Turntables.....A point of diminishing returns?


   This post is sure to elicit many opinions. Everyone knows that a good audio system is a series of building blocks. Amps, speakers, cables, etc. To find the weakest block in any system can be a challenge to make a particular system sound as good as possible given the funds on hand. Almost anything can be improved upon. But, where does it end? There seems to be a point that an audio system, thru improvements, is about as good as it will sound. At least to the owner.
   No end to opinions about analog sound. Tables, carts, cables, amps, setup, and others. With all the renewed interest in vinyl, many are looking to optimize their current setup and others are content with what they have. Congrats to those. Other than looking at this as just a hobby, at what point does one just say...that's all my system is capable?
   I say this because in the audio world there is almost no limit as to how much money can be spent on equipment. If you fit into that category, I am envious. "Oh..Look at what this costs". But, as far as sound goes, is there really any tremendous benefit to spending mega dollars on equipment? I single out turntables because it's one of pieces that can demand those big dollars. One who can afford expensive tables probably has the funds for other expensive components.
   Look at this table. For $650k I wonder if it sounds many times better than the one I have.....
 http://www.dj-rooms.com/avdesignhaus-dereneville-vpm2010/

jrpnde
Now the question is, would you buy it if you had the funds, to support it, and go so deep with accompanying components, or ignore it?
The possibility that it would sound better than most is hard to tell, as more likely we will never have the chance to try something like this. Being ugly or not is not the point but at that price it should better deliver. Uncharted waters.

G

@audioguy85,

My sister has the Pro-Ject Classic (cherry finish) and she loves it. She needed something to play her vinyl from her student days and started off with the decent Pro-Ject basic.

She did have some hum issues with the original leads but swapping them over fixed it.

I can’t see her ever upgrading from that - knowing her sense of aesthetics. It is a great looking deck and goes well with wooden furniture.
I saw a Facebook feed about ridiculous things rich people spend money on. The most appalling was loo-roll made of gold leaf worth $1.3 million dollars.
Put the £650k into context and it is not so ludicrous.Not sure if they make that £650k version, but the technology was used to design their tonearm which I think is perhaps the greatest contributor to the sound. It has active parallel tracking - its about £30k - not cheap. That said it is better VFM than either an SAT arm or the top of the range Vertere.
Think on this - value  and price is wholly relative to means. 
@mijostyn has written an excellent post I must say. I think silly money cartridges are exactly that. Better performance can be had with money being spent elsewhere - subs, room treatment... I heard an all kondo set up from cartridge - tonearm wires all the way to speaker internal cables. I was utterly unimpressed by the sound - very coloured with a golden sheen throughout - throwing money at a problem ain't always the solution.