Cartridges: Complete Scam?

Wow, there are so many issues alive in this thread.  At the heart of the matter, the OP is looking for rational explanation for what makes one thing better than another; absent said explanation, the product, or class of product is a "scam" if it costs a lot.  But, things are not so easy to explain. 

First of all, there is virtually no consensus on what sounds good.  Sound reproduction is so far from perfection that the combination of strengths and weaknesses of any given product will affect listeners in so many different ways.

Secondly, there has been no comprehensive way to measure or analyze sound reproduction.  As an analogy, consider Cremonese string instruments.  Here, there is fairly strong consensus 16-18th century instruments from certain makers in Cremona are among the finest ever made.  Yet, the "secret" to why they sound so good has eluded scientists that have been studying these instruments for many years.  Compared to a speaker, a violin should be a piece of cake to analyze and to copy.  The speaker is like a violin, in that it is a resonating body, but, it is a whole lot more, has to do more and is a much more complicated mechanism.  In short, there is no simple logical or scientific analysis that can be applied to why audio gear sounds the way it does.  Just because one cannot explain why product X sounds better than Product Y does not make the purveyor of product X a charlatan for charging more than the price of Product Y.  The fact that some may not even agree that product X sounds better does not change things.

The OP quickly surmised that higher-priced cartridges are a scam because the majority opinion of the first half dozen postings was that they are a scam.  As a scientific method for determining this issue, I think most of us will agree this survey methodology is a wee bit lacking.  It is amazing that the OP demands much more rigorous support from those who disagree.
 

madavid0,

I can answer your question about the $500 SmarTractor.  You, or anyone else certainly do not NEED this item.  One can do a a reasonably good job correctly aligning a cartridge using one of the many available tools for the job.  It is a tool, and like any tool, there are those who can employ the simplest and most primitive tool and still do a great job, while others will need a tool that makes the job easier and better assures success.  The SmarTractor is in the latter category.  Good tools, like this are expensive not only because of their tight tolerance in manufacture, but because a lot of thought went into the design.  The designer of the SmarTractor has designed something that addresses virtually all of the factors involved in both easy and accurate alignment, e.g., the different size of turntable spindles, difficultly in finding the exact center of the arm spindle (necessary for one-point alignment), and difficulty in seeing the cantilever and precise placement of the stylus tip (built in magnifier located at the precise point for proper focus).  The designer even offers its own unique alignment (dubbed UNI-DIN).  It can do ultra-precise measurements of spindle to pivot distance by employing a vernier scale (it can accurately measure to 1/20 of a millimeter).  All of this allows for very accurate alignment.  Is that kind of accuracy audible, or otherwise necessary?  I don't know, but, it couldn't hurt.

More than the accuracy of alignment, to me, the strongest attribute is how easy it is to do the alignment with this tool.  Between taking it out of the box and finishing my alignment (change to UNI DIN) took about 15 minutes, and that includes reading the instructions.  My not-so-great eyesight was not really an issue with this tool.  I bet it would be a very helpful tool for a shop that has to do many alignments where time is money.