educate me

If it were only that simple. There are plenty of MM carts that out perform MC at various price points and many overachieving MCs that perform closely to their more expensive counterparts. Dont get sucked in to the "you have to spend a lot of money " mentality. Do your research by reading as many reviews as you can find and visiting forums like this, Vinyl Asylum and Vinyl Engine are also good. You will need to learn to determine tone arm compatability with with various compliances among many other parameters to achieve the best performance for your money. Vinyl requires a lot of time and experimentation when your starting out but that is what makes it fun and you can reap great sonic rewards. Vinyl Engine is populated with a bunch of very knowlegable cheapskates and it (like this one ) is a treasure chest of good practical info.
good luck, Rick

In short no, the TT will be fine with any cartridge but the tonearm will only be optimum with a cartridge that has a compliance suited to its mass. There are charts for this calculation and some good info is available in the library at the engine. Also the dealer you buy your cart from should be able to advise.

Far be it from me to rain on the LOMC parade but the assertion that LOMC gaurantees better response is simply wrong. I have have owned cartrdiges of all types and costs (up to over $10k) and there are many other factors contributing to the final sound. I respect that LOMC users are happy with the sound but crediting the output with having inherently better sound is missleading for someone who may just be exploring the landscape of cartridge performance. I agree that Texrons table may be more appropriate for a moderately priced MM but I would recomend you learn more and solicit a wider range of opinions and information about what is available before spending your money on a LOMC and the associated equipment neccessary to extract its full potential. You will be moving into the land of diminished returns.

I havent heard them side by side. I am a real fan of clearaudio equipment and in particular their cartridges. That said, due to the exchange rate they are not always a great buy and Im not sure you couldnt find a better table for that sum. Also there is the used market here on audiogon where some spectacular bargains can be found. Contact Johan at Highendbroker about the clearaudio he is a great guy with super pricing on CA equipment. Take your time and keep reading and asking questions and going to as many dealers as you can. My advise is to find a moderately priced table with a good arm (like rega 300 or equiv) a decent MM or MC (mabey an AT MC or clearaudio MM) and reasonable pre and live with it for awhile. Some TTs offer an upgrade path that will allow you to evaluate each performance "upgrade" or change so you can really hear what your investment is giving back. Linn, VPI and AR are a few that come to mind. Most of all take all advice (including mine) with a grain of salt and remember our impressions are biased by nature.