1. Home
  2. analog
  3. 169802-87559

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
mglik
916 posts
 
The cartridge!
For sure, to get the most out of a cartridge, there needs to be good arm and TT. IME, there was excellent improvement when I upgraded my TT and arm, but my new top line cart gave the most dramatic and transformative change in SQ… by far.
lewm
14,695 posts
 
I think this thread should be taken out and shot.  Blindfold optional.
kennyc
2,980 posts
 
+1 lewm
Like asking tires vs steering wheel vs gas
lewm
14,695 posts
 
In the end, the firing squad would be a kindness.
dodgealum's avatar
dodgealum
1,429 posts
 
One way to look at this is to determine where the greatest design, materials and build challenges lie. To me the turntable and cartridge represent a slightly easier challenge that can be overcome with less investment of funds and expertise while the tonearm represents a more complex problem. If you accept this premise (many will not) then you could argue that the tonearm matters most and should receive the largest share of the front end budget. Also remember that turntable isolation matters a ton so some funds need to go there as well.
More to discover