Andy Kim - Needle Clinic


I wanted to put this post out there about Andy Kim of Needle Clinic, located in Bellevue, Washington. As many may know, Andy is a cartridge re-tipper. I tried to find some older posts to add my comments but couldn't find them. So I'll start another OP. I just got my Lyra Kleos back from Andy today. Here's my comments.

My Kleos sounded a little off lately, so I thought it should be checked out. I sent it to Andy Kim. It turns out all that was needed was the stylus required a cleaning and polishing. Andy reported back that the stylus only has about 10 percent wear; IOW plenty of life left.

So I remounted the Kleos today and have been playing all types of music: rock and roll, classical, and so forth. The Kleos sounds wonderful; just great. Kudos to Andy Kim.

Fyi -- some may ask why I didn't send it to Peter Ledermann at Sound-Smith. I seem to recall reading somewhere that he's been unusually busy lately -- and with good reason -- and turn around might be a bit delayed. Also, I'm not sure Peter uses replacement cantilever/stylus assemblies that match (or at least come close to) the original. Andy does.
Anyway, that is a bridge I don't have to cross today.

Bottom line: Andy turned my cartridge within a week of receipt and I am pleased.
bifwynne
@lewm,

👍. 
Spot on statement. In fact, this statement can be applicable to other audio equipment besides cartridges.
I was only pointing out the total cost to someone starting out from scratch.
I was commenting on the quality, timeliness, and affordability of Andy's service, not recommending that someone send a new perfectly good cartridge to have it re-tipped.  

If someone has a cartridge that isn't working properly, Andy's (and other retippers) services offer great value in comparison to purchasing a new cart.


But you also got a big upgrade on the original cantilever and stylus offered on a new DL103R, which was a great idea.  I am not meaning to disagree or cause discord. I have dealt with Andy in the past, and the experience was a good one with a short waiting time.
@lewm If you're saying that the total cost of the DL-103 and the re-tip is a better value than many other new cartridges, we are in total agreement.

I won't post what he said here, but Andy has a strong opinion about the Zu "upgrade". Â