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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
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
we are old farts... Guilty as charged.

Hold the chicken salad... I knew that...

Lorna Thayer not Karen Black...I didn't remember that...

Guess I'm an old fart w C.R.A.F.T disease (Can't Remember A F'ing Thing).

On topic- 2000 hrs seems very low for a well-maintained, high end stylus. That could easily equate to $1-$5/hr cost for the stylus alone. Yikes!!!
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
@ Oakiris -- that's looks like the correct site.

@ Swampwalker -- yup, that's my recollection too. Sometimes I just can't believe so many years have gone by. I'm still so young at heart. I still love looking at pretty young ladies. Was just spinning some Manhattan Transfer doo whop music and started jitter-bugging with my lovely wife. :) :)

Well, like Nanutac, I'm looking forward to buying a 50 foot sailboat yacht and doing the West Coast in the next few years, G-d willing. The real concern is how to fit my stereo rig onto the boat. :(

Btw, "Yikes" is right. Stylus life on a $3000 cartridge gives me pause. I checked the Lyra website about rebuilding cost. The US Distributor lists the cost as $2100 -- that's a big Yikes!!
needfreestuff's avatar
needfreestuff
572 posts
 
Want to thank you Bifwynne for posting this thread, I never knew the needle clinic existed. After reading the positive replies about Andy I gave him a call and will be sending my cartridge in shortly for a rebuild. He currently has a turn around time of two weeks give or take a little. He seems very knowledgeable and dedicated to his work and is a pleasure to talk to about audio. Best Regards
dreadhead
353 posts
 
If you have the time and the funds use Soundsmith. I did not and used Andy to straighten my stylus on my Lyra. A fair price but a little longer turn around then promised. When I got it back the length of the needle was so short the body now rested on the surface of the record. I sent photos of what it should look like compared to what it does now and was told that is not the same cartridge. After much back and forth, Andy felt the problem was my tracking force settings, never an issue before. At his request and at my cost I returned it to Andy to take a second look. Andy offered to replace the stylus but was leery of changing the cartridge from its original state. I agreed. He suggested I remover the white film, paper? to make it a nude cartridge, not an option to me. You can still see a very slight angle on the stylus, as if the it shortened as far it could be. Andy denies this. I now have a maximum tracking force of 1.5 and a little brush handy to clean the underbody. Andy is no Peter L.
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Dreadhead ... your report is very troubling. I think it's the first negative report I've read about Andy's work.

I'm not sure what to say. It gives me some pause. Maybe I should take Jonathan Carr up on his offer to clean, inspect and adjust my Kleos to make sure it really is ok.

If I decide to send my Kleos into Jonathan (or the US distributor), I'll report back on the results.

I feel badly if I steered anyone the wrong way. I can't explain what happened to Dreadhead. It's hard for me to even visualize how the "length of the needle was so short the body now rested on the surface of the record." Of course ... I am not discounting what Dreadhead is saying.

Sorry to read news like this.
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