New cartridge vs. Re-tipped

@dwette @stringreen @nwres 

Gentlemen, I appreciate your responses. They have helped a lot.

In this particular case I am looking at a Lyra cartridge that was re-tipped by Soundsmith. I have not talked with the seller yet, but I am assuming that the workmanship is good, but Soundsmith probably did not use Lyra authorized parts, which if correct would likely mean that the sound profile of the cartridge could be somewhat different than a factory built Lyra. Do you concur or do you think I am off base?

Thanks.

@rsf507 @chayro @palasr @dwette @jcarr @mulveling 

Thanks everyone for your responses. They have been very helpful.

@jcarr 

Next, cleanliness is next to saintliness. The dirt that accumulates in the LP groove and gets transferred to the stylus tends to have a high silicon oxide content (sand), and sand's abrasive nature will significantly hasten stylus wear. Keeping the LP scrupulously clean with an ultrasonic or fluid-and-vacuum cleaner, and cleaning the stylus after each LP

Mr. Carr, when you mention cleaning the LP with a cleaning machine, are you saying that this should be done prior to each time that LP is played?

Is it also safe to assume that products like Gruv Glide and Last record preservative should be avoided?

Thanks