Is table really more importsnt than cartridge?

Winegasman,
First let me say that in the few "mismatched" rigs I've heard, the good table/cheap cartridge combination has always worked better than the other way around. So I agree with Sdcambell, Aroc, Albert Porter and Dirtyragamuffin. A better table/arm can do wonders for a modest cartridge. A topnotch cartridge seems to reveal the shortcomings of an inferior table or arm, IME.

For around $600-700 you might consider the Bix TT. I haven't heard one but I'd expect it to outplay a vintage Thorens. Just my $.01 to give you one option to think about.

P.S. to Skeyebox
I'm one of those nuts who cleans even new records before playing them. I don't just "feel" that it prevents damage, I know it does. YMMV of course, but my approach is also more prudent than your approach, so I'm stickin' to it when it comes to advising newbies. Are you really willing to shoulder some of the blame (and cost) if you're wrong?

The existence of used records in excellent condition is simply evidence that record cleaning is not a new idea. I've been doing it since the 1970's and others for longer. My favorite ebay sellers are disposing of private collections which were meticulously cared for. The junk I occasionally receive from other sellers sounds like it does due to a lack of care by previous owners.

BTW, please explain your distinction between "data" which you'd accept and "experiences" which you'd reject. I could ship you three or four Classic Records reissues that used to be dead silent. They aren't any more and probably never will be again, thanks to being played before being cleaned. Would those ruined LP's be data points or experiences? ;-)

That is an anecdotal experience unless verified by solid empirical data. What would do it for me is an extreme magnified view of the groove showing damage to the groove reulting from the offending substance. Certainly records must be kept clean....as are mine....I just feel the real damage done to records is done through an improperly set up rig that exposes to the groove to improper physical forces that will alter the groove over time. IMO. But you are right to play things safe.

Dear friends: In these part of the anolog chain: TT/tonearm/cartrdige, everything is important. My experience told me that the tonearm/cartridge combo is the more important link on the subject: if you have, for example, and SME 10 and you compare to the SME 20 with the same tonearm/combo, it will be very hard to hear any difference: now with the same turntables, if you change for a better cartridge the combo on the SME 10 and leave the same ( first ) combo on the SME 20: now you can hear very easy the difference.
If we have a decent TT a change in the cartridge makes a huge difference ( this cartridge has to macht with the tonearm), but if we have a decent cartridge and change for a better turntable the differences will be minimal.
Even, with a bad TT the cartridge will be a huge difference.
When I speak of " my experience ", it is because I already try these kind of experiment.
Regards and always enjoy the music.
Raul.

Raul, IF you have a good turntable and the arm you have attached to it is properly matched to the type of turntable you have selected, even though the arm and turntable are not of the highest quality, then I would agree with you that changing the cartridge would give you the most apparent change in the system.
However, for some one with a turntable/arm/cartridge who wants to improve what they are hearing its not that simple. Tonearms and turntables are not all interchangeable - the design criteria of each narrows down the possible choices. Some arms work better on suspended tables, some better of unsuspended tables. Of the tonearms that can be used on suspended tables one has to be sure that the weight of the arm is within the capacity of the spring suspension otherwise you will never get a good set up. The same can be said for cartridges and tonearms. Its all about matching tone arm mass and cartridge compliance. And as to the phono pre, its all about selecting the one which can deal with resistence or compliance issues presented by the cartridge. Ditto I/C's. To change any single one of the basic components requires some research to get it done right. Thats why I recommended that the poster do some reading on the subject.
In passing, I find it interesting that the poster never stated what he found objectionable about his present system, just that he wanted to improve it. Personally, I don't think he will get the improvement he is seeking by just changing his cartridge (which is a fairly good cartridge), in the dark so to speak, unless he can articulate how he wants to improve his system and what he finds lacking in his present set up.