Best Cartridge cost no object

The Benz Lo4 beats the AT OC-9. You could relax much better with it, double sheesh...And if I had to buy one with cost not being an object, I'd buy the Koetsu Onyx Platinum, whether I compared it directly with others in my system first, or not. Besides tracking force, VTA and preamp loading/gain can certainly fine tune the cartridge to synergize with the sound of the rest of your system...no doubt about that.

I have an Audio Technica condensor microphone, and feel that they do make products of fine value. I enjoy making nature recordings with my DAT/SBM ADC and AudioQuest mic cable, and hope to successfully record a Thunderbirds airshow soon. That'll be fun, but almost impossible to avoid clipping. Thunderstorms have been the hardest so far, but I have a feeling these F-16's will be a gargantuan task...I don't think you're right about the finacial stability, or the discount. How much did you get this OC-9 for, less than dealer cost?