Andy Kim - Needle Clinic

thanks solypsa.   Wasnt aware there were different Stylus versions on the GFS.

My GFS was bought new in 2016.  Was the Gyger S in production then?

I will ask CA if you don't know. 

You will have to ask CA. Gyger S is not newer per se, so unless I am mis-remembering the bit about Micro HD, it would just be a supplier change for whatever reasons...

After speaking with Soundsmith, it doesnt matter what CA put on my GF, as CA won't make it available to any other third parties for repair.  

Soundsmith designed their own Boron cantilever to match as closely as possible to CA and other top end Boron Cantilever cartridges.

As most probably know, CA won't repair themselves, but simply give you  $6k credit towards a $15k retail price.   

  Th $9k cost for trade in is out of my budget, so I'm going with the $450 Soundsmith Boron option.

It was the best explanation what is a third party re-tip and what's going on then you put a different cantilever instead of the original: 

  When a Lyra cartridge that doesn't play or sound right is returned to us, and it can be brought back to appropriate performance levels without replacing components (other than the washi paper dust cover), we typically don't charge anything.

This includes suspension readjustments, trackabiity adjustments, low-rider adjustments, replacement of the washi paper, stylus / cantilever / magnet cleaning, etc.

Such work is a routine occurance, and I believe that this would have covered Bruce's Kleos, had he returned it to us.

OTOH, Lyra does not retip its phono cartridges - we only do rebuilds (and adjustments as mentioned in the first paragraph). If a Lyra cartridge is worn to an extensive degree and/or damaged, it will be fully rebuilt to the latest (most advanced) production specification for that particular model, or replaced with a brand-new cartridge.

Regarding Sound-Smith, the styli that they use are several times larger (heavier) than what Lyra uses, and Sound-Smith's preferred ruby/sapphire cantilevers also have nearly two times the mass of the boron that Lyra uses, also Sound-Smith uses a different, simpler bonding method to secure the stylus to the cantilever (that requires the cantilever to be prepared differently).

To provide some numbers that you can compare to, the Kleos uses a diamond stylus that measures 0.08w x 0.12l x 0.5h (mm), with the playing surface comprised of a minor radius of 3um and a major radius of 70um. The Delos stylus is smaller (shorter), but has similarly-dimensioned playing surfaces (2.5um x 75um).

hth, jonathan carr

I know this thread is a little old, but wanted to share a recent experience with Andy Kim.  Some time back I bought a Technics SL 1200 MK2 that came with a Zu Denon DL-103.  To put it bluntly, it sounded like crap, lots of distortion in the left channel.  I tried another cartridge and the table sounded great.  The Zu Denon went in a box in the closet and sat there for a few months.  I ran across it one day and decided to send it to Andy to see if he could bring it back to life.

He received it on a Saturday.  I received an email Sunday saying it was almost done, and an explanation that there was a bunch of junk inside the body that he had to spend hours carefully digging out.  He outfitted it with a new micro ridge nude stylus and sapphire cantilever.  He shipped it out the next day.

Fast turnaround, check!

I didn't mount it right away, even though I was anxious to hear how it sounded.  I recently purchased a new (to me) Acoustic Signature Wow XL turntable and initially mounted my Kiseki Blue NS ($2100 retail) cartridge on that.  It sounded wonderful, but at this point I was really anxious to try out the Zu.  I fell in love with the Zu immediately, it's very dyanmic and a little more "punchy" than the Kiseki.  I couldn't believe that this $400 (original retail price) could sound this good.  The Kiseki and some of my other more expensive cartridges are a little more "refined" around the edges of the music, but none are as fun or as involving as the Zu.

Great sound, check!

He charged a little extra for all the time spent cleaning up the guts of the cartridge, but it was very reasonable.  I have a basically new high-end cartridge for less than 25% of the cost of the Kiseki Blue NS.  

Great value, check!

I don't have a frame of reference as to what the Zu Denon sounded like before the re-tip, but I can compare it favorably to other more expensive cartridges I own including the Kiseki Blue NS, Soundsmith Aida 2, Van Den Hul MC Special Two, and Hana SL.  I haven't had any desire to take it off the Wow XL, which is my main table.

