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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 tubegb

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tubegb
188 posts
 
In my humble experience (40 years) your hunch would be incorrect. A proper turntable and tonearm (more expensive) will allow you to extract the most performance from a $500.00 phono cartridge. You will then have a platform (turntable/tonearm) that will reveal further improvements in phono cartridge performance down the road.

Summed up or put another way; buy the very best turntable and tonearm you can afford FIRST.
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