Develop a hierarchy for phono playback

@whart wrote

So, my response should not be taken as a "rule" to apply to others, but rather, where I got the biggest uptick, once everything else was primed for it.

I think that last clause is important: all other things being equal, the closer to the source, the bigger change can be expected when something is upgraded. Errors there are going to be magnified going down the chain of reproduction; a "perfect" loudspeaker can only reproduce the imperfect signal from a poor cartridge etc. This assumes all components are roughly of the same calibre, and if you do have a "weakest link" it must be addressed first.

And don’t forget the platter mat...if your TT has one. After market mats can make a significant difference.

"I would like everyone to go back and carefully re-read ghdprentice's post.  I think his logic is excellent and could form the basis for consensus.  Thoughts?"

Many thoughts are already out there, and I have not changed my opinion that assigning percentages of importance to each item in the chain may make you feel good, because you can have a feeling of having achieved something, but it's worthless, because we each seek a slightly different goal and there are hundreds of ways to get there. 

Two honest men can have an honest disagreement.  A formula like this provides a useful guideline as we seek to reach our goals.  In particular it should underscore the relative importance of the often misunderstood phono stage.  I suspect that you, like I, have A - B'd expensive turntables and tonearms and can hear the subtle differences.  By comparison the difference in phono stages can be considerably greater.  And, if a top flight phono stage is in play it is ever so much easier to assess two top flight cartridges.  We each have found methodologies that suit us.  To each his own.  But to call gdhprentice's elegant solution "worthless" says more about you than you may wish you had said.  Would you care to recant?