Installed A Kiseki Black Heart Today. Lovely Cartridge

@noromance Yes Australia is where Allclear is. I have used several retippers such as Soundsmith, Andy Kim, and VAS also. My preference for retippers is either Expert Stylus or Allclear. and the decision is based on what type of stylus I want. Allclear will install the microridge and Expert's Paratrace is close in shape to a Van den Hull or a Gyger II. I know the fellow who runs Allclear and he is a very honorable and detail oriented fellow. One thing he says is that his epoxy is allowed to cure conventionally, that some retippers these days are using the UV type and the setting process is quicker but not as strong. Can I prove that statement? No but the work Allclear has done for me is first rate. Now Expert was the defacto retipper for dealers in Europe when the founder of Koetsu passed and his son had not stepped in. They have a long and distinguished history of quality work. 

Shipping wise Australia takes a bit longer to get to than England. It also costs a few dollars more. But I have not had issues sending cartridges to either country and getting them back in a timely manner. With Allclear my turnaround times are usually a 5 to 6 weeks, with most of that being shipping related. With Expert it is 4 to 5 weeks. In the past Expert has had significantly longer delays, but that no longer seems to be an issue. For example, Soundsmith went through a similar situation. 

I'll wait for you to listen to the Kiseki a bit longer and then hope you have another listen to the MC2000, for a formal ABA type comparison.  Incidentally, I had my Koetsu Urushi re-tipped (just a new stylus on the original cantilever) by Expert Stylus. I think it took 3 weeks round trip from the East coast to the UK and back.  I have now got several hours on the Urushi, and I keep thinking it never sounded as good as it does now, even when it was brand new 14 years ago. Cost was around $350.  They were very professional; I could not have asked for better service.

@neonknight Thanks so much for the info. I wish those of us in the US had more choice. Sending expensive and small packages internationally is no fun. Admittedly, I’ve not had any big issues sending my Deccas to JW in the UK except for long delays and additional expense with their overly zealous excise duty regime. Six weeks of OCD worrying. I did lose a package sent to @sph in Singapore which pissed me off no end, especially considering it was a manufacturing fault on their end.

@lewm One day I will give that a go since this is the only arm I own that I can reasonably put the MC2000 on. Aligning cartridges is not a task I look forward to. But I am thinking of buying some of those glasses with lights and magnification to see if it helps with the job. Or perhaps a magnifier on a stand with lighting. I wear glasses and need strong correction, so that is problematic.

Interesting to hear about your Urushi going over to Expert Stylus for service. I did not know you were doing so. Expert has a very professional operation, and in my dealings they always met their timeframe for evaluation, and they were quite thorough. The written evaluation of condition is certainly in depth and I appreciate that level of evaluation. I wonder how many technicians they have and what Mr Hodgsons involvement in in operations. The work they do is first rate though, and their prices are reasonable. It is difficult to get a replacement stylus with a small format line contact stylus for under $300 these days, and in many cases they are significantly more. Expert Stylus and Allclear have always given me impeccable service and results.

@neonknight Any reason you do not prefer Soundsmith in the US?