Retip or try new

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