Does a record player make that much of a difference??

Thanks for all the interesting responses.
I feel I should expand a bit on my thinking for this thread. Turntables certainly look cool and are fun to handle. And they come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and you can pretty much spend as much as you want on one (although that’s true of all audio gear). With phono cartridges on the other hand, there really isn’t much to look at as they’re so small, and they’re also fragile. Phono pre amps also aren’t much to look at. But I would venture that the sonic differences/improvements to be had by upgrading one’s cart or preamp are far greater than those found from upgrading to a better turntable/arm. Could be wrong, but my point is, I think the reason record-loving audiophiles put so much more attention and money on record players vs carts and phonostages is because there is more to look at. Not that there is anything wrong with wanting a cool looking turntable… it’s just that for pure audio bang for the buck, I have a hunch that the other parts of the analogue chain (cart, phonostage, head amp) are more critical.

I imagine many of you would disagree :)

"Could be wrong, but my point is, I think the reason record-loving audiophiles put so much more attention and money on record players vs carts and phonostages is because there is more to look at."

What? How about because turntables cost much more, for commensurate quality, than either tonearms or cartridges?  That answers the "money" part of your hypothesis.  Whether audiophiles pay more "attention" to turntables than to other components of the vinyl chain is a matter of your opinion. Got some data to back that up?

You are speculating from your presumption. The turntable and its support is the foundation for everything further down the chain. While different cartridges may have wildly differing presentations, the turntable sets the fundamental characteristics of how well the transducer retrieves the music from the groove.

Volumes have been written…..my take is given competent speed, bearings, isolation and arm rigidity then the transducer is #1. Try changing one form of energy into another…. 

But…it’s a LOT of musical fun to go FAR beyond competent…..