I tend to think somewhat the opposite - yes, SOTA (not the brand) analog can be very expensive, but I have always thought it possible to get good analog sound more cheaply than is required to get good digital sound (as my own miserly ways with my analog rig will attest to!).
I also would like to state that nothing will ever convince me that prices in excess of several thousand $+ can be justifiable for something as basic as a phono cartridge in the strict sense, although what sublime sound might be worth to someone who can easily afford this is another matter. My thought is that top-line carts must be the highest-margin items in all of audiophiledom. For instance, the basic MDB is supposed to retail for around $5K, I believe, and their top model for about 6X that much; there is quite literally no amount of engineering, no degree of precision assembly, and no upgrade in materials cost that could reasonably account for such an incremental increase.
Any cartridge is a very simple, small, and lightweight device, whose basic engineering parameters cannot vary widely from the norm and have been previously worked out and well-known for some time now, and even a $5K one must include a very healthy profit; the $30K model realistically could not be more than twice as expensive to manufacture, and I think even that's being generous. I understand that these days, no one is going to enjoy any economies of scale with a company dedicated to making only premium phono carts, but to me this kind of price level just represents market exploitation (but more power to 'em if they can get it, and in this case the waiting list is said to be over a year!). There's nothing like the snob appeal of extreme exclusivity to persuade some folks that the sound must be worth it, and the existence of $70K TT's (BTW, more justified, to my mind) has certainly opened the door. I choose to remain grounded in the knowledge that any reputable $500 - $3,000 cart is going to have just as much engineering and auditioning effort going into its design as a $10K model, and probably just as much tooling-up costs; the only differences could be exotic materials or techniques and the most exacting of assembly and measurement criteria, which I don't think in truth could add up to all that much outside of the time involved (another few hundred $ tops?) - the rest is pure profit (or if not, then extreme inefficiency on the part of a tiny company, or price-gouging by its subcontractors), no matter how good-sounding the results.
IMO yada yada yada, of course, but it's just common sense as I see it (come on, you folks don't actually expect me to base my opinions on knowledge and experience now, do you?!), and I think anyone looking side-by-side at a full-line cartridge company's $500 and $5K offerings will know that there are a lot more similarities than differences between the two - regardless of the sound, which doesn't carry a price tag.
As you indicate, Maxgain, pay to play, baby. Let the flames commence! :-)
I also would like to state that nothing will ever convince me that prices in excess of several thousand $+ can be justifiable for something as basic as a phono cartridge in the strict sense, although what sublime sound might be worth to someone who can easily afford this is another matter. My thought is that top-line carts must be the highest-margin items in all of audiophiledom. For instance, the basic MDB is supposed to retail for around $5K, I believe, and their top model for about 6X that much; there is quite literally no amount of engineering, no degree of precision assembly, and no upgrade in materials cost that could reasonably account for such an incremental increase.
Any cartridge is a very simple, small, and lightweight device, whose basic engineering parameters cannot vary widely from the norm and have been previously worked out and well-known for some time now, and even a $5K one must include a very healthy profit; the $30K model realistically could not be more than twice as expensive to manufacture, and I think even that's being generous. I understand that these days, no one is going to enjoy any economies of scale with a company dedicated to making only premium phono carts, but to me this kind of price level just represents market exploitation (but more power to 'em if they can get it, and in this case the waiting list is said to be over a year!). There's nothing like the snob appeal of extreme exclusivity to persuade some folks that the sound must be worth it, and the existence of $70K TT's (BTW, more justified, to my mind) has certainly opened the door. I choose to remain grounded in the knowledge that any reputable $500 - $3,000 cart is going to have just as much engineering and auditioning effort going into its design as a $10K model, and probably just as much tooling-up costs; the only differences could be exotic materials or techniques and the most exacting of assembly and measurement criteria, which I don't think in truth could add up to all that much outside of the time involved (another few hundred $ tops?) - the rest is pure profit (or if not, then extreme inefficiency on the part of a tiny company, or price-gouging by its subcontractors), no matter how good-sounding the results.
IMO yada yada yada, of course, but it's just common sense as I see it (come on, you folks don't actually expect me to base my opinions on knowledge and experience now, do you?!), and I think anyone looking side-by-side at a full-line cartridge company's $500 and $5K offerings will know that there are a lot more similarities than differences between the two - regardless of the sound, which doesn't carry a price tag.
As you indicate, Maxgain, pay to play, baby. Let the flames commence! :-)