Cartridges: Complete Scam?

You have manufacturers such as Benz Micro, Soundsmith, Koetsu, Clearaudio, Rega, Dynavector, etc, who make mid-to-high level cartridges ranging from $2K to as much as $15K (or more?). The sentiment I often come across online is that there is little or no difference between these products and vintage cartridges.

Is that REALLY the case? If so, than what these manufacturers are engaged in is a scam, and those people online seem to know this through experience and I would do myself a huge disservice to dismiss them out of hand. Maybe I SHOULD send back my MoFi, find a Thorens, Garrard, Denon, etc, on eBay for next to nothing and have it restored for a few hundred. What do you guys think? Should I avoid the scam?

If it isn't really the case, then it's just some people who have attached their ego to the gear that is attainable to them and so defend it out of emotional need and not because of the sound they produce. What do you guys think -- is "you get what you pay for" still in effect here?

The only way to know is to try it for yourself. Maybe that restored table is better than your MoFi. You are the only one that can make that decision.

Dear friends: I don't know you but for me is very dififult to have a good dialogue/discussion with people that really can't " read " what they read. I can read something and just not understand it because I have a " slow brain " or in other words because I'm stupid.

I posted several times in other analog roockie threads where they have not any idea of analog but understand what experienced people posted and his questions and answers they gives are inteligent questions/answers, they have common sense.

Unfortunatelly this is not the case with this analog roockie that every single post repeat and repeat the " same " with out understand what other people said.

He posted question after question with the same wrong topic and when some one ask him something he just does not answered,  dead silence almost as his brain.

He gave no answer to this posted question: 

""" I think that before you ask what you posted there you have to ask your self: how good is the quality sound you are listening at your analog home system. Are you impressed? ""

That dead silence tell me not only his ignorance levels but his stupidity level.

My question to all of you: can you have a " decent " dialogue with a stupid person? with some one that maybe can't even remember his name?

Maybe I'm to stupid trying to do it.

Forums everywhere is a free place to make some kind of audio contribution that can help audiophiles and music lovers. Which is his real contribution here for any one ?

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Btw, @inna : """  For as long as we are talking analog not digital, it is fine ""

Things are that today with out help of digital technologies you can't improve your analog experiences.

@madavid0 life must be very difficult for you given your propensity to find charlatans and crooks under every stone. You started this thread in the belief that cartridge manufacturers are out to rip you off but that your new MF table is the ne plus ultra of great value for money. Alas, you now are worried MF have scammed you too and that you should have stuck with an old Thorens and not wasted all that money on a new deck. Maybe you'd be better off not buying anything that way you'd never have any risk of feeling ripped off? You could then post online about how clever you were not to be scammed ... remember you cannot take it with you when you die, spend it if you have it and it makes you feel good!

@rauliruegas Being honest, your input has had zero value, not only to me but to anyone. "Are you happy with your sound" is a meaningless question; what difference at all does it make if I'm happy or not happy with it? If I'm happy with my sound, does that mean my audiophile journey is complete -- is this the "right" mindset? What if I'm NOT happy, may I continue to pursue better sound in that case?

Wether or not I'm happy with my sound has nothing to do with achieving better sound. Isn't there room to be happier? Why do I even need to explain this?

Will more expensive cartridges lead to better sound? That is a question that has value not only to me, but to anyone else curious about this topic. It's mind-blowing how far some people will twist themselves into knots in order NOT to answer the question.