Relative Spending on Turntables and Cartridges

He knows he's not getting the most out of the cartridge. He said he wasn't concerned with that in the OP. His question is, is it smarter to budget more like 50/50 cartridge/table vs the conventional 25/75? 

He thinks that's true, and its hard to argue, at least in the here and now. Also making it hard, his only experience is changing to a better cartridge. We all know how great that is. But he has no idea how much better it is putting that same cartridge on a better table and arm. At the price point he's talking, neither do I. Probably hardly anyone knows for sure. Its a pretty fair guess though that there's at least one arm out there that costs about what he spent on a cartridge and is so much better he would prefer the old cartridge on the new arm over the new cartridge on the old table. 

That really is his question. At least the way I understand it. And I am pretty sure I know which way he will answer it- but only after he has moved it over and heard it on a better table. Its just too hard to imagine how much better an arm- just the arm all by itself- can make a cartridge. Until you hear it for yourself.

I'm just wondering why the convention is to spend only 70% of a budget on a table and only 30% on a cartridge.

Conventional wisdom is really nothing more than stuff that’s been repeated enough so it becomes like a reflex. People tend to repeat what they hear without ever really giving it much analysis. Here we are 20 years after DBA, still everyone talking about "a" sub when everyone by now should know the key is several. Many still say put some huge amount in the speakers, which if forced to explain all they come up with is basically well that’s what makes the sound, right? Cartridge is sort of like that.
Its not that you’re not right. Everything you’re saying is just fine. Only thing missing is you haven’t experienced a really good turntable. When you do it will be like, "aha!" All the same stuff you get from a better cartridge. Well not quite all the same. But very similar. Even just the arm. Could be the same table. Put a better arm on it. Boom- huge improvement in extension, dynamics, detail. Just like when you buy a better cartridge.

I’ve done all this stuff. Upgraded just the motor, everything else exactly the same. Upgraded just the turntable. Same motor, same arm, cart, everything. Upgraded just the arm- same table, motor, cart. In fact I’ve upgraded the motor a couple times. Twice with the same motor, just upgraded the motor drive controller. Actually now that I think about it there was one upgrade just to battery power for the motor. One time it was just the bearing.

You get the idea. Where most know only what happens when they change the table- by which they mean the plinth, arm, motor, everything except for the cartridge- I have experience changing every tiny little part of it, one piece at a time. Right down to the bearing and thrust plate inside the bearing well.

Point being not to say you’re wrong. Way you’re looking at it is just fine for where you are right now. Just want to let you know, its nowhere near so simple. Every single tiny little thing is just as important as the cartridge.

Including what its sitting on... what its connected to... we haven’t even touched on the phono stage....

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367

The logic is, it depends on your goals and where you want to be. What you are doing is perfectly fine- obviously, since its working out so well for you. What you won’t know until you try, a lot of money in a much better table and arm pays equally great dividends. The difference being a cartridge pretty much always becomes a consumable- it wears out- while a better table/arm is almost a forever thing.

A lot of us like me have had the same table and arm for like 15 years. The most I have paid for a cartridge is $1800 for a Koetsu. My table is like three, four times that.

So I am a very long term oriented audiophile. The only cartridge I have seen that I would spend big money on is the Soundsmith Hyperion, or even better Strain Gauge, because with the stylus replacement cost those are practically forever components.

But really, what you are doing is fine. Just don’t kid yourself that there aren’t massive improvements to be had with a better table and arm. You would be shocked! Audio is what we call a target rich environment. Especially analog. Hard to go wrong.