New cartridge vs. Re-tipped

You are 100% correct that a retipped Lyra cartridge by SoundSmith most likely will not have the identical sonic sig but that doesn't mean it would be worse. Soundsmith when doing retips has several choices, I know from experience. From 2 I've had done (Kuzma cartridges) I thought they sounded slightly better than original. Again my own experience. 

I have never seen a single post from anyone ever saying they were not extremely pleased with a Soundsmith or VAS retip. Whether the sound was 100% the same I can’t say, but I think it’s important to do what the retipper thinks will work best. I’ve had 2 done and in both cases, they recommended leaving the cantilever and replacing the stylus only. I was very satisfied with the work both times.  That said, if money is a big issue, I would probably move down one level on the cartridge and buy new if I didn’t know the owner. Was the retipped cartridge ever used?  Or straight from the retipper to you?  Unless you know the seller, that could be a risk, IMO.

I had my Lyra Skala rebuilt by Soundsmith, and didn't especially care for its new sonic signature.  IMO, the difference in cantilever material fundamentally changed the sound of the cartridge.  It's not bad per se, but it's no longer a Lyra.  I don't think I'd send another cart to Soundsmith since I think their generic 'one size fits all' approach seems a bit heavy handed.  I'm going to send it to Joseph Long, and see what he can do with it.  He seems to have a wider array of materials (including boron cantilevers), as well as identical profile Ogura diamonds.  His backlog is lengthy however.  Just my 2¢.  

It's costly to do but there is no way I would send my Lyra cartridges to a 3rd party for retip. Factory rebuild is the way to go, especially with Etna and Atlas.

I have a Koetsu Rosewood Signature with a missing stylus. It was given to me by a dealer that was going to throw it in the trash after replacing with a different cartridge for a customer. I plan to have it repaired after I decide what retipper to send it to.