'A great phono stage is a minimum $2,500.00. An excellent cartridge is a minimum $1,500.00. A solid tonearm would start about $1,300.00"
I think you need to do more research! You can find great cartridges, phono preamps, etc for a lot less than the above listed prices. How about the Hana el?? How about the tavish design the classic, vintage, or even the Adagio? How about the pro-ject tube box ds2?? How about the musical fidelity mx- vinyl? How about the pro-ject 9cc tonearm?? All of these are excellent...just to mention a few...
I think you need to do more research! You can find great cartridges, phono preamps, etc for a lot less than the above listed prices. How about the Hana el?? How about the tavish design the classic, vintage, or even the Adagio? How about the pro-ject tube box ds2?? How about the musical fidelity mx- vinyl? How about the pro-ject 9cc tonearm?? All of these are excellent...just to mention a few...