Lyra Kleos Repair

To answer your question above,it was the Atlas and all it needed was a retip.Came back sounding as it was when new.Peter claims it's an easier fix to do both if the cantilever is out of wack.but mine was ok.Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

mdp, I think the reason for the "one" price is that Lyra, Ortofon, Benz and many others are really not repairing your cartridge's single obvious problem.  They are going to provide you with all new parts installed in your chassis (so to speak).  It is really the only way they can be sure to  provide the original Lyra sound.  Basically, you are buying a new cart.  Now we are back to our differences with those that say it is the only "correct" option.  if you want that 100% guarantee of perfect original sound then you should probably spend the money Lyra charges.  If you are willing to risk a much smaller sum, then having someone repair the cart will give you a shot at returning the cart to similar but maybe not exactly the original sound.  How much that matters to you is something only you can decide!  I personally would have Peter at SoundSmith repair the thing with a similar material cantilever and a stylus with as similar shape as the original and try it.  If unhappy, (no one seems to be by all the glowing reports).  Send it back to Lyra or resell it as is and purchase something a little less dear.  

Thanks, I appreciate your advice.

(If you can’t afford Lamborghini maintenance, perhaps, having one in the garage, and worse yet, one on the road, is a bad idea. Not being happy with the repair bill is only human. Taking it to a fiat dealer is sheer madness.)

IMHO Fiat would make the Lamborghini more reliable

Mdb, it's too bad we couldn't have J. Carr weigh in here with a proper explanation as he has been very forthright and most revealing in the past on A'gon about many things analogue and Lyra.

As I understand it, when replacing a cantilever, you wind up completely rebuilding and tuning the suspension in place, unlike "retipping" which which is merely refitting a stone. The only thing saved is the base housing and the rare earth magnets, though still of value, most of the value lies in the craftsmanship and time. A highly practiced and skilled builder, under a microscope, must rewind the moving coil (thinner than a human hair), and solder in, precisely and tune the whole assembly in place. You wind up getting a new cantilever/stylus (which in a Lyra is custom cut and polished as I understand it, not off the shelf like many, many high end carts), suspension former, hand wound coil, and the dust close out sheet. All this must be tweeked to perfection by a craftsman who understands the results, not a trainee from Walmart or a backyard mechanic. It is a tedious, precision task. 

So I think it is unfair to color this as some have, and underrate what you get for what you pay. Some have brought up the point that there are others that will make a functional facsimile of a MC cart for a hell of a lot less. This will always be the case. I would argue, if it sounded like a Lyra, but it doesn't, than buy it. (Caveat: there are a lot of nice sounding carts in the world, pick your flavor) A customer must decide for themselves what makes sense, and what satisfies their needs. I can't speak for someone's ears or decide with their wallet, but I certainly can with mine. This is a hobby or pastime of discriminating taste, and nuance, and for me, Lyra has proven a level of excellence that is rare these days, rare has a price.