Is there usually a dramatic difference between $5k and $10k cartridges ?

I cannot comment on $10K cartridges since I do not own one. I think the most expensive cartridge I have is an Ortofon Verismo at $6K. But I am a hobbyist of modest means, and to be frank, the cartridges I own are usually bought carefully from the pre-owned market and sent to a service company for refurbishment. I prefer Expert Stylus or Allclear, but in the past have used Andy Kim, Soundsmith, and VAS. It is my opinion that a good tech can fit a new diamond to the cantilever, clean it, and adjust the suspension to where the cartridge is performing optimally. In the past a suspension could harden up or get spongy and render a cartridge unusable, but modern materials appear to have eliminated that issue. If I was limited to new cartridges I would not buy anything over $2K. 

But what I have noticed is that cartridge and phono stage pairings offer more variability and synergy than almost anything else in hi fi. Yes we talk about speaker and room compatibility, and to a lesser extent amplifier and speaker pairings and how fundamentally different the sound is. Transducers is what is important! A cartridge is a transducer. 

This morning I moved my Verismo/Schroder pairing off a BMC MCCI Signature ULN phono stage onto a Musical Fidelity Nu Vinyl and gave it a listen. I did indeed have to use a set of Nuetrik XLR to RCA adapters, not ideal but the only practical way to do this. The sound is fundamentally different, to the point where you are listening to a different vinyl experience. Richer, more textured, and introspective is what I hear. It is difficult to say which I prefer because it is fundamentally different. There is as much variance at this step as there is in the cartridges we have available. 

I sometimes wonder if having multiples of analog stuff is really the best use of my hobby money. I feel that I could easily live with my Sota Cosmos Eclipse/Origin Live Agile/Transfiguration Proteus into an Esoteric E-03. I should buy another Proteus and have it rebuilt for back up and call it good. But then again, this is a hobby....

+1 Transfiguration Proteus rebuilt.

I think more importantly than simply the value difference of going from $5000-$10,000 is the design and the brand. Speaking retail, I have a $3200 Kiseki Purple Heart and went to a $5500 Koetsu rosewood signature. I preferred the Kiseki. I haven’t experimented a lot but I suspect once you find a mfg that you like then climb their ladder.  I tried another $5000 cartridge, the Soundsmith Sussuro MkIi ES and I did not care for that or the support they provided. 

Kiseki Purple Heart is highly thought of cartridge among those in the know. Beyond my reach, or the capability of my phono stage.

I started out with a Pickering in a Garard when I was in high school. That was $50.

I moved up to a Stanton on a Dual 1229 in college.

Next was a Koetsu on a Sumiko MMT on a VPI HW MK II. This retailed at the time for about $900 at the time I believe.

I bought a Benz Micro as an alternate and back up. About $800. I’m selling it if anyone is interested.

I believed in the law of diminishing returns and thought that was it. But I was gifted a Koetsu Onyx, and that was a big jump. That’s $9,900 retail.

I bought a rosewood signature second hand for $1,100.00 as a backup. Very silky, not as much oomph on the bottom, great for solo and concerto classical. 

I bought a Koetsu Leopard. $11,000 retail. I paid nowhere near that. It sounds different from the Onyx. It does the bottom end better than the onyx, and it has more of an excitingly dynamic sound. The Onyx does most everything else better, it’s a smoother more natural sound.

So the answer is, overall, yes.