Turntable versus tonearm versus cartridge: which is MOST important?

Yeah. What they said.

I remember a demo I sat in on back in the 80s. Linn LP12 with a K9 (cheap MM AT cartridge) on an Ittok beat a Karma (MC) on a cheap Basik arm.

So, which would sound better:

A state of the art $10K cartridge on a $500 table/arm or a good $500 cartridge on a $10K table/arm?

It’s a weird question, you’re trying to put together something very cheap and something very expensive.

Ask yourself who can afford a $10k cartridge and why ? A person who wishes to buy a $10k cartridge for a $500 turntable must be sick!

Now forget about retail prices, because on the secondhand market you will find something expensive for cheap (used), the price drop can be 50% (sometimes even more). If you will stay away from some popular brands like restored Garrard (for example) you can actually find some very nice turntables for a reasonable price (Denon DP-80 Direct Drive for example), same for vintage tonearms in perfect condition.

If we already have a very expensive turntable (new or vintage) with a nice tonearm (new or vintage) we can always find NEW or VINTAGE cartridges for that arm. A good vintage high-end cartridge (NOS sample) can put your overpriced new ultra high-end to the dust forever, this is where the price difference can be shockingly big, but a price/performance ratio is not that big at all ! It will break your concept, because your NEW $10k LOMC is overpriced while a $1k VINTAGE is underrated and not supported by manufacturers ads anymore (can be totally unknown to most of the audiophiles today).

A question like this makes no sense at all, because these numbers do not mean anything, except for a situation where you are standing in the audio shop in front of the new components and for some reason pretend that a new $500 turntable that look like a toy for your children is better with a $10k cartridge (or vise versa).

In the real world you can buy amazing turntables for under $3k and amazing high-end cartridges under $3k estimate (you can do it even for a half price:). But well matched components (tonearm/cartridge) are better.

@Bobbydd - either would be a strange approach to analogue reproduction because you will not be getting the best out of either the arm or the cartridge in either approach

You do need a good arm and a cartridge that is best suited to that arm
As an example...

• My Audiomods arm cost $1000 and is an exceptional performer and
• I have a Soundsmith modified Denon DL 103 with a ruby cantilever and their best stylus at around $500.
• PLUS I added some additional mass to achieve a closer match of the compliance of the arm and cartridge.

The resulting sound is very pleasing

So as with anything in this hobby - a more educated approach can achieve much more than simply throwing cash at one particular piece of hardware

But it does not stop there - I researched

• a sub platter of the right design
• a platter of the right design
• a plinth of the right design
• vibration isolation
• etc...

You just need to do some analysis before buying anything - especially with turntables, because the wrong choice can lead you down some very expensive rabbit holes.

My TT/cartridge combo is one of the most researched pieces of equipment in my system and it paid huge dividends in sound quality and enjoyment

Hope that Helps - Steve

According to Peter Ledermann of Sound-Smith, the cartridge does more heavy lifting than either tonearm or turntable

Recently I replaced an Infinity Black Widow version 2 Tonearm with a used sme v. Simply to get the table up and rolling, a Pickering XV-15 with a $35 stylus was installed on the SME. After tweaks, removing the brush and adjusting the damper thingy, wow! This cartridge has been on 3 or 4 tables of mine by now. The improvement provided from the tonearm upgrade is staggering. I am in no hurry to replace this cartridge. Which seems odd due to the fact that 2 different Soundsmith cartridges are waiting in the wings. Point being, I was a tonearm denier. Now, a tonearm believer.