Turntable versus tonearm versus cartridge: which is MOST important?


Before someone chimes in with the obvious "everything is important" retort, what I'm really wondering about is the relative significance of each.

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?

Assume good enough amplification to maximize either set up.

My hunch is cartridge is most critical, but not sure to what extent.

Thanks.


bobbydd
remember a member here have good tt and tonearm. uses Lyra sounds horrible .. Ops it's the phonostage. I had similar hilarious experiences like that as well.. so..

the tt also imparts a certain coloration as the tonearm do.. as nuetral as they can be all do have a certain coloration that can work or go against. very easy to make a expensive cart sound bad or mediocre in the system. that could be when a lousier cart can be better. been there as well

I had instance with a crap thorens 125 with noisy spindle, bad speed control as well. I have a luxman not even with a steady speed but both with  a good tonearm. isn't as bad as one thinks.. and both is able to sound great.. but I'm sure the a better condition thorens will sound much better. the luxman surprisingly sounded fantastic. 

however.. if the tonearm condition is bad... no go totally. If the tonearm quality is bad.. also no go.. so I think tonearm should be the :best most important. then the cart. though some suites certain types of cart more.. not all expensive tonearm will suite all expensive carts.. or the most sophisticated cart will sound best in any good tonearm or tt combination.. 

 

It's not such a hard and fast rule in my opinion.. should just be relax yet good observations in case we miss out something.. easy to mess up. 

good weekend to all enjoy it. 
Like everything else in audio, there are extremely expensive examples of tables ($500k +) and tonearms ($70 k +) and cartridges ($20 k).  But, I think you can get quite close to state of the art sound at MUCH lower prices with a good table/arm/cartridge selection than you can with comparably priced speakers and amps.  For the $10 k budget, you do not have to make big compromises in sound. 

A local dealer who has assembled system well north of $1 million, and has many customers with systems costing more than $100,000, will recommend as worthy tables reconditioned Thorens 124 and Garrard 301 or 401 tables with Ortofon tonearms.  Sometimes the cartridge recommendation is pricey (Koetsu Rosewood Platinum), but still, the combination is much less than recommended speakers or amplification.  
A local dealer who has assembled system well north of $1 million, and has many customers with systems costing more than $100,000, will recommend as worthy tables reconditioned Thorens 124 and Garrard 301 or 401 tables with Ortofon tonearms. Sometimes the cartridge recommendation is pricey (Koetsu Rosewood Platinum)

He's probably too old