1K sleeper MC cart?

@crazyeddy Because it’ll just simply not sound the same. Different cantilever, different stylus, different suspension, different materials. Why spend the money on something that will be different than the original you like, when you can just simply buy a new one? I just don’t get the logic. That’s all. You'll get it back working. Maybe it will sound better, maybe worse. Certainly it will be different. So why do it?

@invictus005 For any expensive cartridge with an exotic cantilever and a working suspension, Soundsmith's best program is to leave the suspension and cantilever intact, and replace only the stylus with his top OCL diamond.  For around $500, that's worthwhile.  I did this with my Helikon, and it worked out well.  I'm not sure it's worth doing with an ART9 or ART7(which I own), as the street price to replace either AT is only several hundred dollars more than the SS retip.     

BTW, I'm in process of running in a Lyra Etna and comparing it to a fresh ART7.  An ART7 can't kill an Etna.  But, factoring in the 8x difference in price, the ART7 is an incredible value.  I wouldn't bother to look elsewhere at the $1K price level. 

@dgarretson But if you can afford an expensive exotic cartridge, surely you can afford a proper replacement? If you bought a Ferrari and the engine failed, would you replace it with an engine from a Dodge minivan? Rich people who can afford expensive toys need not bother. It's the broke people who shouldn't have bought it in the first place that are using these services. I understand greed. But logically to me it makes no sense. 

Unlike everything else in high end audio, a cartridge is a consumable. 1000-2000 hrs. and it’s done. However, for many cartridges the suspension can outlast the diamond by several lifetimes. A Soundsmith OCL diamond is no Dodge. It’s helps justify the stretch for a more expensive cartridge by doubling its lifespan.