Retip or try new

Even if the cartridge can be retipped, given its age, consider that it may need work on its suspension, etc. I don’t have experience with your cartridge, but it looks like it sold for $3K new about 30 years ago, which is a handsome price for a cartridge then. If you do get it looked at, make sure you go to someone who can overhaul the cartridge completely rather than just look at the cantilever and stylus. 
 

I’m not confident a Hana ML would outperform it. I do like the Audio Technica ART9 series a lot and would recommend it over any other cartridge $1500 or less. I have compared it and preferred the ART9 over more expensive cartridges in the $5K range like the Dynavector XV-1S and Koetsu Rosewood and preferred the tonality of the ART9XI. Unless you have a top-notch phono stage that provides a serious amount of gain with low noise, I highly recommend the XI over the XA. It takes a lot to get lifelike presence with the lower output XA in my experience.
 

The ART9s are generally just a bit on the warm side, but they have excellent detail retrieval and separation and sound quite good with classical. I use one of the newer ART20 on a Pure Fidelity turntable I have on display in my shop, and that has a bit less warmth (more linear) and is more resolving than how I remember the presentation of the ART9 to be. That might be more fitting for classical, but it’s definitely a more costly cartridge unless you find it on the used market. 
 

blisshifi,

Thanks for your suggestions on ART9s. My phono pre is Pass Xono, which provides 71db gain (SE, or 76 balanced); thought it would be good enough for XA. ART20 seems to be in a different league (price wise at least)- given that I have different life priorities these days I would be happy with something lesser but still descent.

Being the owner of Cart’, makes one the better judge of whether the Cart’ is a fit for the purpose Donor Model. I have took punts on Cart’s 20 Years Old and a little newer, where the Third Party Service Inspection has discovered the model sent is a Cart’ that is able to be worked on.

Worked on Cart’s have been compared to same model designs with low hours use in original condition, and the worked on Cart’s have shone as much more attractive in use.

Dampers do lose properties from when first put into a Cart’ especially over the period of years. Also Dampers wear, Light and Oxygen will degrade it. Ozone exposure eats the rubber, where it can look like a Parasite has been living off it.

The Good News is Rubber Compounds have come on leaps and bounds, there are today really high quality rubber ideal for damper duties. A New Damper supplied  and Wire Tensioning produced to the Cart’ Tech’s preferences, will be a solution for producing a Cart’ that has the potential to really impress.

Read the endless accounts of the best I have ever heard it, following a listen to and follow up report on a returned Cart'.

I calculate from what I know, $450ish should be the ball park in costs and shipping either way.

New Carts Have new Base materials, new coil windings etc. Depending how much you have invested into the table, a new cart may be the way to go? I bought a Marantz Table with a decent cart used for $1500.00 I invested $2000 in a new Audio mod series 6 tone arm, and $2500 in a Goldring Ethos SE cart. I am set. The table is a clear audio table made for Marantz so i have a decent table to start with.

Using the 1000 hours of Cartridge use, that is commonly suggested as a period that is the Stylus Life.

The Inspection and Follow Up Refurbishment Service from a Third Party Service will be near $450 from and back to the home. 

Looking at like for like Cart's in relation to the Cart's original value, will be hovering close to $3K.

The owner of the Akiva Cart' can experience this for the next 1000 hours at approx $00.45c per hour. Alternatively, have the experience of being the owner of a New Cart' at $3.00 per hour, if extending to such a purchase value.

I assume the Akiva owner is informed of the Cart' being strongly suspected of being a Scan-Tech / Lyra Pedigree. Cart's from this Pedigree have loyal followers as does Koetsu's and other Japanese Brands, the era of the Cart' being produced is part of the unique flavour being desired to be maintained.

Send it to Soundsmith and ask for a microridge stylus on a boron cantilever. 

@gxleetw So you have the Xono. I owned this unit for a while years ago. IF you have not used this stage at its highest gain level, you should know that it may be noisy. When I tried, I found there to be an audible rush with some low output cartridges. You may be better off with a setting that delivers less gain and with a cart that has a bit more output voltage. 

@pindac

thanks for the comments. Sounds like rebuilding is worth considering economic-wise. Even it doesn’t sound the “same” - which I don’t remember anyway since SQ degrades overtime, as long as SQ is in a similar league it could be a very good deal than buying new.

@hilroy48

My deck is mid-spec Linn LP12 with quite some modifications over the years - Lingo 4, Khan top plate, trampoline 2, Green street subchassis, Ekos 1 arm with updated bearing ( says it’s Ekos 2), Cirkus bearing. Didn’t have chance to A/B with other decks in the recent past. I learned how to tune it up, but didn’t get to it for a while now. Staying with the same cart saves the efforts of alignment a little bit as Linn arm / cart has a third screw.

@mijostyn

thank you for the comment. I’ll ask Soundsmith if they offer rebuild (not just retipping ), as I suspect the rubber had gone old.

@blisshifi

I had not tried the highest gain with XONO. Since Linn Akiva is medium-output (0.45mv), i had been using just 60 or 64 db gain.

There are plenty of positives to be read within the Link. The turn around time at Soundsmith is regularly reported to be very extended, if this service is selected Easter 2025, might be when there is a report offered on a returned Cart'.

Making inquiries about options for the rebuild, especially with the interest in the Damper condition is very worthwhile.

I do not encourage a description offered after a Cart' Inspection, is limited to the making it known, the Cart' can be worked on.   

Make sure quotes offered, clearly describes the parts to be used and work to be undertaken.  

There are forum members who have there own preferred Third Party Overhaul Services. One member who needed to have a $10k Cart' looked at, chose to use VAS NY Inc.    

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/andy-kim-needle-clinic

@gxleetw Soundsmith specializes in rebuilding cartridges.

Plenty to be seen in relation to how a Cart' can deteriorate and be rejuvenated in the Link. There are also plenty of Lyra's seen, which some will be from a era close to your Akiva's period of production. 

Asking for a FGS Stylus on a Boron Cantilever with a very modern rubber as a Damper will get my deepest of interest.

This has been very successful when used on certain Ortofon Cart's that do not get the Ortofon Replicant Stylus, as the base Stylus.

https://www.facebook.com/VASnyinc/