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Cartridges: Complete Scam?

I’m very new to analog, and researching my options on forums I keep coming across the same sentiment: that past the ultra low-end cartridges, there is very little gains in actual sound quality and that all you’re getting are different styles and colorations to the sound.

So, for example, if I swapped out my $200 cartridge that came with my table for a Soundsmith, Dynavector, Oracle, etc, I may notice a small improvement in detail and dynamics, but I’m mostly just going to get a different flavor. Multiple people told me they perffered thier old vintage cartridges over modern laser-cut boron-necked diamonds.

It’s possible that these people are just desperately defending thier old junk and/or have never heard high end audio. But if what they’re saying is true, than the cartridge industry is a giant SCAM. If I blow 2.5k minimum on an Air Tight I better get a significant improvement over a $200 bundler — and if just all amounts to a different coloration, than that is a straight-up scam ripoff.

So guys — are these forums just BS-ing me here? Is it really a giant scam?
madavid0

Showing 4 responses by cd318

cd318
404 posts
 
Its very easy to get carried away by rave reviews of expensive cartridges. However, when you think about it, a cartridge is just doing one thing - its converting stylus movement into electrical signal. Therefore as far as I am concerned, tracking ability is paramount, it's everything. Yet the number of times cartridge reviews gloss over tracking performance..

As Randy-11 said earlier, there's definitely a law of diminishing returns at work here. The biggest step up is from conical to spherical stylus. After that you're on your own, though I do remember a ($250) Shure being commended for it's excellent tracking performance and electrical behaviour. As for other stylus profiles eg line contact, I don't know whether they offer any more.

In my own experience a Nagoaka MP11 Boron was as good as it got. Swapping to a much more expensive cartridge (Linn K18) just made the sound thinner and brighter. So yeah, tracking first and foremost.
cd318
404 posts
 
I don't think you do. Buying a used cart is worse than buying a used smartphone.

Yes there will be honest sellers who have took great care of their stuff. They are usually the ones who will point out the smallest of blemishes and have kept all of the paperwork. However, for every one of these there's at least a dozen who should have the phrase 'caveat emptor' emblazened over their ad and tattooed upon their foreheads.
cd318
404 posts
 
Has it not been demonstrated numerous times that cartridge performance (tracking) depends upon the arm in which its placed? The arm in turn depends upon the turntable on which it sits.

A low quality turntable (resonance and speed issues) with a high quality cartridge is always outperformed by a good turntable with a low quality cartridge.

This suggests that there is greater difference in performance in turntables than arms and then cartridges. 


cd318
404 posts
 
<frogman> Yes, your logic is good. We should be looking at turntable speed issues first and then resonance issues and to a lesser extent cartridge tracking and frequency range (closed related to tracking /construction). Its very dubious whether tracking ability gets better after $200.

The industry does not like what you are saying about price not being linked to performance in these areas. That doesn’t make it any less true.

Reviewers can and should focus on these easily measurable attributes and leave aside their chatter about preferred colorations.

My point was that a good $200 cart on a decent deck, say Technics SL1200G/ Rega RP8 etc will outperform a $2000+ cart on a Rega Planar 1 etc by a large margin. In fact no cart at any price on a Planar 1 will get close.
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