I like this cartridge very much.
It works well in the SME V arm, SME 10 table,coupled to a Manley Steelhead with Nordost Frey V2.
It is now around hour 42, 8 more hours to go until the magic 50.
But seriously, I have yet to hear any profound improvement in the sound of this cartridge up to this point in time.
However, I didn't find much to fault with it fresh out of the box either.
So, if it's improved it's been a gradual process.
My jaw is no closer to the floor now than it was when I installed the Kiseki.
My sound, however, is smoother, compared to what I had before.
My audio friends agree.
The company spokesperson replied promptly to my inquiries about the mounting screws.
You have your choice of the long or short screws which attach the cartridge to the box and which keep the lid closed.
I haven't owned a lot of expensive cartridges. The ones I've owned-FR1 mk3,Dynavector karat ruby,Talisman by Sumiko, and some Grados- were in other arms and tables.
So I only have the Clearaudio Talisman V2 Gold to compare this to.
The Kiseki Blue NS is a better sounding cartridge to my ears in my system.
If my memory serves me, I would say that it brings back memories of my FR1 Mk3 with respect to the smooth presentation ,lack of smearing , grain, with an added bit of bass .
But as I've said, that was long ago and with a different system.
How the Kiseki compares to other cartridges close to it's price is something I'm not able to give an opinion on.
What I can say is that it isn't doing anything to the music that I find unpleasant.
The Kiseki Purpleheart is said to be better yet.
But until I go down that road, I'm happy where I am.