who knows ZYX retipping or refurbish ?

@andychris good to know, but you said the price was almost like the brand new model from the newer series, once i upgraded from Airy III to Premium 4D the difference was noticable. Which old model you decided to keep?  I believe the body is the same as the Airy and surely on the factory they could replace the body, but aftermarket retippers can't do that anyway. 

@nandric do you think nakastuka-san just sent him a brand new cartridge anyway?

If that was an old model like Yatra or Fuji then the generator must be different compared to the latest models. I think the better idea is to upgrade to the latest models if the price is the same or very close, but @andychris decided to keep his old model fixed somehow by Nakatsuka-San, because he's the only "official zyx". If the story is truth then i don't want to speculate on it. 

But we don't know who was the distributor, because you can not contact Nakatsuka-San directly, and which model it was. 

Had a ZYX Diamond- yes the $15K one,  retipped by Soundsmith - using their Boron Cantilever and the best Stylus at a cost of $450.  

I listened to the cartridge in its original state and now in its retipped state and yes the sound is different - it however retains some of its sonic traits.

Good Listening

Peter