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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
larryi
1,972 posts
 
Given the extremely high price for some items, perhaps somebody would be willing to treat audio gear like an automobile--you can lease the item, meaning the substantial depreciation in value is covered by the lease payment.  How about rent to own or some other kind of lease with an option to purchase? 

I dunno about the repo man though, he would have to break into the house to get back that amp or cartridge or whatever.
solypsa's avatar
solypsa
43 posts
 
The record labels rejoiced when digital came along (40 years in there are new problems of course). Vinyl mastering is fraught with potential for error. ( I know as i owned a vinyl mastering studio). Record pressing diitto. Damaged stock returns, yes. Then comes the replay. It's always been frustrating. And lovely too.

However, I do feel there is potential to develop a new way. It would certainly help if market size was substantially larger as I alluded to before. The high end audio industry has traditionally given time away in exchange for product margin. Perhaps if the *skill* was compensated for (like say an electrician) the product margins could shift. Problem is most people (including many audiophiles) do not perceive that it is a skill to spec a well performing turntable arrangement, factoring in downtream system, and then expertly set it up. And seriously undervalue it imho.

nrenter's avatar
nrenter
691 posts
 
Gosh, now you've got me thinking about quitting my job and selling (just) cartridges full time. Help me think through this...

  • How much would I need to invest in inventory to be the ideal "cartridge guy" in the DFW metroplex? I'm centrally located, so I can get most anywhere around Dallas / Fort Worth within an hour.
  • Assuming a 50% markup, how much inventory do you think I could move in a year? No discounts from MSRP. Sorry.
  • How much time would it take for me to set up a single cartridge on a typical table? Am I using a paper protractor or am I lugging around my 'scope? Would I be required to re-set-up your existing cartridge should I leave without you purchasing the last cartridge you demoed? 
  • Is my time chargeable? What if you demo 6 to 7 cartridges and decide you like the way your 30 year old cartridge chews up your vinyl? Or you decide you could get the cartridge cheaper even after booking a flight to Tokyo?
  • How much time would you get to audition a cartridge? I'm assuming I'm not leaving the goods unattended. If your dog eats one of my cartridges, did you just buy it?
  • Am I liable for any damage (perceived or otherwise) to your existing equipment?

What am I missing? 



br3098
660 posts
 
LOL
nkj
119 posts
 
I do not think @daveyf is being too pedantic... well maybe a little.

Its amazing really. 

I'm one of those guys that has several top flight cartridges that had never heard any of them in my very own set up.

I maybe heard a sister cartridge at the dealer's but never the one.. no one carried the top of the line and certainly would not lend it even though I have had good relationships with dealers on hard goods and taking those on trial. These cartridges are probably $15 k each at retail or more. 

Never heard one in my system nada. I try to triangulate based on hearing what I can where I can and read. It makes no sense for the consumer.

I think @tangramca and I live in the same area. I have a dealer near me that has maybe 1/2 million in analog tables, arms and cartridges... really. I can't get a sign of how that cartridge in that arm .. (he has maybe 20 combinations)... would ever sound in my system. 

To complicate matters , often the brands I look at , Koetsu is one of them, are so heavily loaded with the local distributor's excess that I sometimes buy offshore from qualified dealers at 1/2 the price. I mean if a dealer is not going to carry the unit locally and just have it drop shipped - what's the point ? I weigh the risk and I have developed good long distance relationships with some dealers of alternative brands not available locally or so heavily priced in our small market that it is worth going off the reservation.

I guess I do not expect dealers to lend cartridges.. however, I don't expect to pay full retail if you've never had it to demo, ever, and simply order on my behalf.

I don't waste dealer's time.. actually I am probably a customer they would respect. I expect them to make money to pay the heat, wages, taxes and inventory. I rarely haggle-- I let the relationship bargain for me. Its easy to experience the value of dealer... and pay for it. with hard goods but  cartridges have always been out of scope.




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