What makes a stylus sound "good"?

[Andyste1]

I've just bought a Technics SL-QD33 and followed advice to replace the stylus when buying a used table. This one arrived with the original Technics stylus, and being a little naive I bought a generic "made in Japan" stylus for around £10, thinking it would be sufficient for my very occasional listening needs (I'm no audiophile, and have a bunch of 30+ year old vinyl that I wanted to listen to again).
I very quickly noticed that lyrics with an 'S' sound were very hissy, sounding more like a 'sh' or 'th' sound. It's been so long since I listened to vinyl that I wondered whether they had always sounded like that, and it was because I was comparing them to modern digital audio quality.
Fortunately I didn't bin the Technics stylus, so put that back in and the difference was like night and day, even for a non-audiophile like me!
Being a little naive I assumed that a needle is a needle, so I'm curious to know what's likely to be the main factor in sound quality here?
I'll be sticking with the Technics stylus, but for future reference what would be a decent replacement without breaking the bank? Or would I be better off replacing the whole cartridge?

 

[HamboneF18]

A lot goes into a stylus assembly to make it perform well with the cartridge body. Many times, manufacturers spend more time and R&D and money designing and manufacturing the stylus assembly than the cartridge body itself. The tip, cantilever, armature or magnet, and the *suspension* are all critical in the design of the stylus assembly. Aftermarket stylus manufacturers most often cut a LOT of corners to make an inexpensive stylus assembly that has an attractive price. Rarely do they perform well like the OEM stylus. Jico is a rare aftermarket manufacturer who tries to make original-performing styli.

 

[ripblade]

Often times the compliance (softness) of the suspension is different from the original, as a consequence the needle pressure may be different, often greater, than the original. Simply raising the tracking force on the new needle may improve tracking.

Technics cartridges were pretty good for their day, some of the best, depending on the model. Which one is this? It may be worth considering a better needle for it before abandoning it for a different cartridge.

 

[Hajidub]

You did perform a full re-setup after zeroing tonearm with each new stylus/cart change?

 

[malden]

being a little naive I bought a generic "made in Japan" stylus for around £10,

Nothing in Japan can be had for a 10 pound note.

What is the model number of the cartridge?