyone know the original Pablo recording came from sept. 1974 and you know that are a lot of analog and digital re-issues.  Analogue Productions has 4 LP re-issues, I own the HQ and the original Pablo label.

R.

Dear @mglik  :  Channel D is a very good full SS design and wil makes your Grado shines better than ever. Good move.

Then you already " married " with the Grado. Must be something unique and obviously something to experienced.

Btw, along with a better phono stage unit I told you that could be a good idea to mate/test the Grado with a different tonearm and there are several options about like Reed. 

Now, could be a quality improvement with a different tonearm?, wel I don't know for sure it's a " move " that has to past the listening tests. There is no other way but if you try it could or not find out that quality improvement level performance and if not then you confirm that what you have rigth now is the " one " couple in your system and that meet your Music/audio priorities.

Only thinking " loud ".

R.

@rauliruegas 

You have now posted thousands of words on this thread over the past month but have still not answered the OP's question.

Did you understand the original question.

@mglik  : Btw, do you know which the differences between the Grado ellipthical stylus shape ( that says is a " special "/unique elliptical tip. ) and normal ellipthical stylus samples?.

Obviously is working great but where is different is the question. Only curiosity.

R.

Dear @mglik : I owned and own vintage Grado cartridges and till today no one of them ( including " the tribute ". ) disappointment under playing by its quality level performance.

" Optimized Transmission Line " was what Joseph Grado named to a totally new kind of design inside his first MC and latter on inside the Signature models as the XTZ and other models on this series.

That kind of new design dissapeared when those vintage Signature Z series gone out of the market but the white papers about were inside Grado company. Any one that lisened the XTZ knows that today could be one of the best cartridge quality performer out there. Maybe your Epoch 3 shares that cartridge motor design that’s a unique one and only Grado has it.

Btw, about that special ellipthical stylus in the Epoch 3 could be one of two other than ellipthical stylus shape used by Grado but unfortunatelly came only with a name but no description of the tip shape. One was named just: Grado tip and comes in one of the Grado samples I still own and the other is the one in the Signature family of the XTZ named: Twin Tip and maybe this is that " special ellipthical " in the Epoch 3 and I think this because today there is nothing really NEW on top stylus tip shapes: everything we can imagine stays already in the market.

Anyway, again thinking loud.

R.