Is table really more importsnt than cartridge?


I've read numerous posts here and on audio asylum that say that the table and arm are each more important in producing audio quality than the cartridge. That a $2000 table with a $200 cartridge will sound better than a $200 table with a $2000 cartridge. Is this an accepted belief about analog systems? If so, why? And if not, why does this view get stated so regularly? Thanks.
winegasman

Showing 2 responses by rushton

I agree with Sdcampbell and Aroc... The foundation of a good analog system is the turntable/tonearm, imo, and I'd always start building a system with the best turntable and tonearm I can manage and then work towards a better cartridge. The challenge is that, as Sdcampbell points out, the tt/tonearm/cartridge make a SYSTEM: there are real synergies to be had. And, there is an iterative process of improvement going on.

This being said, some of the discussion at Audio Asylum greatly oversimplifies the advice being offered. There ARE significant differences between cartridges: they are readily audible and very material. It is simply that, without a strong foundation in the tt and tonearm, you're wasting your time pouring lots of cash into the cartridge.
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Winegasman, my suggestion is to be careful doing such small incremental upgrades. My experience has been that I've usually been better off spending such amounts on more vinyl or saving it until I could upgrade to something at least double cost. While there are wonderful values available in audio (and your tt/cartridge combination is one of them), it is also unfortunately true that sonic improvement often follows a pretty steep cost/benefit curve.