Gonna have to ditch the Soundsmith Carmen II


I've given this cart the benefit of the doubt and then some, but it's going to have to go. 

the sibilance on s's is just to much. The sound isn't distorted, just way louder than the rest of the vocals. This happens to one degree or the other on all records with vocals. Sometimes it's barely noticeable sometimes it hard to bare. other than the sibilance I love the sound, I love the live nature of the music.  so I hate getting rid of it. 

So so the things I've done and made sure are dead on:

alighnment - that means SRA, VTA, TF, Azimuth, anti skate (per,SS), platter level, checked mounting hardware, checked tunntable . . .etc

my Denon 2x20L doesn't do this.

it may be there is a bad combo with some piece of equipment or loudspeaker and it just doesn't jive with the rest of the rig. 

My system:

VPI prime
Parasound JC3+ Phono pre
PAD phono cables
Decware integrated SET tube amp
Zu Omen Def MKII with Radian tweeter upgrade. 

So the question is what cart, around $1k will give that live dynamic sound, tracks well, but does emphasize the S's?

ones I'im interested in but have no way of hearing:

Ortofon Quintet Black
Audio Technica ART 9
???


last_lemming
I think siblance is a result of many things.  Could be your diamond on the end of the cartridge.
This sounds like an alignment issue. What tools are you using to confirm the accuracy of your tangency, azimuth and VTA/SRA settings?
I also own the Soundsmith Carmen II. I don't experience the same problem with vocals or sibilance, but I use Stevenson alignment which mitigates these issues IME. 

If you want a comparable cart in terms of presentation, I think the Shure M97xe with a Jico SAS stylus would fit the bill. 
There’s a thing on analog planet where a Quintet Black is compared to a Hana Lomc. It may be worth giving it a read. That being said, and without knowing it’s compatibility with your arm, my vote goes to Charisma (Denon) 103. I also think the DV 20X-2 L is a well balanced performer. Nice and even top to bottom, and no sibilance that I heard. When you said Dynamic sound, the Charisma is holding the goods.