Relative Importance of Analog Components
We see people struggling with what to upgrade next, or where to direct their attention if everything seems to be working fairly well. I'm probably a bit more inclined to give more importance to sources and less to speakers than most people, but in general I like to look at which component is the 'rate-limiting factor' which one holds back the rest and then concentrate on improving that.
But to look specifically at vinyl reproduction, I have the strong impression that out of the four main components, they can be ordered in importance of potential effect on sound like this:
Cartridge
Phono stage
Tonearm
Turntable
I'm sure other people would list those four in a different order. How would you rank them and why?
@grislybutter As an observer of your contributions, I fail to see how your input is anything else, but in debasement. You're claiming you are a Gon Member as "here to learn", good luck with that one. Good luck with anything else you are working on to attain as well, through your participation.
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Dear @dogberry and gentlemans :Could be good that all of us make an " excersice " asking our self a hypothetical question: All of us already sold the only one cartridge we owned and now we need to look for a new and better cartridge, so we have several choices about but before we can pull the trigger at least we have to make our self 3-4 questions to be sure the choosed cartridge will be " happy " in each one audio system. Questions for our self in no order:
the choosed cartridge will be a good match with the owned tonearm? no alignment issues in between ?. Btw, I’m with @mijostyn : the tonearm/cartridge is a UNITY. In the other side we have to ask:
has my phono stage enough clean gain to handle the cartridge? has my phono stage a wide overload range?
I think we don’t need to ask about the TT because the cartridge choice depends mainly on the tonearm/phono stage but not on the TT. If one of those question has a negative answer then we have to think in a new cartridge choice or in a new tonearm/phono stage.
Cartridge depends 100% of those two audfio system links for that cartridge shows at its best..
For me those will be my priorities .. What do you think, which is yours?
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS, R.
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No argument from me @rauliruegas. There are several turntables of modest cost that can handle any cartridge on the market as long as the tonearm is well designed. Two that come to mind are the Rega RP10 and the Thorens TD 1600. They are not ultimate turntables but certainly 90% of the way there and I can not think of a better value. |
Dear @mijostyn : Thank's. We can analize the thread issue asking: which analog audio link could damage the more the cartridge signal? but this could be even more controversial between phono stage and tonearm. but been tonearm/cartridge a unity then this lets all to the phono stage as the " weak link " or more important item. R. |
No doubt I ought not say it, but I would rather you analysed (UK English) or analyzed (American English) the thread. If you want to analize anything, please do it in your own time and in privacy with consenting adults. But to address the meaning of your comment:
Yes, this is a valid question, but it makes a presupposition, which is that the signal from the cartridge is sacrosanct and can only be damaged downstream. I am not suggesting that signal can be improved downstream, which is nonsense. Maybe 'harm reduction' at the very best. Let us assume the TT does its best, as does the tonearm. Then the signal comes out of the cartridge as pure as it can be from those three items working at their peak. Only the phono stage can screw things up after that (yes, so can everything else downstream, but that is out of our remit here). My suggestion is that the quality of that signal from the cartridge is the most important thing in the chain of reproduction, all other things being equal, ie you don't substitute a rotten tonearm etc. |
