Cartridges

And I wouldn't spend on premium records until I was getting the most from what I already had. @whart has published the Bible on record cleaning - that's good use of money too.

@baylinor 

Didn't mean to show arrogance, sorry for those offended. I see many posts of folks who don't even attempt to install a cart on a uni pivot and have to get a "professional" to do it for them and charge them multiple hours labor to do so. 

Thank you -  I do agree with you that unfortunately with analogue setting up poorly is a common issue. When I had a shop in the 80's I was very surprised at how poorly most front ends were set up from what I regarded as experienced audiophiles.

One major advance though is that today tools, manuals and in general product  today are designed for easy setup, and info on how to is freely available.

Comes back to that old chestnut - read the manual ( twice ) before setting up.

I don't concern myself about the very best of the best ancillaries any longer, especially within HiFi, and ones that are used to enable a Source Materials Recorded Data to be replayed.

I have found a standard that is satisfying for ancillaries for replaying the Vinyl LP, that I am content with. Anything else shown as an interest on this subject, is an expression of a curiosity and interest in having a new encounter.

I find that a sufficiently purified Vinyl LP, when used for a replay, can offer a very impressive presentation with a Cart' in use, that is using a design and materials that are notably fit for the purpose.

A certain design for a Cart' of a Particular Value, following a period of interrogation might prove to be the winner from a period of carrying out comparison demonstrations, but by what margin, will be one question, and at which increased cost for the purchase to achieve the margin of difference being detected.

Working on the commonly seen notion, that a Cart' has a 1000 Hours of usage life, (which is being generous), a Cart' with a decent design and use of materials can produce a replay at approx' 70 cents - $1.50 per hour.

The options for the value of a Cart' can quite easily escalate to approx' $4.00, $5.00, $8.00, $11.00, $15.00 per Hour of usage.

There is one thing Guaranteed that is on offer, which is the Speedy depreciation of the Cart's Value. If you have put 300-400 Hours on a Cart' and lose 50% of the Value as a resale, that means the derivative of the 1000 Hour calculation has an increased cost associated per hour of usage.

It really is each to their own, on how one spends on a product they have a desire to own, especially such a luxurious purchase, such as a Cartridge.  

I have a Vinyl LP purchased not too long ago, that has appreciated in value Tenfold if using Discogs as a reference. I have Vinyl LP's that have increased in Value between Twenty to a Hundredfold, from my collection produced over a much-extended period of time, if using Discogs as a reference.

The Vinyl LP is certainly going to be a very much enjoyed product when used as a medium to replay recorded music. In certain cases, the medium in use might also be appreciating in Value.

The Appreciation might not be of any benefit in the short term, but there may become a day when it is beneficial to oneself. If one decides to reimburse their coffers through selling, the appreciated value, if realised, will certainly with immediate effect, help offset against the depreciation that a Cartridge has been heavily impacted by, as a result of the needing to own one to experience the recording medium being replayed.           

I also think there should be synergy between the cartridge and the other components. I have Revel bookshelf speakers which tend to be a little "laid back". Using a Grado, I found the sound very smooth in the mids, but the bass and treble were muted. Same with an Ortofon, although more balanced. I then tried an old AT  with a NOS Shibata tip and it all came together. When I had my previous Paradigms, the AT would cause fatigue after one record side. I also must add that my system is far more plebian than most on this blog and all of the cartridges I mentioned were MM's that were a notch above entry level, 

You’ll probably get more out of the high end vinyl, with a better cartridge.