1K sleeper MC cart?

@invictus005 Why do you not recommend Soundsmith? I have a Benz Micro ACE LO there now for a re-tip. My first kick at the can with SS. Your above responses have me a bit concerned. I'm assuming you have been down this path in the past with them, and it did not go well.

Second vote for Hana SL, comes in under budget and is .5mv.  

Second vote for Hana SL, comes in under budget and is .5mv.  

@crazyeddy Because it’ll just simply not sound the same. Different cantilever, different stylus, different suspension, different materials. Why spend the money on something that will be different than the original you like, when you can just simply buy a new one? I just don’t get the logic. That’s all. You'll get it back working. Maybe it will sound better, maybe worse. Certainly it will be different. So why do it?

@invictus005 For any expensive cartridge with an exotic cantilever and a working suspension, Soundsmith's best program is to leave the suspension and cantilever intact, and replace only the stylus with his top OCL diamond.  For around $500, that's worthwhile.  I did this with my Helikon, and it worked out well.  I'm not sure it's worth doing with an ART9 or ART7(which I own), as the street price to replace either AT is only several hundred dollars more than the SS retip.