Gain seems about the same or very close. Dynamics better. Low level passages more involving. Just like you said about your Denon... Makes my other cartridges sound like "where's the music?".

Can also rock out to the capacity of my speakers now. My other cartridges started having feedback problems at just a little below "full blast". Must be the higher tracking force.

There is a little hum I noticed at very high levels with nothing playing. The Rotel phono stage is usually VERY quiet. Put on my other headshell with the Shure (without changing the MC switch) and it went away. Might be dirty connections or bad headshell leads. It's an old headshell I got off of an old parts table and never used. I'll have to break out the contact cleaner and experiment a little to see what's up with that. Might just be how it is. Hope it isn't too audible on recordings of quieter material in that case. Doesn't seem that bad...