This isn't the first cartridge I've had done by Andy, he also repaired my Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood and did a really nice job with that also.

 But isn’t the total cost of the Zu plus re-tip more like $1000? And it’s now nothing like the original Zu as regards cantilever and stylus. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s probably way better than the original ever was.

@lewm I'm not sure I understand your question or the logic behind it.  Any re-tip is the cost of the cartridge plus the re-tip. 

The cost of the re-tip however is a fraction of the cost of a new cartridge of similar quality.  In this case, the cartridge was included with a turntable that I paid $500 for, so it didn't cost me much, if anything. 

Again, I have no idea what it sounded like before, but I have to believe it's an improvement.  I wasn't expecting much and was more than pleasantly surprised.  I do have a couple of Denon DL-301 MK2 cartridges, which is a higher model than the DL-103 and the re-tipped Zu Denon is in a completely different league.

I have no doubt what you say is true. I was only pointing out the total cost to someone starting out from scratch. As compared to the higher cost of your other cartridge. Although the audiophile  press would have us think otherwise, the relationship between cost of a cartridge and sound quality is often askew.

Zu Audio replaced plastic cartridge body with their own better quality (they made several different variations over the years, first was aluminum). Their best grade Denon (with upgraded body) is just a perfectly matched output (L/R channels) sample selected from a bunch of original Denon 103. The cost for latest and best mk II is $799 on their site. 

Basically, Zu DL-103 is just calibrated sample with heavy cartridge body, the rest if just original Denon 103. 

What is new on their site is this option. 


  

 

@lewm,

👍. 
Spot on statement. In fact, this statement can be applicable to other audio equipment besides cartridges.

Indubitably. (I think that’s correct spelling.)

I was only pointing out the total cost to someone starting out from scratch.

I was commenting on the quality, timeliness, and affordability of Andy's service, not recommending that someone send a new perfectly good cartridge to have it re-tipped.  

If someone has a cartridge that isn't working properly, Andy's (and other retippers) services offer great value in comparison to purchasing a new cart.

But you also got a big upgrade on the original cantilever and stylus offered on a new DL103R, which was a great idea.  I am not meaning to disagree or cause discord. I have dealt with Andy in the past, and the experience was a good one with a short waiting time.

@lewm If you're saying that the total cost of the DL-103 and the re-tip is a better value than many other new cartridges, we are in total agreement.

I won't post what he said here, but Andy has a strong opinion about the Zu "upgrade".  

I just wanted to chime in really quick about a retip of a Shelter 901 I just got back from Andy. I inspected it under a high powered USB microscope and work is really superb, perfect alignment and very clean replacement with a micro ridge nude stylus, sapphire/boron cantilever that appears to be much lower in mass than the original. As expected, detail retrieval has increased while retaining the core signature sound of the cartridge. I'm extremely happy with the work and recommend him highly.

He also turned this around in astonishing time (about a day); he apparently works on every cartridge himself and doesn't farm anything out. His queue at the moment appears to be low so if you have any work that needs done now is a great time to get it done.

He is excellent.

Andy is great! 

I bent my apheta 3,  he repaired & shipped  it back the same day he received it. 

Sounds fantastic. 

I had a similar experience.  My cartridge was done and back in the mail the same day.  It sounds wonderful.

Another alternative: Steve Leung of VAS (New York) regularly posts pics of rebuild / re-tip / adjustment work on his Facebook page. A lot of very high-end cartridges. The work looks quite good, and seems like he has very good turnaround. He also play tests to ensure no bad "surprises". If I ever want 3rd party work done he's the first one I'll contact. 

@nicks25 some other options for you

I have not used this service as of yet, or any other service based within the US.

I have discussed a particular rebuild design for a Cartridge I have, but have not got the offer to meet all of my requests.

From all the correspondences shared, I have no doubt, if the Cartridge was to be forwarded as a repair task only, the returned cartridge will have surpassed my expectations.   

As a side, The Services are not limited to rebuilds, and a lot can be gained by having a service only on a Cartridge.

