I would fire away Doug, but I would only shoot myself. I agree with everything you've posted.
A strong, stiff mechanical connection between the cartridge and headshell is an absolute necessity to achieve the ultimate in analog performance.
In fact, It would probably improve performance even more to super glue the cartridge to the headshell prior to torquing the mount screws. This process would prove ugly when the cartridge needed to be removed, but I'm making a point of extremes.
I remember a test some years ago where our audio group experimented with removing the clear plastic washers out from under the cartridge mounting screws in our (then) pivot design arm. Everyone in attendance was surprised at the improvement.
The only downside is the headshell is gouged pretty good by the screw heads, particularly if you torque them down tight enough to achieve maximum performance.
Ever since that test, I've never installed another washer. I simply close my eyes to avoid seeing the scars and enjoy the music :^).
A strong, stiff mechanical connection between the cartridge and headshell is an absolute necessity to achieve the ultimate in analog performance.
In fact, It would probably improve performance even more to super glue the cartridge to the headshell prior to torquing the mount screws. This process would prove ugly when the cartridge needed to be removed, but I'm making a point of extremes.
I remember a test some years ago where our audio group experimented with removing the clear plastic washers out from under the cartridge mounting screws in our (then) pivot design arm. Everyone in attendance was surprised at the improvement.
The only downside is the headshell is gouged pretty good by the screw heads, particularly if you torque them down tight enough to achieve maximum performance.
Ever since that test, I've never installed another washer. I simply close my eyes to avoid seeing the scars and enjoy the music :^).