Dear Jim: Like other already posted the soundstage depends on many factors: tonearm/cartridge matching, speakers/room interaction, phonopreamp, amplifier, cables, manipulation on the record process by the sound engineer, load impedance, VTA/VTF, Azimuth, etc., etc,. You think that the Grado is the culprit but I'm not sure ( I never heard your cartridge model ) there are several factors about and for what Rushton posted the Grados are very good cartridges, not perfect but good cartridges.
What I'm worried is that you have " deficient image placement ", this could tell me that you have not only the Grado problem ( and I don't know if the Grado is the problem ) but maybe a phonopreamp problem because lesser cartridges with lesser TT/tonearm/electronics almost always have good to very good imaging, this audio reproduction characteristic ( Imaging ) is relative easy to achieve for almost any audio system that are not faulty, that's why I presume that you have some problems other/additional to your Grado cartridge and those problems could be on your phono stage or phono cable or both or your Grado is out of specs: something is out of synergy there. I don't think that " unipivot or not unipivot " was the main problem and certain not the stylus profile.
Now, why don't try to borrow a different cartridge/phono cable or phono stage for a friend or some one and test on your system and see what happen.
Btw, there is something that I can't understand or at least I don't have an answer for sure: you post that the tonal balance on your system is from good to excellent ( I understand on CD and LP, right? ) and I don't know which speakers do you own but it is extremely rare that an audio system where its tonal balance ( I understand this top to bottom in the frequency audio range )( one of the most important music reproduction characteristic ) is right on target has a deficient imaging.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
What I'm worried is that you have " deficient image placement ", this could tell me that you have not only the Grado problem ( and I don't know if the Grado is the problem ) but maybe a phonopreamp problem because lesser cartridges with lesser TT/tonearm/electronics almost always have good to very good imaging, this audio reproduction characteristic ( Imaging ) is relative easy to achieve for almost any audio system that are not faulty, that's why I presume that you have some problems other/additional to your Grado cartridge and those problems could be on your phono stage or phono cable or both or your Grado is out of specs: something is out of synergy there. I don't think that " unipivot or not unipivot " was the main problem and certain not the stylus profile.
Now, why don't try to borrow a different cartridge/phono cable or phono stage for a friend or some one and test on your system and see what happen.
Btw, there is something that I can't understand or at least I don't have an answer for sure: you post that the tonal balance on your system is from good to excellent ( I understand on CD and LP, right? ) and I don't know which speakers do you own but it is extremely rare that an audio system where its tonal balance ( I understand this top to bottom in the frequency audio range )( one of the most important music reproduction characteristic ) is right on target has a deficient imaging.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.