Elinor,
I have to respectfully disagree. The correlation between price and performance in audio isn't that obvious. To get better performance we have to pay a lot more is what magazines and dealers want us to believe. Does an $1,000 amp sound better than an $500 amp? Most likely. Does an $3,000 amp sound better than an $1,000 amp? Probably. Does an $8,000 amp sound better than an $3,000 amp? It is hard to say.
I have heard many modest priced well matched systems sound considerably better than mega-buck super systems.
As far as TT goes, in my experience, price is even less relevant. I had done a side-by-side comparison between an Aries 2- (an upgraded Aries to 2 status) and a Scoutmaster. Aries had the 10.5 arm, Scoutmaster had the 9 arm, both had Helikon cart installed. My friends and I all found that Scoutmaster sounded better than the Aries for much lower price. Well, it didn't go well with me because I was the one who own the Aries.
The point is, don't assume higher price means better performance. The overall system synergy is far more important.
I have to respectfully disagree. The correlation between price and performance in audio isn't that obvious. To get better performance we have to pay a lot more is what magazines and dealers want us to believe. Does an $1,000 amp sound better than an $500 amp? Most likely. Does an $3,000 amp sound better than an $1,000 amp? Probably. Does an $8,000 amp sound better than an $3,000 amp? It is hard to say.
I have heard many modest priced well matched systems sound considerably better than mega-buck super systems.
As far as TT goes, in my experience, price is even less relevant. I had done a side-by-side comparison between an Aries 2- (an upgraded Aries to 2 status) and a Scoutmaster. Aries had the 10.5 arm, Scoutmaster had the 9 arm, both had Helikon cart installed. My friends and I all found that Scoutmaster sounded better than the Aries for much lower price. Well, it didn't go well with me because I was the one who own the Aries.
The point is, don't assume higher price means better performance. The overall system synergy is far more important.