Is there usually a dramatic difference between $5k and $10k cartridges ?

$30k table, $15k arm, $25k phono stage

Agree with others - it’s a mistake to think like this. For example, the top-range Koetsu cartridges match brilliantly to Fidelity Research arms that can be found quite easily under $2K (used). There are other affordable arms they’ll sound great with too. You actually DON’T want to put them on a modern high-end straight, low mass, highly damped arm. That's not their sonic partner. It will sound dull and boring. 

$25k phono is gratuitous. Go for it, if you can and have the desire. But much more moderate stages can do wonderfully. The match of MC cartridge to MC stage is crucial (especially as lo-MC’s have lower output levels), but it’s not necessary to shovel anywhere near that much money in.

Same with the table. You can have well less than $10K total in arm, cartridge, phono - and still get the "full Koetsu" experience out of whatever stone you put on it.

Someone else said you can sometimes be pleasantly surprised by placing a very high-end component into a more modest system, and vice versa: placing a very budget component into a very high-end system. I’ve certainly found that can be true, in both cases.

mulveling, you just seem to like cartridges more than the rest of analogue front end! And I like the table more than others.

It is not a mistake to think like I do - it is a different approach. And I follow it.

@atmasphere 

Thanks for the post, which is a good example of why I like this forum.  It's an excellent opportunity to learn more than just about the underlying audio issue.

Putting Ralph's # 1 at the center, how do you choose cartridge that your arm will track perfectly ? And we are talking about extremely expensive cartridges here, no margin for error unless you want to end up with BS.

how do you choose cartridge that your arm will track perfectly ?

@inna Good tonearms are a trick!

You'll want to use a calculator like this one.

A good arm will have absolutely no slop between the cartridge mount and the base of the arm. Its very hard to do this with a jeweled bearing since over-tightening such a bearing could result in damage.

The arm tube should be damped in some manner so it can't resonate while the cartridge is tracking.

Its helpful to have the arm bearings in the same plane as the vinyl so the tracking pressure is constant with warp and bass modulation.

The arm must be very adjustable so settings can be dialed in precisely.