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Andy Kim - Needle Clinic

I wanted to put this post out there about Andy Kim of Needle Clinic, located in Bellevue, Washington. As many may know, Andy is a cartridge re-tipper. I tried to find some older posts to add my comments but couldn't find them. So I'll start another OP. I just got my Lyra Kleos back from Andy today. Here's my comments.

My Kleos sounded a little off lately, so I thought it should be checked out. I sent it to Andy Kim. It turns out all that was needed was the stylus required a cleaning and polishing. Andy reported back that the stylus only has about 10 percent wear; IOW plenty of life left.

So I remounted the Kleos today and have been playing all types of music: rock and roll, classical, and so forth. The Kleos sounds wonderful; just great. Kudos to Andy Kim.

Fyi -- some may ask why I didn't send it to Peter Ledermann at Sound-Smith. I seem to recall reading somewhere that he's been unusually busy lately -- and with good reason -- and turn around might be a bit delayed. Also, I'm not sure Peter uses replacement cantilever/stylus assemblies that match (or at least come close to) the original. Andy does.
Anyway, that is a bridge I don't have to cross today.

Bottom line: Andy turned my cartridge within a week of receipt and I am pleased.
bifwynne
pindac's avatar
pindac
2,864 posts
 

@shartphoto Another Wonderful Story of a concerning condition on a Cart', having and ending where a Cart' Owner is reunited with a valued Cart'.

There are stories on this forum where Cart's that have had a purchase Value of up to $10K have as a result of following similar steps ti yourself, has produced owners who can tell a similar story.

Most Importantly the story is ready to be told only a few days after parting with the Cart' 😎.

quincy
352 posts
 

Very valuable post!

Thank you for creating it!

bringgeld's avatar
bringgeld
5 posts
 

i recently sent Andy pics of my cartridge which was a Benz LP. I asked him if it was worth re-tipping and he said he could upgrade the cartridge to a Benz LPS for $750.  I was planning on spending about 2,500 for a different cartridge from Hana and Andy said the cartridge I have, once upgraded will be a substantial improvement above anything in the 2500 price range.  I decided to deliver the cartridge to Andy since he lived 30 mins from me In Sacramento, CA, and the following day the work was complete with the new stylus.  I can only say WOW! what a huge improvement in fidelity and sound stage from my LP Benz.  He said this is now a LPS Benz and I could not be happier!   Thanks again for the quick turnaround time and huge upgrade to my system Andy!

pindac's avatar
pindac
2,864 posts
 

For $750 as the Cost, you are now punching above the weight of Contenders coming in at 400%+ of this cost.

I know how that feels 🤩

Long Live the Very Good Reports on such ventures.

trich1
1 posts
 

I sent Andy Kim a Koetsu Pro IV for a retip, boron/microridge. The retipped cartridge sounds fantastic.  The Koetsu magic with more detail — the bass impact is striking. Now the Pro IV is one of my favorite cartridges. Andy is great to work with. Good communication.  I have also had good experiences with Soundmith — but it takes a lot longer. 

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