[jdandy]

I also have and use a Signet TK9eA cartridge. Signet is no longer manufactured, but at the time (1980) the Signet TK9eA was the top of the line, completely hand built cartridge from parent company Audio-Technica. It is a wonderful sounding cartridge, as well, with a boron cantilever, and polished super eliptical diamond stylus. This cartridge has about 200 hours on it. My biggest concern with this cartridge is its age (29 years), and the possible condition of the cantilever suspension. I may be worrying over absolutely nothing because it tracks beautifully at 1.25 grams, and has a slightly better sound than the Shure V15VxMR, a bit more space around voices and instruments, and a wonderfully open top end. I am in the same boat with the Signet TK9eA as the Shure, no available stylus replacements. Needless to say, I exercise extreme care when handling both cartridges.

I found the link provided by turntable to the Agon forum post an interesting read. I tend to believe that cartridge headshells play a greater roll in the sound of a cartridge than is typically attributed to them. I found it intriguing that this individual went into that area, and had such experience with evaluating the same cartridge on many different headshells and arm combinations. It is clear he is commited to the experiments and resulting evaluations. His comments were enlightning.

I am still in the procrastinating mode. There are lots of things to think about, play with, and alternatives to try. Turntables, arms, and cartridges are such physical beasts, requiring lots of care and feeding. Fun stuff.