Tonearms: Ripoff?

The price difference between, say, a Schiit Vidar ($700) and a D'Agostino Progression is about 3,000%. The audio performance difference is of course night and day -- in terms of an arbitrary numeric factor maybe somewhere around 500% better? The value isn't the issue; there are people who think the value proposition is acceptable, therefore it can't be considered to be a "ripoff".

If there was no audible difference between the Vidar and the Progression, we could definitely say that in regards to audio performance the D'Agostino is a ripoff.

Since there is a large and clear audible difference between the two amps mentioned above we can't call the more expensive one a ripoff in regards to audio performance.

Now let's take two tonearms, the Audiomods V and the Durand Kairos. The price difference is very large, easily around 500-600%. Now, from an audio perofmance perspective is there a meaningful difference? How much better does the Kairos sound -- 100%, 50%, 10%, 2% ? Assuming both arms are well-matched to the cartridge in question, IS THE KAIROS A RIPOFF?

Folkfreak, if what you say is true about the cost of the 12 inch SAT tonearm, then one really ought to buy one as soon as possible. Because at its current rate of appreciation, it is a great investment. Every time anyone writes about it, the cost is greater than the last time anyone Road about it. But as far as the OP goes, he is just looking to make waves.

Wrote, not “Road”.

@lewm SAT have not taken any price increases, these are just the prices for the second generation designs
https://www.analogplanet.com/content/sat-swedish-analog-technologies-begins-delivering-four-new-pick...

Personally id rather like that Telos if I could only accommodate a 12” arm but the “light up” effect is a bit cheesy 😏
https://www.monoandstereo.com/2017/02/durand-tonearms-telos-sapphire-tonearm.html

@madavid0 ahh the tyranny of numbers. 

Lets for for the sake of argument say that the Kairos is 10% better than a generic arm does that make it bad value?

What if I then posit that the only way of achieving that 10% is by spending on a better arm like the Kairos? No other change anywhere else in this system could yield that extra soupçon of versimilitude. Is the value equation now different?

The fact that in audio everything matters and the better the system the more likely it is that everything matters is what makes it so foolish to talk about “massive” improvements like the amp comparison you suggested. See elsewhere for a discussion of why diminishing returns in audio is quite the wrong framework, in fact at the high end you experience increasing returns from incremental changes as each change (like a better tonearm) unearths a new dimension (and new set of problems elsewhere in the chain)