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The nightmare of the cartridge buyer...

I recently completed a several year quest to acquire a new cartridge. This quest was basically a major PITA and a nightmare!

Why? Well let’s take a look at what will be in store for all cartridge buyers’ in the US...and possibly other countries as well..IF they are seeking a top flite cartridge , like I was.

Firstly, and here’s where a big part of the problem lies: You will typically be unable to audition any cartridge under consideration...certainly not in your own home and more often than not, at your dealers either.

Then we have the fact that these products are closely monitored for who and whom can act as a dealer...which is then severally restricted by territory and distribution. We then add that the pricing is very well controlled...CAN WE SAY PRICE FIXING...which in most states is an illegal practice...but seems to be the rule here.


Let’s begin with my story...and then I am hoping that members will chime in here with their thoughts and probably also their own ’horror stories’....

About three years ago, I decided to acquire a cartridge that would replace my aging but still ok Benz Ruby 2...
I wanted a cartridge that would surpass that Benz in most areas...and one that would be priced at about $3-$5K. A lot of money to be spending on this piece of gear...or so I believed.

At the time, I was considering the following models....Benz LPS MR, Koetsu Urushi and Rosewood Platinum and the Lyra Kleos, Delos, a EMT, the Kiseki Purpleheart, Air Tight ( entry level model at the time..cannot remember what it was called) an Ortofon A90--and a Transfiguration Proteus--lastly one of the ZYX models. After some research, i discovered that the Ortofon’s, the Zyx’s and the Transfigurations wouldn’t work with my set up --due to too low an output by the respective cartridges for my all tube phono stage. So this left the Kiseki, the Koetsu’s, the Lyra’s and the Benz’s...and possibly the Air Tight model.

Circumstances changed and my cartridge buying escapade was put on hold...until a few months back. In the few years since my last foray, I find out that Benz have basically gone out of business ( again!!) and so has Transfiguration. Meanwhile, the Van Den Hul line has come into the US again...this time with a new distributor.
The Zyx line has totally been updated and the Lyra line is now more available than before...at least in theory. The Koetsu are now handled by Music Direct...who have essentially doubled the pricing across the board! Oh, i forgot, the Lyra line has increased by about 25% across the board ( i don’t think inflation can account for this!!)
So where to start auditioning --the answer...nowhere!
Instead I am supposed to rely on various dealers enthusiastic recommendation for these products...except for the fact that one dealer tells me that Koetsu’s are the best thing since mothers milk- and the other tells me that Koetsu’s are horrible with all the faults under the sun...( at least the ones that are in my budget..see above!) Can I hear any of these for myself...either in my system, or at the respective dealers...heck NO! ( and don’t think this type of scenario/ behavior isn’t consistent for other brands as well!--irrespective of whether the dealer(s) carries said brand or not!).

Here I am left with the choice of dropping several thousand dollars on a product that a) has no ability to be heard in my own system..therefore having no clue as to the results that I will get, b) has absolutely no return policy c) can be easily damaged by myself or others in the case of incorrect mounting to the tonearm...and lastly...and this is the one that really annoys me the most: I must shop for these products at a very limited amount of vendors who all are naysaying their competitors and acting extremely unprofessionally in the process. ( Do i really have to talk to the prospective rep for the line in order to determine the compatibility of the cartridge under question with my arm, the reasoning behind the asked price, where the dealer is that should be selling me the piece in question ( so as not to cross territorial lines) and on and on!!)

Then we have this little bonbon...The damn Japanese sourced cartridge(s) is available on several Japanese web sites at a price that is usually 50 -60% of the retail price here in the USA!! And that price in Japan is still at FULL RETAIL! ( Yes, I know it cost a ton of money to ship these things from Japan to here ( since they weigh a ton), LOL).

Where does this leave the US consumer in regards to the acquisition of a top flite cartridge...IMO the answer is between a hard place and a rock..You either pay through the nose and get totally ripped off by the likes of Music Direct and the various small independent reps in the US for these cartridges, or you takes your choice and risk buying from a grey market vendor abroad...but at a fraction of the price! BTW, mysteriously most of the top flite Benz cartridges continue to be very available from a vendor in China who seems to have cornered the market?? What’s up with this??

I can go on and about this journey, as I have just began to scratch the top of the heap in this story, but let’s hear from you guys as to your experiences and thoughts.... Was your top flite  cartridge acquisition an equal nightmare, or was it something else?






128x128daveyf
tangramca
32 posts
 
In reading the thread, I have tried to think of a better way to improve the buying process. I really like the idea of a trip to Japan for “free” to buy a cartridge! But probably not realistic for many. 

Putting aside comments on prices, I think reps should be supplied with a demo unit that can be sent out for trial. Manufacturers should provide the demo to the rep free of charge. The potential buyer would need to provide a security deposit equal to the retail price of the cartridge (yes, the entire price). It must be sent to, and installed by, a turntable tech approved by the rep. The tech's fee for this service is paid for by the potential buyer. The tech would attest that the cartridge was received in perfect condition. The approved tech would need to sign off that he had installed AND removed the cartridge and that there was no change in its condition from when installed and removed (photographic evidence of cantilever condition would be useful). If not, you bought the cartridge, even if it was a demo. There would need to be a time limit, say, 30 days, for the demo. 

Is the buyer shouldering a lot of the risk? Yes.  But to me, this is an acceptable compromise to be able to try the cartridge out in YOUR system. If there is no approved tech in your area, you may be required to drive a considerable distance (two trips) but this comes with the territory of purchasing an incredibly delicate, expensive device. 

OP, would you consider such a service? If not, why?
jperry
1,408 posts
 
tangramca

That is a lot of infrastructure. I wonder at what retail cartridge price that could start and what markup would be needed?
elrod
52 posts
 
@nrenter,
Dripping sarcasm - I love it!
nrenter's avatar
nrenter
691 posts
 
@tangramca,

That is (literally) the only way to audition an individual component. I get a chuckle when people "audition" individual pieces of equipment at a dealer, a show, or in another member's home. Different people claim to audition different components of a system IN THE SAME SYSTEM. One person is "hearing" the speakers. Another is "hearing" the interconnects. Another is "hearing" the fuses. Yet the magic is due to the careful selection and interaction of all of the above. 
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Why not drop the term "rip-off" and all its grammatical variants? It makes you sound too much like that other guy who thinks everything in his audio system is a rip-off. (I won't name names, but you know who I mean.) You could say that buying an expensive cartridge is a "crap shoot", instead. But if you buy a cartridge that "works" as advertised and end up not liking it so much, that is not the definition of a rip-off. That is called a learning experience. I own many cartridges that are not so great compared to other cartridges that I now prefer; it's part of the journey. Just don't make the same mistake twice.  And above all, lighten up!  This is a fun hobby.

By the way, I did buy my Koetsu Urushi from a brick and mortar store in Tokyo.  You will not find Koetsu cartridges, above their base level, in stock at any store in Tokyo, at least not in all the many stores that I have visited.  I had to order the cartridge and pay for it, in person, in the presence of my son who speaks fluent Japanese, because the sales personnel usually speak zero English.  I then had to wait two weeks for the store to order and receive the Urushi, which my son then had to send to me, because the stores will not ship outside Japan.  And the total cost (including air fare and presumably a hotel room), if one were to visit Tokyo solely to buy a cartridge, is not a big savings vs buying the Urushi in the US.  (And that's not why I visit Tokyo.) I would agree however that the US distributor does apparently take a big bite.
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