@bob540
yes, you can
i’ve heard it before from many record collectors, they don’t understand why anyone need a decent speakers, amps, turntables, cartridges ... If if they wish to have it then just don't buy it for some reason. All they need is records! Some of them are very deep into records, and they got very rare originals (and good taste in music too), but they’re listening great records on the cheapest equipment, most of them always claiming they will not be able to hear any difference between their $100 cartridges with worn styli and some decent $300 cartridges.
However, when i played some of their favorite records in my system everyone hear a better resolution, greater dynamics, deeper and wider soundstage and so on and on ...
I could bring a cartridge and a phono stage to a friends too, once they hear the difference in their own system people often ask for the same cartridge or same phono stage, they don’t want to go back to the sound they have been living with.
Improvement is great, but it is very important to make sure there is an improvement and then you’re hooked.
There is no miracle, if you understand how it works (inside a phono cartridge) then it’s impossible to deny an obvious things. Stylus shape is one of the most important thing for accurate reproduction of vinyl media.
A cartridge with $300-500 price tag is fun to have, it is all about fun after all. A $3000 cartridge is definitely for fanatics, but a $300-500 cartridge is affordable, one LP re-issue cost $30 today, original record cost $100 easily, some rare records cost way over $300 and it’s just a piece of plastic.
A cartridge is not a piece of plastic and $300-500 cartridge is quite normal today. Replacement stylus with the most advanced profile can cost $300-400 for such cartridge, but this is 2000hrs of satisfaction and pure joy.