I have heard Cartridges prior to and post an Inspection and Cleaning Treatment, there is a very noticeable difference. For those with a Cartridge left out in an exposed to room atmosphere set up, with not too many hours of usage and owned for a few years, I will heartily recommend sending it in for a Cleaning Treatment.  As a pre inspection before making a decision, have a look at the Stylus > Bobbin Interface where the Stylus enters the Cart's body, whatever is seen will invade further, and airborne metal particles will attach to the coils and magnets.

A friend had a channel imbalance due to metal on a coil.

 

Just received and remounted my Benz LPS, which was "rebuilt" (new boron cantilever and line contact stylus) by Andy Kim. This is the third time I’ve used his services. I sent him this LPS due to high hours (almost 1000 hrs) and an unfortunate incident where I literally stabbed myself with its cantilever. (Ever have to clean flesh off a cartridge? It was surreal.) There was less than a one week TAT from me sending it off to Andy and getting it back. To be succinct, the LPS sounds fantastic and to my memory as good as it was when new. This is the third time I’ve used Andy’s services (Benz Gullwing, twice with Benz LPS) and again I am very pleased with his fine work. TBH I don’t see myself using Soundsmith again, not because SS are inferior, just because of the long TAT.

This is a short review of the excellent and quick work done by Andy at Needle Clinic in LA. I sent him my Dynavector Karat 17D3 for re-tipping and had it back in less than a week sounding better than the original, particularly in terms of stereo signal balance and overall tracking. 
Andy was professional and clearly a total craftsman.
 

Great to see your report on the satisfaction being met as a result of having a Cartridge overhauled by a rebuild service.

The turnaround time when delivered in a short period is an absolute bonus, and my take on it is that  memories of what was temporarily separated from are strong and the benefits of the service undertaken are quite noticeable when recollecting and assessing the new performance on offer.  

My experience mirrors yours as well, with a Cartridge Rebuild from a different supplier of a rebuild Service.

In my case I was able to compare the the returned Cartridge to a identical model.

The returned Cartridge was mounted on a detachable Headshell.

Another Cartridge of the same Model with a few hundred hours of usage was also mounted onto a identical Detachable Headshell.

Both Cartridges were A/B Compared in a identical set up and the returned Cartridge from the rebuild service without any run in time, shone out as the better Cartridge over the original model, to the point that the Original Cartridge was said to be quite lacking in qualities as a comparison. 

The knowing that the rebuilt cartridge was to improve further was very satisfying.

All

I would like to provide my feedback about a fantastic experience with Andy Kim as well! I recently pulled out my old Accutrac 4000! for the past 30 years it was on display as a conversation piece.  Feeling a bit nostalgic, I connected it and found it worked perfectly except the stylus was in bad shape, but the original LMA 1 seemed to be ok.  after an exhaustive search I determined I could not find a replacement stylus or an original ADC cartridge.  Most suggested, replacing the cartridge completely and forgoing the functionality that made the Accutrac appealing 40 years ago.  This wasn't an option for me.  This led me to explore   retipping as an option. The initial contacts I made informed me I the process could take weeks to as much as a month to send in and expect a return.  Then I contacted Andy.  Andy responded promptly and was also local!  He retipped my original LMA 1 in 2 hours while I waited!  I suspect that others I contacted ship out the work as opposed to performing the work in house.  The new stylus (Micro Ridge Boron) now rivals my main Turntable (Music Hall IKura with a Orthron  2m Black cartridge)

Many tanks to Andy for his great work and prompt service!!

These are great reports, keep them coming.

These services need recognition, especially as there is a very cost-effective route into owning a high quality and design Cartridge, if the right donor model can be discovered for fair monies parted with.

Another best guy doing same-- Steven From  VAS audio NJ . 

I've yet to see any mention of using Andy's own NC-1? He had a batch made and was offering them couple years ago?

I passed when he offered one when I got the news a cart wasn't repairable.

Limited Production: The Needle Clinic NC-1 is limited to 20 pieces. Specifications: Type: Low impedance moving coil (MC) cartridge Frequency response: 10 Hz to 50 kHz Output Voltage: 0.23mV Channel Separation: 30dB or more (1kHz) Channel Balance: 1dB or less (1kHz) Cantilever: Beryllium Stylus Tip: Van Den Hul Load Impedance: 20-100 Ohms Impedance: 6 Ohms Tracking weight: 1.8 to 2.2 grams Weight: 5 grams Cartridge Price: $1300 

Couldn't figure out how to paste the pic downloaded from the email. Generic looking, plasticky body but for the price and possible performance might have been a sleeper?

