As has been said its a personal taste thing. I have had Benz wood SL that some say is pipe and slippers, which I have to say is absolute rubbish, it rocked with the best of them. I've heard Koetsu's and Io gold and I was underwhelmed, a bit too polite for me as was a voyd 3 motor tt. After some nice mc's I've found the Shure ultra 500 to be an excellent even handed cart and when I want more excitement the Decca C4e, not that the Shure is boring in the slightest. If you can't get to bake offs to hear different carts then it's a process of elimination trying to recoup your money as you go.
Bakoon 13r Denon DP80 Stax UA-70 Shure Ultra 500 in a Martin Bastin body with jico stylus, project ds2 digital Rullit aero 8 field coils in tqwt speakers
Office system, DIY CSS fullrange speakers with aurum cantus G2 ribbons yulong dac Sony STR6055 receiver Jvc QL-A51 direct drive turntable, Leema sub. JVC Z4S cart is in the house
Garage system another Sony receiver, cassette deck
System components are subject to change without warning and at the discretion of the owner.