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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
2,453 posts
 
"how is it that a head amp is fine for 100-Ohms but if using a SUT you should use 20-Ohms? "

Head amp is active and SUT is passive. The mfr specifies different loads for active devices and passive devices. Follow their instructions.
acman3
4,271 posts
 
Head amps and SUT's are a scam!
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
Life is a total SCAM
I mean really, you are born then you die?
What a rip off........
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@madavid0 perhaps you can spend some more time doing research and reading before bugging us again

here are two good starting points on this topic
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/stepup/primer.html
http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co.uk/html/mc_step-up_transformers_explai.html
lewm
13,173 posts
 
When confronted with life's dilemma, one can always do the "uberwaltz" and forgeddaboudit, at least for a while.

FWIW, I wouldn't go as low as 20 ohms, even WITH a SUT.  But (Madavid) keep in mind that the "20 ohms" is the reflected load, in the case where you use a SUT, not the value of the load resistor.  When you use a SUT, the net load seen by the cartridge is equal to the value of the load resistor on the secondary side of the SUT, divided by the square of the turns ratio of the SUT.  For a 1:10 SUT, use "100" as your divisor, etc.
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