How to choose a cartridge you can't hear on your system?

inna said: "...this can be a very costly mistake. Besides, many brands don't have anything that I could call 'cheap'. Over $1k is not cheap, at least for most."

It sounds like you are using a very inexpensive turntable perhaps something like a Crosley these are not high performance turntables and are not the kind of turntable one would choose to use in a high performance Music Reproduction System. In your Crosley you probably would not want to spend more than about $80 USD for a phono cartridge. Now on the other hand a proper turntable with tonearm for a high performance Music Reproduction System would cost you probably more than $8000 USD so of course in that situation a $1000 USD phono cartridge is not expensive at all especially when you consider the cost of a high performance phono preamplifier to go with your turntable. If you want high performnace vinyl playback $1000 is actually a very modest amount to spend on a phono cartridge most of the best phono cartridges cost much more than that.

@clearthink cost has nothing to do with performance, if you think $1000 is modest price then you are ignoring the world of vintage cartridges, they are all under $1000, sometimes 50%, but they are easily killing those $3000 MC carts and we have dedicated thread on this forum with so many contributors proved that fact. All those carts were very expensive when they were made, but compared to today’s market price they are bargains (used of even NOS) !

For thouse who would like to experiement with different cartridges and different sound it’s much more reasonable to buy 10 vintage MM cartridges instead of 1 modern MC if the person is not sure (yet) what sound he would like to have in his system.

It’s not necessary anyone should spend multi thousands for the cartridge. I would say more: start with vintage MM and find the best, after that try to find a better MC (it will be hard).

If you start from the oppisite direction then you will be very disappointed in sound of your very expensive MC compared to some of the top vintage MM for 1/10 of the price you paid for your MC (not even taking in count the SUT).

chakster said:"cost has nothing to do with performance, if you think $1000 is modest price then you are ignoring the world of vintage cartridges, they are all under $1000, sometimes 50%, but they are easily killing those $3000 MC carts"

You can keep telling yourself that cost has nothing to do with  objectively improved performance and while sometimes of course you are certainly correct much more often you are completely and utterly wrong that is why there are significantly expensive cartridges available to install in Music Reproduction Systems. Your vintage cartridge is most likely dried up because of advanced age and of course if you bought it used there's no way to know its condition without using a proper microscope I have a USB microscope and have examined used cartridges for friends and in every single case the stylus looks so bad I wouldn't play even one of my old used records on it a bad stylus can destroy a good record in just one playing! You have a romantic notion of these old cartridges and some people have romantic notions of old cars but you're old car wouldn't compare to a good modern car and the same is true with cartridges in fact it is even more true with cartridges because they dry up but of course if you are happy with your old worn dried up cartridge that is fine just don't fool yourself into believing it can compete with a good new one because they are worlds apart.

New cartridge is not a new car, you tell me what is the advantages of the new cartridge in terms of material used (compared to those carts made in the 80s)? Do you hear the difference between brand new $4000 MC cartridges and $16000 MC cartridges? Are you sure the $16000 MC cartridge is better? Everyone should buy them just because the seller said it’s the best of the best asking crazy price for it? Even if the simple test is not possible like the author of this thread stated? The more you pay the more you get? And would you like to advice those cartridges to experiment with to a person who/re looking for "his sound". You may end up with those ultra high-end type of stuff after you have tried nearly all top vintage cartridges (and only if you are not happy with them), otherwice there is no reason to buy those multi thousands carts, just because they are new. Are you sure those new carts are well made and there're no flaws if you will look on them with your microscope?

Don’t know what is your source to buy vintage cartridges, but i have no isses with any of them, having many rare ones in collection and i have pretty good equimpent to look at the stylus, cantilevers etc. And BTW i’m not a person who advocate old things, just because i have not tried the new expensive things or can’t afford some of them. I owned several very expensive brand new MC cartridges and various vintage MCs too. I can not fool myself with what i hear on various turntables with various tonearms (old and new). And if you know a little about cartridge construction you should know that stuff like FR-7f MC (for example) can’t dried up! Those MM with poor materials used in suspension/damper are well known today and must be avoided.

My point is to start with the vintage cartridges and don’t fool yourself with high priced units, they are not necessarily better even if the price is 10 time higher - this is marketing for audiofools. The industry, back in the day, claimed the CD is better that vinyl and what?

+1000 on Clearthinks post.
Chakster, if you enjoy an old cartridge that is more than likely destroying your vinyl, so be it. Cartridges are a wear item, plain and simple. Like Clearthinks stated, just one play can easily damage the groove if the cartridge is badly worn.
I am in the market for a new cartridge, I will not even consider anything that is not brand new...regardless of the price, or the seller’s reputation. The age and condition of the stylus and how it was treated is a huge factor, even barely used cartridges can be badly damaged by misuse and incorrect set-up. A vintage cartridge..dried up and with a worn stylus is just asking for trouble. Unless that is you have a small LP collection of little value and like to play DJ, then who cares-- LOL. All IMHO.