What happens when the stylus tip wears out on a $12,000 cartridge?
There is no shortage of stereo phono cartridges with 5-figure price tags. What do you do when the stylus tip wears out? Do any/some/all manufacturers of these cartridges provide or offer a re-tipping service? Or do you just lay out another 12 or 15 grand for a new cartridge? Sorry for my ignorance - the Denon DL-103R/Lithium Audio Musikraft shell I currently use is the most expensive cartridge set-up I’ve ever owned. I’ve had a couple re-tipped by Soundsmith in the past for $200 - 300. What do you guys at the other end of the price spectrum do?
Couldn't agree more! Great guy to deal with!
"Before you buy it, check with Steve Leung at VAS, ask him if he can re-tip and/or rebuild suspension/cantilever/tip. Worse than wear would be bending or snapping the cantilever. I sometimes buy broken cartridges that I know he can rebuild. I ask him first, he tells me which ones are bad choices to work on." |
@lewm sure the magnet & pole pieces of an MC generally sit outside of things, but the rest of it is hard connected: stylus > cantilever > joint pipe > armature / coils > lead outs. Where does one choose to create the "break", and how does that affect moving mass, tolerances, field-replacement difficulty, and replacement costs? |
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