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
I have a 12" Cocobolo with Firewire and a 10.5" Ebony with Firewire. My 12" is paired up with my heavily modded TD124 and my 10.5 is on my modded 301. You can see pics in my profile

@fsonicsmith yeah, I like the cocobolo plinth veneer too. That 301 is lovely. 
Lex Luther lives in Gotham. Everyone knows that. Somewhere in the sewer system he has a subterranean mansion.
There's a chap called Mike Lavigne who has an absolute top flight system and is very approachable. I asked him the question and he said that after a certain stage in a turntable it's the improvements in the arm that are the most significant. Cartridges IMHO are often very subjective - liken it to a lens filter that may highlight some aspects better than others. When speaking to quite a few cartridge dealers and repairers of note the impression I get is that above £3000 is about getting the story of some fisherman that makes swords after reading to his grandchildren who only makes cartridges when meditating... I haven't heard enough to say one way or the other.
@chakster as a joke question I bought a JVC QL 10 with UA arm in mint condition for £400 - is a £10,000 cartridge wasted on it?

@chakster , you like cocobolo? Check out the record clamp I just made on my system page. The finger lift is also cocobolo.
re the firing squad…which is more important….gun, ammo, or trigger finger ?

” shelter me from the thought that pulled the trigger “ NY

full of double meaning… Shelter

Mijo…you should be using Ebony root, nothing else will do….