2. analog
  3. 132594-76532

Cartridges: Complete Scam?

I’m very new to analog, and researching my options on forums I keep coming across the same sentiment: that past the ultra low-end cartridges, there is very little gains in actual sound quality and that all you’re getting are different styles and colorations to the sound.

So, for example, if I swapped out my $200 cartridge that came with my table for a Soundsmith, Dynavector, Oracle, etc, I may notice a small improvement in detail and dynamics, but I’m mostly just going to get a different flavor. Multiple people told me they perffered thier old vintage cartridges over modern laser-cut boron-necked diamonds.

It’s possible that these people are just desperately defending thier old junk and/or have never heard high end audio. But if what they’re saying is true, than the cartridge industry is a giant SCAM. If I blow 2.5k minimum on an Air Tight I better get a significant improvement over a $200 bundler — and if just all amounts to a different coloration, than that is a straight-up scam ripoff.

So guys — are these forums just BS-ing me here? Is it really a giant scam?
madavid0
jperry
2,454 posts
 
I will give you an example and maybe this will become more clear to you.

I had a Basis 2000 turntable with a Basis branded Rega tonearm and a Shelter 901 cartridge.

I changed from the Rega (inexpensive) tonearm to a Basis Vector (expensive) tonearm and the difference was significant and noticeable particularly the imaging.

Clearly the Rega tonearm was not allowing the Shelter cartridge to perform at its best.

So an expensive cartridge may sound better than an inexpensive cartridge, even on a substandard turntable/tonearm combination, but it will not be able to perform at its best.

FWIW I think using the words SUCKER and SCAM when you write leads to nothing positive when you are asking others to help you with information or explain something to you.
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
+1 jperry!
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
OP- If you are really serious, then the answer is that in most cases, a $1K table and a $500 phono stage will not get the most out of a $2K cart.  And it certainly will not be plug-n-play.  Unless you have a dealer with good analog set-up skills (a rarity, these days) you will need a good protractor for alignment and a scale for setting VTF.  Maybe a good microscope for getting VTA and azimuth right.  Can't find a $300/$500 battery phono stage on MD's web site, so no idea if it has variable loading or whether the gain would be adequate for a LO MC cart.  If you are going MM or MI, $2K is very near top of line.  Of course, the show demo you heard may (or may not) have benefited from very careful system matching and expert set-up.  As someone said, LP playback requires a properly matched "system" where each piece needs to be selected with consideration for upstream and downstream components.  
has2be's avatar
has2be
555 posts
 
This is six of the Titles for the OP's threads initiated.

"Basis Turntables      :    Worth it Rip Off"
"Class D                     =   Trash?"
"Rega and ProAc        :    Bad?"
"Anticables                  :   Scam"
"Synergestic Research:  Scam"
"Cartridges                   :  Complete Scam?

I'm with @stevecham , on this thread , and the others above..............
It would be difficult to not believe an agenda and pattern exists....
luizfcoimbra's avatar
luizfcoimbra
25 posts
 
@madavid0

Properly matched does not mean matched to equally expensive gear, but to technically compatible gear. You have to look for compliance, mass, impedance, gain... that’s all.

Provided that the well regarded $2-3k cart is a good match (technically speaking, not financially) to the rest of your analog rig, you will definitely hear a lot of improvement. If it´s not, it may not sound any better than what you currently have. 

hope this helps...



More to discover