Aren’t the two main transducers, speakers and cartridge, the most important?

Suggesting that platforms are more important than transducers is one of the most ridiculous comments I have ever seen here.

     Agreed!

Yes speakers and room interaction are 90% of what you hear.  They distort more than any other link in the chain by far. 

@knotscott,

"If your system has multiple colored/tinted/distorted pains, then you’re enjoying a kaleidoscope."

...which may end up with you favouring certain types of music but staying away from others.

Shortly thereafter you may even find you’re only playing a very small portion of your music collection.

Hang on?!?

I think that’s already happened to me!!

Some of my CDs haven’t seen the inside of a player for years.

No, not some of them, many of them!

Can’t even remember the last time Exile on Main St got a spin! Nor Electric Ladyland, nor The Joshua Tree...

Perhaps it unsuspectingly creeps up you like dementia?

By the time you might be in a position to realise, you’re usually too far gone to do anything about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZxi1oZfvDA

I first was interested in Townshend Seismic Podiums by reading many posts of users raving about them. Then I was convinced to buy them by watching the above video!
The stick with the small motor attached on top sitting on a podium and an identical one sitting on a platform with just spikes.
When turning the motors on, the difference in the movement of the sticks is radical and obvious. The podiums kill the vibration.
The result in SQ is also radical and obvious.
I have used hockey pucks under components and speakers. And still use them under the spikes of my rack. The difference between pucks and podiums is also radical and obvious. Posts that make comparisons without actually having experienced the criticized item are disturbing.

Regarding transducers: surely I was impressed by the difference between my $3K cartridge and my new $13K one. However, it also made clear the importance and central contribution of the cartridge.
The role of the two transducers, cartridge and speaker, clearly are foremost in a system. The cart taking a tiny vibration and translating it into an electronic signal. And a speaker taking that electronic signal and turning it into sound. Surely, the up line/down line components all greatly contribute. But we would have nothing without the physical/electrical-electrical/physical process of the transducers. To describe from a lay and outline description.