Cartridges: Complete Scam?

HERE'S THE ANSWER THE OP WANTS

Any cartridge over £200 is a total scam - because above £200 there are no economies of scale, MC's are a waste of time and money and are just there like a hook for over-wealthy audiophiles. 
For those with MC's or indeed any cartridge you are far better off downloading a piece of cardboard to align your precision made cartridge. This is whether or not you find a turntable from a dumpster or have an AirForce One.
All said and done please use super expensive speakers such as YG, Magicos or Martin Logans - with any ancillary equipment so long as they aren't wired up with Anti Cable - much better off using the stuff from Radio Shack. BTW don't ever buy a class D amp even one made by Rowland as they are inherently rubbish no matter what...

Dear @madavid0: """  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? """

it's clear to me and almost any one that you not only do not make the rigth questions or that you just don't understand what differents posts or questions to you its real meaning. It is clear that the analog experience does not exist in your world. Your stupid questions because there is the rigth word for it says you are not even an analog roockie.

" A re you happy with your sound? " is nothing more nothing less the clue of audio the clue for a digital or analog alternative the clue for a good or bad room/audio system the more important clue to evaluate or compare anything in audio.

Obviously that you don't/can't understand it and less the why's.

First step to understand the importance of that clue is to be sure know for sure what to look for in the quality level performance in any room/system. According to your statements in reference to my questions to you you have no idea what to look for in your own system, even I don't know why you have it if can't understand it.

For you can know for sure what to look you must have " thousands " of first hand experiences with live MUSIC at near field seating positions. With out those " thousands " experiences you can't help your self but no one can gives you any kind of help.

Secon step is to have an attitude that's totally willing to learn and this means, because you are below an analog roockie level, that if a experienced audiophile tells you: stand up you will stand up in silence and if he tells you cross your fingers then you cross your fingers in silence. 
Willing to learn means that you have to live you have to experienced in your system the advises that true audiophile gave you before ask nothing about, this is the way to learn in the analog experience.

With out these two steps you are " dead " before you can pull/touch the trigger.

No one can learn something really usefull only reading what other people say with out knowing the other people audio knowledge levels and certainly not true attendance to audio shows or trusting at 100% on audio distributors but you can learn how to improve your sound if you listen as many room/system you can rigth at other audiophiles places and learning for them what to do and what not to do, then comeback home and live the experiences.

As you will learn step by step with patience, time and money ( for all the mistakes you will do. Any of us already pass for.  ) you step by step will enjoy more and more your room/system and your questions will left to be stupid ones and converts clever ones to continue the learning proccess.

A third step for you could be to check by your self if the tonearm/cartridge in your analog rig set up is accurated and you have to do this with out help of any one, with out ask no one but learning for your self.

So, why don't makes your self a favor and makes that set up check-out? and then come back here and share your findings instead to add more stupid questions.

About scam in general/normally there are no scams as a true scam. Audio is a special world and a way of different living that you have to understand before put any names.
Of course that exist real scams made it by fraudulents persons that takes advantage of the ignorance of audio people but normally it's not. Why exist the " scams " you name it: because ignorance level of the people whom bougth it. A clear example is the potractors.

Btw, do you really understand what you posted?

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

madavid0,

I can answer your question about the $500 SmarTractor.  You, or anyone else certainly do not NEED this item.  One can do a a reasonably good job correctly aligning a cartridge using one of the many available tools for the job.  It is a tool, and like any tool, there are those who can employ the simplest and most primitive tool and still do a great job, while others will need a tool that makes the job easier and better assures success.  The SmarTractor is in the latter category.  Good tools, like this are expensive not only because of their tight tolerance in manufacture, but because a lot of thought went into the design.  The designer of the SmarTractor has designed something that addresses virtually all of the factors involved in both easy and accurate alignment, e.g., the different size of turntable spindles, difficultly in finding the exact center of the arm spindle (necessary for one-point alignment), and difficulty in seeing the cantilever and precise placement of the stylus tip (built in magnifier located at the precise point for proper focus).  The designer even offers its own unique alignment (dubbed UNI-DIN).  It can do ultra-precise measurements of spindle to pivot distance by employing a vernier scale (it can accurately measure to 1/20 of a millimeter).  All of this allows for very accurate alignment.  Is that kind of accuracy audible, or otherwise necessary?  I don't know, but, it couldn't hurt.

More than the accuracy of alignment, to me, the strongest attribute is how easy it is to do the alignment with this tool.  Between taking it out of the box and finishing my alignment (change to UNI DIN) took about 15 minutes, and that includes reading the instructions.  My not-so-great eyesight was not really an issue with this tool.  I bet it would be a very helpful tool for a shop that has to do many alignments where time is money.

Dear @larryi : Reading your post I can see why the audio industry just can't grow up.

The ones in the audio industry/manufacturers have a non-renunciable obligation/responsabilirty with all we customers/audiophiles and this responsability is to give the customer all what he need to operate their audio items.

In the case of tonearms it's just ridiculous that exist " hundreds " of after market protractors because almost no one tonearm manufacturer gives the accurate and user friendly protractor.

The whole responsability is the manufacturer NOT YOU OR ME or any one else.

If the manufacturer can't do it then we customers have to forget that manufacturer and buy the tonearms with the one that has the knowledge level to understand how to build the rigth protractor for his design.

The best busine$$ in audio are not what the audio industry offers but all the after market audio items that exist because the irresponsability of the manufacturers and for audiophiles like you |that are poor demanding about.

For the OP and because what I'm telling here the best option is the MINTLP protractor that is dedicated/custom made for its analog rig and that have all the advantages you name it for a hundred buks.

Well, even those 100.00 should not be a necessity for we audiophiles.

That's happens because we audiophiles have the culprit, we are less and less demanding and other of us have high ignorance levels.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.