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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
peterjschmidt
2 posts
 

Another happy Andy Kim customer here...  I had a Madrigal Carnegie One in use for ~12 years and decided it might be time for a re-tip.  After reading testimonials from all the major players' customers, I gave Andy a call.  He patiently explained what he thought of my cartridge and what it would cost to re-tip it.  I asked what he thought about its age and if he had some idea of a Carnegie's suspension at 15 years, and told me he was familiar with this cartridge and not only where it might be in its life-cycle, but how difficult this cartridge is to open and service.

Instead of pursuing that route, Andy provided some insight about his modified Denon 103 option.  Boron cantilever, micro-line stylus, partially-nuded body to go along w/ the Denon's superb generator, and at a great price to boot.

This was back in March, and after setting up my Ariston RD-11s / Sumiko tonearm, I'm now two months in I am smitten with the sound.  Open, airy, detailed, smooth... I don't have the vocabulary to fully explain the impact this cartridge is having, but I believe I paid a fraction of what comparable high-end cartridges sell for.

Thank you, Andy!

 

rmichaelsx
1 posts
 

Just had fantastic interaction with Andy Kim and Needle Clinic. I sent him a Sumiko Songbird for re-tipping and it came back sounding significantly better than the original. He also completed the work and shipped the cartridge back to me the same day he received it. Oh, and you can reach him by phone, which was great because he convinced me I could re-install the cartridge myself vs. taking it to the stereo shop. Could not recommend Andy more highly.

michaelabrahams
3 posts
 

Andy replaced the stylus on my 20+ year old Linn Arkiv.  It now sounds fabulous--much better in every way.  He was also very helpful to me.  I had a difficult time removing the cartridge from the Linn tone arm and was concerned about damage I might cause putting the "new" cartridge back in.  I brought it to Andy and he did it for me.  I can't recommend Andy enough.  

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michaelabrahams
3 posts
 

Andy replaced the stylus on my 20+ year old Linn Arkiv in one day.  It now sounds fabulous--much better in every way.  He was also very helpful to me.  I had a difficult time removing the cartridge from the Linn tone arm and was concerned about damage I might cause putting the "new" cartridge back in.  I brought it to Andy and he did it for me.  I can't recommend Andy enough.  

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