Soundsmith Optimized Contour Contact Line Stylus for Rebuild

I was able to read the substance and context of the comments, raul.  No misunderstanding from my perspective.  I was not necessarily asking about the Lyra cart, but the question was of a more general nature.  It's one thing to read marketing info, it's another to hear directly from those with first hand experience.

I understand the critical need for a precise setup particularly with a fine line stylus.  I have been living with that for a long time, not necessarily with the Clavis DC.  I have the protractors and VTA-on-the-fly.  

If the boron cantilever would have been offered with an OCL by Soundsmith, I would have gone that route.

I appreciate all the comments.  I received the information I was hoping for.  Thank you. 

I have heard from Soundsmith.  The stylus is worn, but the suspension is OK.  The stylus is OK.  Not the "low rider" as I feared.  So I had some choices

I have decided to go forward with the OCL stylus on the ruby cantilever.  It may require a tight set-up, but that is the case for pretty much any high quality cartridge.  I'm trying to extract as much detail as possible.  Soundstage and image rank very high in my listening preferences along with a good tonal balance.  Let's see how this combo works.  (Apologies, Jon and Alan.  I had to try.)

@rauliruegas Did you compare the Clavis DC with a boron cantilever to one with an OCL stylus on a ruby cantilever?  

@rauliruegas Something has been bothering me since your first post in this thread. You claim that your Clavis DC has a boron cantilever. It might, but it wouldn’t be a stock Clavis DC. A stock Clavis DC cantilever is fabricated from a ceramic-reinforced metal composite material, cerralloy. 

After serious consideration and consultation with those who actually work on cartridges, I have settled on having Soundsmith install a boron cantilever with a line contact stylus on the Clavis DC I sent there a few weeks ago.

The rebuilt Lyra DC came in on Friday.  New Boron cantilever and line contact stylus.  From a purist perspective, it's no longer a Clavis DC.  It's something else.  Time will tell whether it's an improvement, has no change in sound or negative results.

Time for installation, set-up and breakin.  Much easier said than done since my eyesight has deteriorated greatly since my last phono cart change.   Soundsmith recommends 50 hours breakin time.

As long as the table is down for a bit, it will get some maintenance.  Belt refurb, oil change, tire rotation and radiator flush.  

Should have the system up and running again Monday or Tuesday.  Will be interesting to hear the rebuilt cart before breakin and as it progresses.  

As a side note, Soundsmith recommends Blue Tack to clean the stylus and cantilever.  If fluids are involved, they should be used sparingly and infrequently as they may soften the cantilever or stylus adhesive.

@rauliruegas There are some hours on the cart and it seems to have pretty much settled.  I agree with you that the Clavis DC with a Boron cantilever and Soundsmith line contact stylus seems the way to go.  It's quite good and a significant improvement over the stock Clavis DC.  Very much a step up into a "different league."  Overcomes my criticisms of the stock cart   

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