I agree, cartridges and stylus are too fragile for me to invest heavily in. Maybe that's why i like a good MM that I can replace the stylus on. My table sounds very good with a 2M Bronze. Where I will go from there , I'm not sure .... MC ? Not so sure I want to spend $1000 or $1500 on something that needs to go to a pro to re-tip.... nevermind 10k
In such a niche market for that kind of money you should get concierge level service.
Not to hijack this thread , but I recently bought a new integrated amp that would not let me perform a firmware update and was acting weird. Cyrus UK got back to me within 12 hours and had me up and running. Their support was the difference between me calling for a return RMA and keeping it. Turns out I love it.
Support has a lot to do with my buying decisions
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Just my own personal view on turntables and cartridges. First, I am not dexterously endowed… nor do I have a lot of patience with little stuff. So, I always purchase my analog end from a dealer. I never touch it, but to use it. He comes to my house, sets it up, and typically… I have it for a decade or two.
I would not (this is me) touch a $10K cartridge. I would snap the cantilever off in five minutes.
If I were living where there was no dealer I would order a system that was completely set up and adjusted with the cartridge of my choice.
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Good to know you would stop short of trying to repair or re-wind a coil in a LOMC cartridge.
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Thank you all for responding.
@lewm, real simple, a microscope. microtweezers (I used them to pull out splinters) and a Weller soldering station with the smallest tip on. The back plate is held on by one screw. I can inspect the solder joints and lead out wires. I will not go any farther.
@jcarr Thank you so much for responding. No surprise you are the first one to have plausible explanations for the problem. I am definitely not getting involved with the coils, lead out wires maybe , but not the coils. One person suggested that it was a cracked diamond 😆 Do you think the coils can be adequately replaced by local techs?
@whart Given that it is virtually impossible to get through to MSL you can bet that MoFi is setting the warranty. The Japanese culture would never allow this sort of treatment. If I can get an address for them in Japan I will send them a letter explaining the situation. Companies that I have dealt with who handled this type of issue beautifully include Soundsmith, Musical Surroundings, Clearaudio, Elusive Disc, B+H Photo, Atma-Sphere and The Cable Company. These are only the ones I have had direct experience with. I'm sure there are a lot of others.
For those interested in the diamond (don't know it this is going to work)
"C:\Users\mijos\OneDrive\Documents\MSL AP.jpg" and
"C:\Users\mijos\OneDrive\Documents\MSL Lat.jpg"
@newtoncr Does that refer to Newton Center, MA? I have not heard the Sig Platinum mistrack in the bass and I have boosted subwoofers. Check your tonearm setup and make sure the stylus is absolutely clean UNDER MAGNIFICATION. You would be surprised at the stuff that styluses can collect especially with some record cleaning solutions. You can not tell with the naked eye. I use an artist brush with the bristles cut 1/2 way back. Many mild stylus cleaning solutions will not work. There are times when you have no choice but to use 50% ethanol is water. If the stylus is clean and your setup is good you have a defective cartridge in which case you are in the same boat I am in.
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@oddiofyl. I hear ya. Bad customer service is unforgiveable.
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Sorry you are getting nowhere with them. Thanks for the heads up, I wouldn't touch MoFi after reading this and that they also have a batch of noisy tables they are sticking people with.
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Consider Grado. Comparing the Diamond Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum with the Grado Epoch, the Epoch is just better. More resolving, smoother, better tracker.
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J Carr's input is invaluable. Talk to Steve about this and see if he can address it.
The question of warranty duration remains: is it the manufacturer or the regional distributor?
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Speaking of msl signature platinum. I have my msl platinum signature mounted on a Durand tosca arm. Playing dire straits , brothers in arms mofi 45 rpm, the cartridge is not able to track certain songs with loud bass passages . My Lyra atlas lambda sl has no problem tracking the same tracks . Has anyone else had similar problems with the msl.
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It totally blows that we have to pay such high prices for cartridges and then there is very little support if a cartridge gets damaged or is faulty. Shame on Mofi, This is what's wrong with the highend audio world. I'm going to stick to cartridge manufacturers like Soundsmith and Lyra that have better customer support.
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Hi Mijo:
Rather than problematic solder joints, it is more likely that the issue that you are experiencing is caused by (very small) pinholes in the insulation of the coil wire.
The armature onto which the coils are wound, moves together with the cantilever as it follows the LP groove, and due to cuing the cartridge up and down.
If there is a pinhole in the coil wire at a location where two windings contact each other, or where the coil wires touch a metal object (such as the polepieces or cartridge body), the coils can momentarily short out, which can alternately trigger a reduction or loss of output, or noise.
I suggest that, whoever you send the cartridge to, they should be capable of rewinding the coils, or redoing the coil leadout wires (if the issue is caused at the points of contact between the leadouts and the polepiece or cartridge body).
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Always Wondered how 2Juki can sell a Rosewood Signature Platinum for $3900 or a Blue Lace Platinum for $5880. With a 90 day warranty from the US distributor and a price 3X higher than a verified eBay seller I fail to see any incentive to buy from anyone else.
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@Mijostyn-sorry to hear this. I'll also echo the use of Steve Leung- he's good and his turn-around time is usually really fast. I would call him first and talk to him about the issue and see how busy he is. Peter L. is great- I had him replace the worn stylus in my old Airtight Supreme but it took a while b/c he did it personally, that was the year he got sick during Covid, shop wasn't fully staffed b/c of pandemic issues, etc. I've dealt with MoFi Distribution on Koetsu and they were good- yeah, it costs and yeah, one year of barely playing it makes it worse. Who decides the warranty period?- I would assume it is the manufacturer, not the distributor.
I know you have mad skills as a wood worker- doing cartridges is sort of like watch repair.
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@mijostyn
Sorry to hear about your cartridge. I had a very similar incident with a nearly new Rega MC cartridge a few years ago: the left channel just went blank. What have you used to clean the stylus?
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So sorry to hear this, Mike. I must say, it makes me reconsider the purchase of an MSL, if only because of MoFi and the short warranty period, and I was on the verge.
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And if it’s a cold solder on a teeny tiny joint, how do you plan to diagnose and repair that? I agree with others who advise sending it to an expert, Leung or other.
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@cleeds ,
I forgot to mention. The dealer is a small establishment and I have had good service from him before. I care not to damage his reputation unlike MoFi, a huge establishment that really underperformed inexcusably. They are the ones really responsible for handling this problem as MSLs representative.
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@rsf507
Then MSL cartridges are out until they change agents.
@blisshifi
The stylus is essentially brand new and it is definitely not the source of the noise. I expect to find a cold solder joint.
@cleeds
Thanks for the recommendation. I visited his web site and sent him an email explaining the problem.
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Sorry to hear about your troubles. I’ve heard several MSL cartridges and they have sounded fantastic it is one that someday will own. As for MoFi I agree their customer service/support is nonexistent. Will not get into details but I’ll not do business with them directly.
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+1 for Steve Leung of VAS. He may not have the exact stylus, but he should be able to inspect and repair, and he does an incredible job - sometimes even better than most factory repairs. I use a MSL Signature Gold now that he never retipped, so thanks for the guidance, but he did retip an Air Tight PC-1s that I owned prior. If he can do Air Tight, he can do MSL.
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Who's the dealer?
Rather than attempt a DIY repair, I'd suggest you send it to an expert for evaluation. You can't do better than Steve Leung.
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