Just a reminder if you are considering retipping.
All manufacturers use cantilevers and diamonds from only four manufacturers. Ogura (the major supplier), Namiki (now Orbray), Gyger and Nagaoka. I am not aware that Nagaoka supplies to any retippers directly, so a cartridge with a Nagaoka diamond is unlikely to be able to be retipped by a retipper unless the retipper purchase a complete stylus unit for a Nagaoka cartridge and repurposes it, say for an Ortofon moving coil (like the Quintet Black). Although as of this comment, I’m not sure if there is an off the shelf Nagaoka stylus that is boron/Super Shibata.
Before one concludes that diamond and cantilever choices are made solely in terms of engineering merit, one should also consider the economics. Assuming the quality of diamond is all the same, as well as polishing, etc., Ogura is the least expensive, then Namiki (Orbray) and then Gyger. Why do so many high end cartridges feature an Ogura 3/30 micron PA diamond? I submit that it’s because it’s the least expensive line contact diamond on the market, period. Doesn’t make it the worst because there is no such thing as the worst. Every one of these manufacturers produce nothing but superior quality diamonds. Ogura diamonds are the only ones that incorporate a mechanical joint in the construction as well. The other two manufacturers are glued on. While the joint is a welcome quality feature, I’ve considered that the only real benefit to such a strong joint, however is that in reality retipping costs often are higher because Ogura cantilevers usually end up breaking while Gyger and Namiki simply break the diamond loose. A retipper who can replace just the diamond should charge less just to replace the diamond.
As for diamond selection, a good retipper should keep all brands in stock and available. I love Ogura diamonds, but I don’t really think that a cartridge manufacturer is choosing a stock diamond from a diamond manufacturer’s standard catalog of options based on what sounds best or even works best. An Ogura 3/30 is the shortest line contact you can actually call a line contact. Air Tight, who installs it on their $15,000 Opus 1, calls it a “semi-line contact.”
There is more to the equation of choosing a diamond than manufacturer, or type. Mass is also an important consideration in preserving the original sound, if one wishes. In that case, I simply always recommend to stick with the original manufacturer’s choice. Many retippers don’t carry a wide selection of diamonds, so if you want to preserve original sound as much as possible, go with the original diamond or one of similar mass. The lower the mass, the lighter and more delicate the sound, generally speaking.
Ogura diamonds are not, generally as found in the wild, the lowest mass diamonds available. But they are available in many sizes. Their stock sizes offer a nice balance between bass and treble, which is also why they are so popular with manufacturers. Much of high end Denon sound comes down to their use of extremely tiny special order Ogura diamonds. These are special products that aren’t exactly available to retippers, but other very low mass diamonds work just as well, such as the Micro Ridge being only 0.08 x 0.08 mm square. I can order Ogura as small as 0.1 x 0.1mm square—same as the Namiki (Orbray) Shibata III and elliptical.
I, personally, recommend Gyger options often in my work because they are extremely high quality and offer the longest contact edges in the industry at 100 microns for the FG 2 and 120 microns for the FG S. These are expensive diamonds compared to the competition, which is probably why they are seen less often on brand new cartridges. This is pure speculation on my part. The only major manufacturers that I know of that uses them are Goldring and Ortofon. But Ortofon uses some odd sizes that aren’t available to retippers. According to Gyger, Gyger only makes the two diamonds that are available to me with the contact edge lengths noted. Yet Ortofon has Gyger diamonds with contact edge lengths of 70, 80 and 100. Under the microscope, the first two look the same as the Gyger 2 and the last one looks like the Gyger S, so the closest I can get to original would technically constitute an improvement.
The other manufacturer, of course, is van den Hul and perhaps, parenthetically, Expert Stylus. These are made to the same formula as the Gyger diamonds under a shared patent for vDH and a license agreement with vDH respectively. I have seen lower mass vDH diamonds on legacy cartridges (old Sumiko MC like the Talisman series) which appeared to be Gyger 2 formulas but on diamond blocks as small or close to as small as a Micro Ridge. This would be a very desirable diamond. I have not seen these lower mass vDH on anything recently and so something like that, I would replace with most likely a Micro Ridge.
A client can also choose whatever diamond they like. There are other considerations to cover. The Micro Ridge is a great diamond, but I don’t really think it’s for everyone. Considering that it first really appeared on light tracking, high compliance cartridges, the suspensions of which could absorb much of the shock of a mishandled and dropped cartridge, I haven’t decided for myself whether I really think it truly belongs on a relatively low compliance moving coil cartridge with a stiff cantilever that cannot retract with little force into a protective tunnel like Shure or Stanton or Pickering (I know the Micro Ridge never was OEM to Stanton or Pickering, but for argument’s sake. If I have a client who has broken a cantilever or knocked a Micro Ridge off the cantilever because of a drop, I ask them if they might like to try a Gyger 2 as it is, in my opinion, a bit safer in terms of causing damage to grooves in the event of mishandling. I have never experienced a Gyger gouging up a groove like I have with a Micro Ridge, and I think that’s a factor that should be considered when retipping, on a case by case basis.
IOW, there are ways to improve a cartridge for the specific needs of a user that don’t hurt the performance of a cartridge. Deviating from an original cartridge’s diamond and cantilever formula can bring benefits and improved listener experience.
Also, regarding cantilever options, there are two schools of thought. People who look at the numbers tend to choose boron based on that boron is lighter, etc. Don’t need to rehash. But people who go with what they hear, generally speaking, will often say they still like ruby or sapphire better for other reasons. As a retipper, it’s not my job to force my opinions on people. But I’m also not just an order taker. Getting a cartridge retipped can be seen as a chance to sculpt or tailor a certain cartridge to one’s liking. It’s your cartridge, anyway, right?
If you retip it and you don’t like it, (hasn’t really happened, but for argument’s sake), I am open to making changes. I haven’t ever really had someone come back to me and say, “Wow, this doesn’t sound at all like something I want anymore.” Quite the opposite, in fact. Why? Because there really aren’t any bad diamonds. They will all sound good. The next question is where and when a diamond will sound good and for how long. This inquiry also feeds into choosing, say, an elliptical or a line contact.
What if you want an old school nude .2 x .7 elliptical? Does your retipper offer that option? What about an original Shure hyperelliptical? What about a Grado “Grado Type?” Nude 1 mil?
But I could go on and on, so I’m just going to stop here. All I wanted to do was brush on some considerations to think about when choosing a retipping strategy. I hope this has been helpful.
