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Koetsu Rosewood retip or replace

I have an older koetsu that has been retipped by van den hull at some point( bought used w/tt).I believe it to have seen better days. My question, how do u tell and is there anyway to check wear? My turntable is a sota star sapphire
with a fidelity research fr-64fx turntable and ear 834p. MY options as i see them are:retip the cartridge again or buy a new cartridge. which would u suggest? and if a retip is done ("if possible?)who and how much can i expect to pay? my budget is $1,000. listening preferences are alternative, and classic rock and classic jazz. thanks for reading
frogsglassass
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
A friend of mine had his elderly Koetsu Rosewood retipped by Soundsmith and the cartridge sounds awfully good. This was Soundsmith's top-of-the-line retip, their Optimum Contour (OC) line contact stylus with ruby cantilever. It cost $350 plus shipping. I've personally had Soundsmith retip a Grado Reference and a Denon DL-103 and have been totally pleased both times. Good luck, Dave.
ferrari
617 posts
 
I as well have used Soundsmith with great results on a Lyra cartridge. My process to get the Lyra back up to spec was in the $450.00 range as it was a retip as opposed to replacing a cantilever. Very nice work, a wee bit pricey, but very happy with the results.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
13,046 posts
 
Dear Frogsglassass: +++++ " My question, how do u tell and is there anyway to check wear? " +++++

IMHO you a very prety decent TT/tonearm for your Koetsu cartridge, do you have any trouble when you play records? do you have any kind of distortions? why do you ask about?. With good care your Koetsu can/could play for at least 1,000 hours.
You can check it through a microscope or similar device but hearing it can be conclusive about. I think that before you put your money on it is good to be sure if it needs, maybe you can do it better putting your money in a better phono stage.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
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