Soundsmith - Thank you to everyone.

Wow.  Some of the best of Agon forums...Do I file this under  cartridge retipping? Or History? Amazing story, :-) @retipper Peter. I have an Einstein cartridge fixed/reworked by you. @fsonicsmith thanks for the reference about Ellis; interesting.  My maternal grandfather's family did the same.

Peter, I have read and enjoyed this chain of posts more than anything in Audiogon, ever. I am a longtime owner and lover of Soundsmith cartridges and feel fortunate to get to know you a bit from afar. Stay well.

"My father and family was from Breslau " Wrocław please @retipper

Peter, I can't find the words to express the joy you've brought into my life. I was easily in the digital audiophile camp. Some CDs, but hundreds of files. I still maintained a very modest vinyl rig, but mostly it sat idle. 
I realized that vinyl had something about it that kept drawing me in, but I still resisted the pull. 
I decided to upgrade my table to a VPI, and noticed a significant improvement. But still, I played more files than wax.
As (mis)fortune would have it, I damaged the stylus on my V15VxMR. The replacements are pricey, so I went looking for an upgrade.  One of my friends suggested the Zephyr MIMC☆. I thought to myself "self, are you stupid? Putting a $2k cartridge on a $1800 used table?" Well, I took the plunge and could not be happier! My music playback is now 80% vinyl. My streaming service is for discovering new music to buy on vinyl, and my files are neglected! I'm currently restoring an old Denon dp-35f table, and have both an Otello and another MIMC! I'm looking forward to seeing how much performance I can extract from this 35 year old table!
All because of you, Peter, and the beautiful, wonderful works of art that you produce! 
Thank you, so much!

A couple of years ago, I sent my beloved SONY XL-88 MC CARTRIDGE
to Peter to see if he could repair my cantilever, bent due to the idiotic design of the Sony stylus guard (no...I'm not accepting blame for this 🤪).
After many weeks and unanswered Emails....I requested that he return my cartridge so I could send it to someone else.
It turns out that Peter had suffered a death in his immediate family which required him to travel.
I then received this Email:-

Again, my apologies for the delay due to family emergency that has kept me out of the office and away from work.

 I am in late today (Sunday) and have located your cartridge on my bench – it had been opened by me for initial inspection, and was waiting my return to inform you of my findings and evaluation. These units are often not repairable, which is why I asked that it come directly to my attention, as I have had some success with them.  

 As a report, the stylus has some wear, but not unusable by any means. The suspension is still good, unusual for this model. That is a common failure, as is the coil integrity.  The coils are intact as of now.

 I am still willing to attempt a repair on the cantilever, and would be willing to attempt such at no charge tomorrow, if you are interested. There is no guarantee that I will succeed, or that the cartridge will survive. But I am very accomplished at this delicate work.

The cartridge was sent to me in Australia, fully returned to 'mint' condition.....and at NO CHARGE 🤯

My father and his sister fled in 39; their parents escaped in 42 - a miracle.

More than a miracle Peter......

The Jews in Germany were the 'lucky' Jews......

Strange isn't it 🥴 But from 1933 to 1939, all of Germany's 500,000 Jews were permitted to leave the country (leaving property, bank deposits, art and possessions behind) by paying the Government for the privilege.

All who could afford to do so and leave Europe entirely....escaped the War, the Concentration Camps, the 'Death' Camps and The Holocaust.

The 50,000 remaining German Jews (together with the 50,000 remaining Austrian Jews) were sent to Lithuania in Dec 1941 where they were immediately executed by the SS Einsatzgruppen (with the help of the Lithuanian Police).

To be a Jew, remaining in Germany in 1942 would have been extraordinary let alone appearing as an Advocate in a Court of Law as did your grandfather Adolphe Solomon.....😱

Thank you for sharing your story and for being a true mensche....

 

I knew three out of four grandparents.

I knew NONE of my grandparents.....

Keep well and safe Peter.

Kind Regards

Henry