Direct Drive vs. Idler Drive vs. Belt drive

bukanona, Changing the whole ''motor' and adding Namiki
cantilever with glued in stylus is some other ''animal''
than Sony's one peace diamond for both. For 2000 euro
you will keep only Sony's body which I blamed for the impossibility 
to retip or repair. However anybody has right to its own thoughts. 

nandric, I have saw guts of Sony XL55Pro and it was possible to repair it.

As I can see from your data if all internal cavity of 88D filled with glue nobody will do that. 

Dear Lew, You can then see and hear Eckard's more beautuful Sony XL 88D in its integrated  headshell.

Bukanona, I deed not use the expression ''glue'' but referred to
Axel's description of the stuff with which the Body was ''potted''
 in order to dampen resonaces. Even Axel with 40 years of
experience has never seen this before. I have no experience 
with other carts in the XL series but assumed that those are
also ''potted''. All of them have the same ''8 form coil formers''.
So if one can get entrance one can probably buy, say, XL 44
as ''clone'' for the coils of other versions. .I assume that XL 55
has round cantilever and joint pipe so in this ''pipe'' an new cantilever/stylus combo can be glued in .By the most retips
the old cantilever can be removed by some solvent so that
new cantilever can be glued in.