I also think there should be synergy between the cartridge and the other components. I have Revel bookshelf speakers which tend to be a little "laid back". Using a Grado, I found the sound very smooth in the mids, but the bass and treble were muted. Same with an Ortofon, although more balanced. I then tried an old AT with a NOS Shibata tip and it all came together. When I had my previous Paradigms, the AT would cause fatigue after one record side. I also must add that my system is far more plebian than most on this blog and all of the cartridges I mentioned were MM's that were a notch above entry level,
