Turntable versus tonearm versus cartridge: which is MOST important?


Before someone chimes in with the obvious "everything is important" retort, what I'm really wondering about is the relative significance of each.

So, which would sound better:

A state of the art $10K cartridge on a $500 table/arm or a good $500 cartridge on a $10K table/arm?

Assume good enough amplification to maximize either set up.

My hunch is cartridge is most critical, but not sure to what extent.

Thanks.


bobbydd

Showing 1 response by crustycoot

OP's question is purposely obtuse, as kingbarbuda points out.  Any real buyer would really ask "How do I apportion my $10.5K bundle to get the best sounding set?".  In that case there are environmental considerations to consider in the choice of turntable and tonearm, but clearly most of the budget goes there.  Nobody should buy such an expensive cart on that budget.