Why do better MC cartridges cost a fortune?


I mean $5k - $10k for a piece of what? I can understand $10k for a turntable but for a tonearm or cartridge?
They charge and we gladly pay? And you have to retip or replace it soon enough. Most of them come from Japan. They sure know how to do business, don't they?
inna
Hello Whart,
thank you very much :-), yes, all is fine.
Inna,
yes I did. After all those years all I can say is, when I look for something for myself, before I would ask a dealer (or even worse, a distributor) I would walk into a forest to ask a tree .... a much more useful conversation I will have ...
But back to the question about cartridges
You can buy nearly everything from OEM, the only exception is a special made body or diamond cantilever. All other parts are dirt cheap. The main difference is in the amount of coils, what kind of magnets are used and (very important) what kind of diamond is chosen.
The diamonds are also cheap but no manufacturer chooses the best one.
Why should he shorten his profit and when he does, he can not go for an upgraded (higher priced) model.
This game has its own rules. It is not enough when the discriminated Audiophile offers his money to get something serious, no, he still gets something average (with some very, very few exceptions). But in a nice box, wrapped with a great review :-)
Most will never get it because analog reproduction is a chain.... with Arm, cable, energy transfer from cartridge, phono stage and so on .... that is the reason why you will get so many different answers from owners...some write something negative and others rave it... 
Does anyone make custom cartridges with the best god damn coils, magnets and diamonds? Brazilian Rosewood cartridge body, please. No, not Indian, not Honduran - Brazilian. I don't want no stones, corals, plastic, metal etc. Wood only for me.
Nice box, great reviews, herd instinct, Japanese mistique - right.
And custom tonearm too, and they should be voiced together. Now that would be worth paying for, I would hope.
Why do better MC cartridges cost a fortune?

Why do YOU think they're better?
Just because someone charges $10,000 or $15,000 for a MC cartridge....and some people are happy to pay that.....what makes you think the higher priced cartridge is BETTER....?
I've heard a lot of high-priced MC cartridges and I can tell you that IMO they are NOT better.....
Not only are they not better than the lower-priced MC cartridges.....they are not better than most of the  $200-$600 vintage MM cartridges that I have in my collection. Nor my favourite vintage MCs.,...
Why do you think that in Michael Fremer's infamous 'shootout' of 9 cartridges (8 of them MMs)....the $9,000 Ortofon Anna (the only MC) came fourth behind a bunch of low-priced MM cartridges....?
And that was in the  Continuum Cobra arm on the Continuum Caliburn turntable....👅
This 'myth' about higher priced cartridges and MCs in particular (propagated mostly by Reviewers) is swallowed hollis bolus by a gullible audience at large, who.....generally can't compare side by side, on multiple turntables and multiple arms.....the validity of these reviews.
But neither can the Reviewers......👹 

Well here's a challenge for all those Reviewers (and Audiophiles who wish to claim MC superiority)......
I will pay Business Class airfares from anywhere in the world to Sydney, plus one week's accomodation to undergo a controlled 'blind' test at my place.
The test will have my two turntables with a total of 6 arms and 6 cartridges.
Any challenger can bring one MC cartridge of his choice which will be mounted in one of my six arms.
The other five arms will have a selection of my low-priced vintage MM and MC cartridges plus one $10,000 'current' MC cartridge.
Here's the challenge.......
  • Identify the MM from the MC cartridges (twice)
  • Identify the high-priced MC from the low-priced vintage MC (twice)
  • Identify the challenger's OWN  MC cartridge (twice)
  • Match the cartridges to themselves (i.e. identify them)
Here's the chance (Reviewers and Pretenders) to prove your 'Golden Ear' abilities  if you're brave enough.
If you fail.....you'll still have a nice trip to Sydney.
It just won't be free.....🤗
Halcro, if you are right it will make me happy, but I would like to hear what other very experienced audiophiles can say. It may also be a problem of defining "better" objectively. As I understand, correct me if I am wrong, no MC can compete with 'best' MMs in terms of coherence and impact.