 

Greetings from Mexico City.

I just got my cartridges back from Andy, a very nice and helpful guy, with the fastest turnaround time: 1 day, can't beat that.

I sent him two cartridges: a Shelter 901 (previously Soundsmithed to a ruby cantilever) and an Ortofon OM40 Gold. I didn't know MMs could be retipped, go figure!!!

I'm impressed with the results, they sound so good now, way above their league. Andy states that a proper retipping (a proper stylus-cantilever setup) is very very important, even more critical than the cartridge itself. I believe him now.

Both were upgraded to boron/microridge and I clearly noticed the following from the very start: less congestion in loud passages, truer timbre, no distortion at the beginning and end of the record sides, little to no stress in loud vocals, far more detail, less friction noise, a better sense of each element's surroundings.

The Shelter is now more like a brand new 4-5 KUSD cartridge (think Koetsus, Lyras, Clearaudios). Piano and strings' long notes are more stable, with clear decays. The microridge adds a syrup coat between the stylus and the record that makes voices transparent, sweeter, more present and nothing spitty. I have a couple of very demanding japanese pressings that have caused trouble in the past, but not now, the boron handles them in spades. There is also more life in the sound. Some defects I associated with vinyl as a media, are now gone. Records I've been spinning endlessly for 40 years come alive like never before.

The Ortofon is close to the Shelter, which is saying a lot, considering it's way below the Shelter's price. The Shelter is a bit more refined, nothing more.

I am glad I found Andy, thanks for the good work, keep it up.

Another very informative report on the impact a Third Party Cartridge Service can have on a first impression of a returned Cart', either Serviced or Modified.

As stated in previous posts, A Time Served Technician who has a acquired a substantial understanding of a Cart's Assembly and has the inherent skills to optimise the Tolerances for the interfaces that might not be as exact at the time of Manufacture can produce a Cart' that will standout as a returned item.

Add to the assembly exchange parts that are improved as a result of their inherent mechanical properties and the Cart' in general finds a different level of performance.

There is little to be seen that suggests using this type of Service is not beneficial and not good value for money.

I will assume the 901 was approx' $1700 when purchased. If there was a 1000 Hours of usage prior to the recent overhaul, the Cart' has been a $1.70 per hour model.

I assume the Overhaul is $500ish, at present there is assumed to be $2200 invested into the Cart'.

If another 1000 Hours of usage are successfully delivered the Cart' has been a $1.10 per hour model.

Do this revisit to Andy Kim once more and the potential if the 1000 hours of usage is achieved, is a Cart' that will have offered up 3000 Hours of Service at $00.90 per hour. 

Great VFM comes to mind.  

Howdy,

Used Andy Kim's services and had a Grado Gold re-tipped due to an unexpected altercation between my kid and the cartridge, the cartridge lost.

After choking over repair costs, trusted Andy to fix my cartridge. 

I am no longer complaining over the costs, holy cow it was worth the price.  The Mirco Line Nude Boron is truly incredible.  My wife noticed a difference!

Andy was great to work with, tremendously communicative, and quick,

Andy is a true retipper, it's evident he is qualified and flipping good at his job!  

Thanks Andy

Another one of Andy Kim's happy customers here...he did me right. I'm hearing new facets of music I've listened to my whole life after getting my stylus re-tipped. Cheers, Andy.

I'd like to share my positive experience with Andy Kim. My Ortofon A90 was in need of a retip/rebuild as it had developed a noisy channel. Ortofon does offer a "rebuild/exchange" program but that was more money than I wished to spend, plus I was interested in the sound of this cartridge with a different stylus profile. I chose Andy as the rebuilder as he's here in California and offers a quick turnaround, plus his reviews were excellent.

Andy discovered damage to the Replicant 100 stylus plus a tweaked cantilever. His replacement cantilever has a micro-ridge stylus. He also reconditioned the suspension, straightened the remaining cantilever, and cleaned the cartridge internals.

