Whats the most one would shelve out on a cartridge

[Patrick Dixon]

And now I'm using a £1,000 cartridge on a £1,500 arm on a £38 turntable.

Yeah but, it's not really a 38 quid turntable. A TD124/2 is a grand of anyone's money these days, and probably cheap at that.

[Vrajbasi]

Yeah but, it's not really a 38 quid turntable. A TD124/2 is a grand of anyone's money these days, and probably cheap at that.

My Nephew has a £2k cartridge on a deck he got for nothing, I gave him a Bastin 301 with psu and a sme IV I had knocking around

[speedracer]

I wouldn't put a ceiling price on what I might pay for a cartridge, it depends on the rest of my system & what finances I have at the time I consider a new purchase. One of my turntables is a modified Lenco GL75 (which I have to move on but that is another story), & it was for purely old mono jazz records with a very modest AT-MONO 3/LP, & it made beautiful music. I then had an opportunity to upgrade to a almost brand new Lyra Helikon mono at a very good price, & it lifted the performance of the Lenco into another league, it really did. The new price of the cart was over 4 times what I paid for the Lenco, although I didn't pay that for it, yet the deck was capable enough to show clearly why the Lyra cost what it did.
I have bought a few lightly used cartridges in the £400/600 range & have done very well with them, other than being stung on a Benz Wood SL that had problems; the most I have paid for a new cart was around £1,000 for a Ortofon Rohmann, but if something special came along & I could afford it at the time I would buy it.

[walpurgis]

Perhaps the original question should have been 'what is the minimum outlay for a truly involving sound?'.

I can't think of an MM or high output MC I'd want to use full time. The DL-103 is great at the price, but doesn't really 'get there' for me.

At around £400, the Goldring Eroica LX is an MC I could live with, it's properly musical and vibrant. Great fun! Spending more buys more refinement and possibly greater transparency, but does it bring greater actual enjoyment?

I have more expensive MC's, but the Eroica puts a smile on my face each time I hear it.

[karma67]

Perhaps the original question should have been 'what is the minimum outlay for a truly involving sound?'.

I can't think of an MM or high output MC I'd want to use full time. The DL-103 is great at the price, but doesn't really 'get there' for me.

At around £400, the Goldring Eroica LX is an MC I could live with, it's properly musical and vibrant. Great fun! Spending more buys more refinement and possibly greater transparency, but does it bring greater actual enjoyment?

I have more expensive MC's, but the Eroica puts a smile on my face each time I hear it.

just to confuse matters further,i tried a eroica and thought it was nothing special,the denon 103sa on the other hand is so musical in comparison.

[walpurgis]

just to confuse matters further,i tried a eroica and thought it was nothing special,the denon 103sa on the other hand is so musical in comparison.

Ah, well that's what comes from not having a decent SUT mate!

[struth]

Perhaps the original question should have been 'what is the minimum outlay for a truly involving sound?'.

I can't think of an MM or high output MC I'd want to use full time. The DL-103 is great at the price, but doesn't really 'get there' for me.

At around £400, the Goldring Eroica LX is an MC I could live with, it's properly musical and vibrant. Great fun! Spending more buys more refinement and possibly greater transparency, but does it bring greater actual enjoyment?

I have more expensive MC's, but the Eroica puts a smile on my face each time I hear it.

you might change mind with the one im using... it does sound very nice for a MI

[alphaGT]

Whilst I can understand the mantra "source first", and hence that is where proportionally the most should be spent, I often think if you have a modest amp and speakers how will you hear how good the 'front end' sounds? So in that respect, I'm in agreement with you in that one should spend more or less the same amount on each part of the replay chain (though I wouldn't dream of spending a large amount on cables).

A further difficulty comes with mixing vintage and new components. If the vintage components were bought new, their current value may be a lot more than what was paid. So for example I have used a £400 cartridge in a £25 arm on a £38 turntable (EMT XSD-15, SME 3009 and Thorens TD124/II respectively) and conversely I have used a £50 cartridge in a £600 arm (ADC 25 in a Breuer Dynamic 5A arm). Or a £50 cartridge in a £2,500 arm/turntable (Denon 103 on an EMT930/929 combination).

And now I'm using a £1,000 cartridge on a £1,500 arm on a £38 turntable.

I suppose actual price, and actual value may not be the same thing. Sounds like you’ve got the right idea. I saw a cartridge the other day for $12,000! I wonder what kind of record player you’d need to get the most out of it?

Russell

[paulf-2007]

I suppose actual price, and actual value may not be the same thing. Sounds like you’ve got the right idea. I saw a cartridge the other day for $12,000! I wonder what kind of record player you’d need to get the most out of it?

Russell

i would say the arm and phono stage would be the most important items to get the best out of the cart. There is a limit where the turntable would make any difference, these turntables costing many thousands of pounds/dollars are just for those who can afford them, the mere mortals that have orgasms over them is just from their cost or looks and not because they could sound any better.

[Mike Reed]

I saw a cartridge the other day for $12,000! I wonder what kind of record player you’d need to get the most out of it?

Russell

Top Koetsu, maybe? There are one or two others around that price. You wouldn't need anything special; a quality deck, good tonearm to suit the cart. and a competent stage. After all, you're not going to put a stone-bodied K on a cheap Rega or Project, are you ? 'Orses for courses. A good record player etc. will also extract the best from the cheapest cart's too.