what is important as far as performance is that you align the cantilever, not the body, to the arm and Mint Lp. secondly; the cantilever needs to be aligned with the magnet structure, not the body. of course, you need to be able to see the magnets to use them for alignment. you might assume they are aligned to the cantilever, but you cannot know for sure looking at that picture.
that said; you deserve to get a cartridge that has the body aligned to the cantilever. sure makes things easier and looks better. but not directly related to performance.
agree it’s probably a little late to get a replacement.
FYI; there are brands of expensive cartridges (van den hul) that rarely have the body and cantilever exactly aligned. it’s like playing the lotto. yet they can be top performers.
that said; you deserve to get a cartridge that has the body aligned to the cantilever. sure makes things easier and looks better. but not directly related to performance.
agree it’s probably a little late to get a replacement.
FYI; there are brands of expensive cartridges (van den hul) that rarely have the body and cantilever exactly aligned. it’s like playing the lotto. yet they can be top performers.