Turntable or vinylology 101 for newbies.

Audiofiel, I am in the process of upgrading my cartridge now for my VPI Junior. Currently mounted on my Auidioquest tonearm is a Benz ACE, but it is 6 years old and has way too many hours on it. I plan to upgrade my table within the next year, but need a cartridge now. I have just ordered the Benz L2 "S" series (brand new upgrade to the old L2). Anyway, if I upgrade my table to something like a VPI Scout or price equivelant, would you consider that a mismatch. Not necessarily wrong cartridge for any specific tonearm, but is a $1600 cartridge mounted on a $1600 turntable/arm combo out of step? I know price doesn't necessarily equate with quality, but you get the basic idea. If you spend $1600 on a table/arm what price range of cartridge should you be looking at. Would it be ridiculous to mount something like a Lyra Titan on a VPI scout. Just a theoretical question.

Do NOT bank on Audiofeil's dogma!
Yes....there are many who share his view.
It does not make it truth nor fact.
I too have had major revelations in changing cartridges....more so than arms or turntables.
Once you have reached a certain level of competent turntable/arm synergy, the cartridge will change the sound almost as much as the speakers will.
Don't BANK on this view.......just accept it as another with some truth and experience behind it?

I certainly don't bank on anyones comments that I read in a forum, but I will always give them consideration and thought. I think I am going to try and track down the Robert Harley book on Hifi for some of these answers. I am guessing there is a lot of information about this very stuff in that book.

There never seems to be a clear cut answer. That's the beauty of it.

Dear Pedrillo: IMHO, there is a lot of non know-how over the Web and in this forum and in this thread about the analog " whole stage ".

Stringreen like Halcro have very good points here and other persons has no idea about ( even if they think they have. )but I think that you are looking as much opinions as you can get on the subject, so in an open forum like this every body is welcome for the good or wrong.

IMHO, first you have to have a " decent " platform ( TT ) to play back and this first does not means is the more important analog link because it is not, second and more important than the TT is the cartridge/tonearm choice that it is more important than the TT/tonearm couple, the cartridge/tonearm analog audio link ( IMHO ) we have to see it like one link ( one audio item ) not two separate audio items: please read something about on the next link:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1200430667&read&3&4&
and third the ( IMHO audio experiences. ) most analog important link ( everything the same. ): the Phonolinepreamplifier where the cartridge signal can/could suffer heavy degradation due to inaccuracies in the inverse RIAA eq., noises/hum/distortions/colorations on not so good designs.
Once we " install " all those " colorations " in the cartridge signal we can't do it nothing to eliminate it.

Of course that there are many other " subjects " that are important around like: cables, cartridge set-up, room interaction, etc, etc. and every one counts.

To obtain a stellar quality home audio system performance is a very complex subject and needs not only in deep know-how but very good ears, very good knowledge about live music, a lot of patience and an " adventurer " spirit to test/try different " things " almost all the time, nothing we can try is in vain it will be part of our audio experiences.

Btw, +++++ " and which phono stage will match that cartridge? " +++++, Pedrillo if the Phonolinepreamplifier has a good design it will match any cartridge, no question about.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.