The cartridge was back in my hands in a few days and, while it's impossible to compare this rebuilt cart with it's new self, it sounds top-notch. I've very pleased and it was much easier to dial in - Andy suggested 2.0 grams with a level headshell - bingo. On top of that I saved ~$1500 compared to a factory exchange.

I highly recommend Andy Kim's cartridge services. 

I agree with all the previous positive comments on Andy's work. My koetsu Rosewood Signature was returned in 8 days including shipping over the July 4th holiday, last week.

For comparison, a rebuild through MoFi and the Koetsu factory was estimated to be in  the mid 4 figures with a minimum 12 week turnaround. It was a no-brainer for me, and the workmanship was top notch.

@munden Another positive for the Third Party Cartridge Service, especially a Service that has a time served technician at the helm.

It looks like a few new albums are on the radar with all your saved monies burning hole in your pocket 😎.

@lardawg I always feel the need to chi in.

I have used Cart' rebuild Services, and gave the utmost praise for the Skills of the Technicians at their helm.

My own and others I know who are using this method, has as a result, created genuine advocates of the practice.

To hear the Cart' had a unknown of fault and the assessment offered following Andy's work is one more story to encourage others to make a Contact with a Third Party Service. 

I used Andy @Needle Clinic to repair a damaged my damaged Sumiko blue point special EVO3 with a broken cantilever. He answered my e-mails in less than 30 mins. and there were many (lol) & was very helpful in deciding my best path to repair. I went with a boron cantilever & hyper-elliptical stylus he also rebuilt my suspension which was damaged unbeknownst to me.. Andy’s turnaround time was 2 days from receipt of my cartridge to back in the mail to me. His quality of workmanship looks impeccable under my microscope & my EVO 3 sounds better than when it was new (and it sounded fantastic to me new). I would highly recommend Andy to anyone looking to retip their cartridge

I sent my damaged Benz Scheu cartridge to Andy Kim@NeedleClinic. He rebuilt the damaged cantilever, repaired the bent/damaged suspension, and re-tipped the broken stylus. I just received the completely restored cartridge and am pleased to proclaim it has never sounded better! Thanks, Andy! 

@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' 😎.

Very valuable post!

Thank you for creating it!

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!

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.

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. 

Interesting that the different Styli used is solely thought about as being the cause of the additional detail Retrieval. 

The Weight and Length of Boron and Adhesive used for connecting both Cantilever to the Armature and Styli to the Cantilever, are as per the chosen method quite capable of influencing the perception of extra truth being discovered and noticeably presented from the recording. 

 

 

Andy Kim -Needle Clinic

I recently purchase a previously owned Pro-Ject RPM 9.  Included in the purchase was a Sumiko Blackbird MC cartridge without stylus. I searched the internet for places to have the cartridge checked out and possibly repiped.  Andy Kim’s Needle Clinic showed up located in El Dorado Hills, CA, just 20 minutes from my house. I arranged for him to check out the cartridge and if it was good to repipe it.  I got the repiped cartridge back in two days.  It played absolutely amazing and provided a new level of playback definition and experience.

After a month or so my left channel went out.  I figured I must have broken a connection on the cartridge with one of my careless needle drops. Sent the cartridge back to Andy.  He let me know that I didn’t break a connection, but that a coil on the armature went bad where it rubs the white silicon rubber damper. He tried to find the broken connection to repair (remember you have to look through a microscope to do this) but he couldn’t, says most retipers, even Sound Smith, don’t repair coils.

As a result, he replaced the high output coil with a new mid level output coil.  So now I have the Needle Clinic Blackbird, the hot rod version of the Sumiko.  It even sounds better than my original repiped version.

Needless to say, I am very happy with the service from Andy Kim.  If you’re in need of repiping service check him out.

 

From one Bespoke Cart' owner to another.

A Bespoke Cart' all yours to savour, and only being in front of it will enable another to know the sound it can produce that you find so satisfying.

Enjoy the next 1000 Hours of Vinyl.

I know the Sumiko Pearwood quite well and look forward to the times I know it is to be used at a HiFi Group get together.

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!

 

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!