What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

Dear @dogberry  : This was my answer to you about my opinion and other gentlemans opinion:

"" 

 " And really, can anyone say they know what is best in anyone else's world? "

No one can because is something personal/subjective. What we all can is to give opinions/advise on some diffderent audio items in other audiophile room/system as alternatives bt at the end the system owner has the privilege to goes with its own decision.  ""

You just posted:

" I am unsure what philosophical underpinnings you propose to justify telling someone their subjective experience is less valid than yours.  "

I did not, that could be a misunderstood or a bad explanation from my part. Btw, I can tell you that my " subjective " opinion is weigthed by " objectivity " too, not only subjective.

Btw, in this thread I posted to M Lavigne:

""" qquestioning you what you like it because it’s a personal opinion your opinion of what YOU like and no one can question it. """

and that's a reality, I'm not questioning @mikelavigne . I'm questioning the Dava and by coincidence Mike is an owner.

R.

@rauliruegas

you either you respect listening opinions, or you do not respect listening opinions. you don't need to agree. tell us about your listening opinions.

all the other is noise and nonsense..

@mijostyn 

I listened extensively to Soundsmith's Strain Gauge cartridge with records I know intimately. It has excellent transient response and a very vivid signature partially because it is too bright. It's tracking ability does not come close to that of the Hyperion. 

Well there you go.

I listened to the Soundsmith Strain Gauge cartridge set up by Peter personally, using his own phono stage in a friends system. Spent the evening listening - would never have described it as bright ( and I cant stand unnaturally bright or grainy top end ). Perhaps the brightness was related to your tracking issues.

Have you had your hearing checked for Hyperacusis lately ? Given your stated desire to listen regularly at over 100db perhaps the ears are not in great shape.

“There is this thing called listening” - mikelavigne

So simple, so basic and so true.

How ironic (and absurd) the notion that the final judgment of what equipment is best in the context of a given system, in a given room, should be made by anything other than LISTENING. Last time I checked the purpose of an audio system is listening (to music). The idea that lowest possible measured (measurable) distortion necessarily makes a piece of equipment sonically superior is equally absurd. How many examples of equipment with great measurements that sounded mediocre, even poor, have we all experienced?

Just what is it about those who rely so much on measurements that drives them to denigrate the experience of those who base their final judgment on listening? I have to think that the reason is simply insecurity in their own ability to listen critically. So, those who claim to hear what they themselves can’t hear must be deluded “golden ears”; or, are “biased” and just “used to” a certain (distorted) sound.

As is the case with many issues outside of audiophilia, those who make the most noise are often the least reliable source of truth.