High Compliance Cart on Heavier Arm

Andy, I always set my tonearm resonance as close to 8 Hz as I can get it. This means making the tonearm as heavy as you can without going over the red line. You need a test record to do this. Setting up the arm this way most definitely gives you superior bass.
Don't you hate it when a record comes with free rumble   🤬
If you do not have feedback and your cantilever is not shaking you are in the ballpark. Look at your cantilever head on. It should appear to be perfectly stationary. If it is not your tonearm is most likely too heavy for that cartridge. Once you are in the ballpark stylus wear is not an issue in any way as long as you don't clean your records with Ajax. 
A dust cover should never be attached to the main chassis ( the one holding the platter and tonearm.)

Chakster's test record will definitively let you know where you are with any cartridge. 

If the cartridge is too stiff (low compliance) for the arm you are at risk for acoustic feedback which sounds like a howl. Many systems do not go that low so they will not notice a problem until they add a sub.

If the cartridge is too soft (high compliance) for the arm when the arm gets to the right warp it will go airborne. Same if there is low frequency rumble on the record. If you watch the cartridge during play it will be bouncing all over the place. You might even hear a warble.

Condition #1 is easy. You just add a little weight to the headshell until the feedback goes away. Condition #2 is worse. It is more difficult to remove mass and all that cantilever dancing routine increases distortion and wear. You can perhaps find a lower mass headshell.  This is why I do not like boat anchor tonearms. They limit your choice of cartridges. With an intermediate mass arm you can use all but the most compliant cartridges (over 20 X 10-6 cm/dyne).  If all you run are Koetsus and Air Tights these arms are wonderful. A Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum on a Kuzma 4 Point 14 is a very special experience.