gofar99 Messages: 1939 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi I consider the turntable, arm and cartridge as a single component and thus not individual parts. You would not ask the same question of a car...engine, tires or steering would you? The three must work together. A premium turntable would not provide great sound with a $10 cartridge. Neither would the reverse do justice to the LP.
Rusty Messages: 1146 Registered: May 2018 Location: Kansas City Missouri
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
For me the turntable staying out of the music is my requirement. Accurate speed control and freedom from stylus drag affecting the music during solo piano or a complex passage. And feedback getting back into the turntable to the tonearm. A decent cartridge can suffice as can the preamp for me. But when you can hear some speed fluctuation and distortion from feedback. That ruins the musical integrity. It's all make believe, listening to recorded music. Having the playback equipment getting added to the music kills it.
I'm with Kingfish. It's all about the record. You can have a magnificent turntable with all the bells and whistles, but a scratched up record, or poorly created vinyl will still sound horrid. Throw a nice record on a cheapie and you're better off.