Cartridge price point threshold

[socketman]

I have just recently gotten back into enjoying vinyl. I own a pioneer PL 630 turntable. What i would like to ask is at what price point would you stop at when buying a cartridge for said turntable.Basically at what point would the quality of the cartridge become a moot point. I realize that at some point the tonearm /drive mechanism has to be of equal quality to get the most from a high quality cartridge,thus a $3000 cartridge on a $600 turntable would be pointless,thus my question . If money were not an issue would you spend say $250 $500 or even $1000.

[GlassWolf]

RM 1.3 ($500 turntable with an acrylic platter upgrade, and tube pre-amp) with a $450 dynavector 10x5 MC cart. I don't feel it's pointless, as a good cart will not only sound better, but prolong the life of my vinyl, too.

[nabil]

I understand what socketman is saying-at some point in time the law of diminishing returns kicks in; personally I think you should be looking for something that mates well to your Pioneer turntable. I don't know that table at all so I am not able to offer any suggestions. The first decision is what kind of cartridge do you want MM, or MC? Lots of really good cartridges on the market today. Lots of fun, with no absolute "best". Enjoy the process and let us know what works for you.

[Dimal]

G'day Socketman...

The PL-630 is a very decent turntable with an equally decent Tonearm of medium-ish mass. Probably the only cartridges to leave on the shelf, are those of very high compliance. Any of the good quality Moving Coil cartridges should work very well, as would most of the medium compliance MM/MI cartridges.

Final choice would come down to your listening preferences and the "mix" of other hardware in the audio signal train....

All the best,
Mal.

[socketman]

Thanks for the replies. I totally get what GlassWolf is driving at and it makes perfect sense ,presevation of the vinyl is tantimount. I have a few MM cartridges now of varying price point and i can definetly note an improvement in sound quality between them. I have played with the idea of a tube phone preamp. Im not sure why i would want a MC over a MM or vice versa, at this point i will do some research and see how long my affliction with viny lasts. If im still into it i will consider an upgrade. I just recieved my old record collection last nite, what a joy to listen again to vinyl, the whole process is so much more engaging. The best thing is that you listen to every song and not skip of jump around the album,hearing the songs in the order the band intended.

[lini]

socketman: For your PL-630 something in the range of roundabout 100 - 200 US$ (or Euro including VAT ) would seem most appropriate to me. For example something like the Denon DL110.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini