Send it to Soundsmith as I did. The first time, they were able to re-attach one of those hair-like wires that protruded from the side of the cartridge that I tried (don't do this, in other words) to tuck back in the grooves on the sides and broke. It appeared they used some solder and joined the wires back together. This may be all that is necessary with yours and if I remember, they charged me about $80 to do the repair.
Had the cart for a couple more years before the left channel went out.....sent it back to Soundsmith and this time they said it was dead and not repairable. No charge for the evaluation, but I think that is because they had worked on it before. You might be charged the evaluation fee ($75 if I remember correctly). They are a company that deserves the high regard attributed to them (no affiliation by the way, just a pleased customer who has had several rebuilds done by them). If you like your Blackbird, this is how I would suggest you proceed. For me, I am going to think twice before considering a cartridge that is as vulnerable as this one as even the slightest touching of the sides can be disastrous. I'm pretty careful (although admitting the stupidity of my first try to "retuck" those wires) but when it comes to setting it up, man, it's a constant state of angst to avoid the sides of it and just grasp it where it is safe, and that is not an easy thing. |
I used to have it mounted to a VPI Classic / JMW, but have since moved on, no longer own the TT. I still remember how much I enjoyed the music from it. I hung onto the Blackbird never giving much thought after selling the TT. Just wondering if it is worth repairing; just haven't gotten around to it. I hate to let such a nice cartridge just sit around waiting for a potential resurrection of sorts. |
It seems there are a LOT of Blackbird owners ( or ex-owners may be more precise) with the exact same problems cropping up. This is not the only thread of late.Not sure what they have done to the build of them but I am glad I avoided the purchase of one when it was on my radar.Soundsmith maybe your only hope.... at a price.You may decide as others have to just cut your losses.Many more options out there to invest in that will likely give a far superior performance.YMMV of course!
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Was about to generate a new post, but saw this one in my search:
I have a Sumiko Blackbird with what may be a broken wire too. One channel if I remember correctly the left is silent. Any idea if this can be repaired & if so, how much it would cost? Thanks in advance.
-E |
Sthinnes,
Thanks for clarifying and for the detailed warning to other Blackbird owners. You may have saved someone else the grief you're suffering. Of course it's disturbing that several owners have had a wire come loose. It seems there may be a design/build defect.
I don't think we have much difference of opinion about your chances of selling it. My suggestion was not that it wouldn't sell. It was that it probably couldn't sell (for much) unless you provided a bit more information.
You've done that. If your listing includes some of this info, potential buyers will feel more comfortable about what they're bidding on. You may get more interest... and I hope you do.
Sorry for your disaster. Most of us have been through it at one time or another. It's never fun.
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First of all, Sumiko does not do repairs on cartridges. Once the warranty is up, the best they can do is give a discount on a new one. My current cost would be $900.00 and return my old cartridge. I am not going to spend another dime on a cartridge that is so vulnerable with it's "open body" style. A retip with Soundsmith would cost over $300.00 and quite frankly, this cartridge is not worth further investment; and "What on Earth does that mean?" Well Doug, since you asked so nicely...
I didn't feel the need to go into great detail but here's what what happened. I always use a magnifying visor to do any detail work. I was looking at the stylus as I carefully
cleaned it and noticed what looked like a small hair clinging to the cartridge body. I used some tweezers to touch it and possibly remove it. Immediately, both channels went out on the cartridge. That's all it took. I did a forum search and read several similar accounts of others having the exact same kind of experience with a Blackbird. It wasn't a "hair" or any other foreign body. It was a wire that appeared after using the cartridge for a couple of years. Despite your opinion, I can be honest and list it as "not working" and still get something for it. It can possibly be retipped or used as trade for a discount on a new BB. |
First of all, Sumiko does not do repairs on cartridges. Once the warranty is up, the best they can do is give a discount on a new one. My current cost would be $900.00 and return my old cartridge. I am not going to spend another dime on a cartridge that is so vulnerable with it's "open body" style. A retip with Soundsmith would cost over $300.00 and quite frankly, this cartridge is not worth further investment; and "What on Earth does that mean?" Well Doug, since you asked so nicely...
I didn't feel the need to go into great detail but here's what what happened. I always use a magnifying visor to do any detail work. I was looking at the stylus as I carefully
cleaned it and noticed what looked like a small hair clinging to the cartridge body. I used some tweezers to touch it and possibly remove it. Immediately, both channels went out on the cartridge. That's all it took. I did a forum search and read several similar accounts of others having the exact same kind of experience with a Blackbird. It wasn't a "hair" or any other foreign body. It was a wire that appeared after using the cartridge for a couple of years. Despite your opinion, I can be honest and list it as "not working" and still get something for it. It can possibly be retipped or used as trade for a discount on a new BB. |
Here's what happened. I always use a magnifying visor to do any detail work. I was looking at the stylus as I carefully
cleaned it and noticed what looked like a small hair clinging to the cartridge body. I used some tweezers to touch it and possibly remove it. Immediately, both channels went out. That's all it took! I did a forum search and read several similar accounts of others having the exact same kind of experience. It wasn't a "hair" or any other foreign body. It was a wire that appeared after a couple of year's use. So, whatever you do, if something appears that looks as if it needs to be removed, LEAVE IT ALONE!!! Other than cleaning the stylus, don't unnecessarily touch any other part of the cartridge. Also, you can't replace a stylus on a Blackbird so be very careful with that as well. |
Soundsmith are a class act all the way. They not only make excellent cartridges, but they are very professional in the way they do business. I would not hesitate to send it them for evaluation. |
"The repair shop says it is dead."
What on earth does that mean? Snapped cantilever? Broken coils? Fungi growing inside?
Have it evaluated by someone who understands and can work on phono cartridges (like Sumiko themselves or Soundsmith, as mentioned above).
If you just list it for sale as "Dead - don't know exactly why", I think you can guess how many bids you'll get.
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I recently had a catastrophic accident with mine (duh -- I dropped a record on the tonearm). I took it to a nearby Sumiko dealer, who arranged to have it sent in to them for repair. Instead they just replaced it, for hundreds less than the cost of a new one. |
Would you mind telling us what cleaning procedure caused the damage? I have the same cartridge too! |
maybe send it to soundsmith - they may be able to fix it (that is if your repair shop is not a cartridge specialist). they can at least confirm it is unfixable. |
