2. misc-audio
  3. 179816-20312

Re-tip Ortofon Cadenza Bronze

I got a good deal on a new Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cart., ($1500), and went for it. It sounded great! But now I’m thinking about the time when I’ll have to get it re-tipped. Ortofon wants $950. I’m not rich, especially lately, so this would be pretty painful.

I used to get my last cart re-tipped by Soundsmith, and they always did a lovely job. They’re also significantly cheaper. What I’m wondering is, whether I can, or should, send a cart like this to Soundsmith? Have any of you ever sent a “higher end” cart to Soundsmith for re-tipping? What was your experience? 

EDIT

Apparently, Soundsmith can do actual re-tipping, (as opposed to a rebuild), using the same cantilever. Surely that would be the way to go?

128x128sudont

Showing 3 responses by sudont

sudont's avatar
sudont OP
12 posts
 

Good idea, noromance. I’ve sent them an email.

sudont's avatar
sudont OP
12 posts
 

Sound Smith only re-tips boron cantilevers, so it would have to be a rebuild no matter what. Still, at $650, it would’ve been $300 cheaper than Ortofon.

I could get the boron cantilever from Sound Smith for $450. That’s $500 I’d save over Ortofon, which would be a huge help. I might even prefer a faster, more compliant, stylus. The Cadenza Black has a boron cantilever. 

Are there any reasons to think this would be a bad idea? $950 is just a lot of money for me right now. I was out of work with an injury for some months.

sudont's avatar
sudont OP
12 posts
 

Thanks for your responses! The diamond is still in good shape, so this isn’t a problem now. I’m just thinking ahead. I keep an eye on it with a 60X jeweler’s loupe.

 

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