I have a fabulous digital front end audio system. After a lot of thought, I’m finally ready to invest in phono.
I decided a long time ago to buy the best I could afford rather than trading up numerous times.
Trade up systems in the end cost way more, plus I don’t have cast off gear I’ll never use and can’t sell stored in my garage.
I completely agree the entire system should be balanced and of comparable quality. It all must work together as a unit.
The Air-Tight PC-1 may be a good, great, or a superb cartridge,
but I don’t think that is as important as the compatibility issue. Does it fit in with the system?
And this begs the question – what is the best cost/benefit for your system. Spending $8,500 on a cartridge makes sense if the rest of the system is of comparable quality – this often means comparable cost.
Incidentally, I am considering the PC-1 too.