This subject has been done so many times it is now flat as a pancake. There are undeniable facts: If you have an original vintage cartridge, the suspension is old. That per se may affect compliance and sound quality. If it is NOS (never ever been used), then in my opinion it is even more likely that the suspension will be problematic. Not to say it won't work and sound very very good, only to say that you cannot know how it sounded originally. So, why the big fuss about re-tipping? If you re-tip, don't expect original sound quality unless you go through the manufacturer, who usually will just be giving you a replacement new cartridge, for big bucks if MC type. If you use an aftermarket re-tipper, then what you've got might sound wonderful but probably not like the original, and so what, if you are otherwise pleased? Case in point, I own both an original Grace Ruby (sapphire cantilever/elliptical stylus) and a second one that was re-tipped by SS with their sapphire cantilever and OCL stylus. I have often listened to them both in sequential order. The SS re-tip version sounds better but not like the original. I am happy either way but I use the SS re-tipped version much more often. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't go home again. What's past is prologue. Etc.
Teach me about cartridge 'retipping'
Thought I would throw this out there for comment by long time vinyl aficionados...
We all have cartridges we love, some are pricey treasures... but they wear out eventually even with much care and diligence in use.
There are still some good folks with excellent reputations doing retip services of various makes - Peter at SS, Andy Kim in WA, Steve Leung in NJ etc etc... not to mention some of the manufacturers of course, who still do them. It would seem to me these old craftsmen may or may not be passing along these valuable skills to younger apprentices.
I have bought a couple Grace F9 retips from Peter Ledermann - they work wonderfully. No longer having a fresh factory F9L I will never know whether they sound different. But they sound great.
Curious to hear comments about how these retips are done, and whether they can reliably reproduce the original sound signature of the cartridge. I wonder, for instance, about how the cantilever is removed and reinstalled, relative to the suspension of the original cartridge, etc etc. Is the suspension replaced? What is a suspension comprised of, for example, in a typical higher end MC cart like a Dynavector a Lyra a VDH...
Of course, as time passes, the original cartridges age and I can imagine suspensions in them eventually get compromised as well...
We all have cartridges we love, some are pricey treasures... but they wear out eventually even with much care and diligence in use.
There are still some good folks with excellent reputations doing retip services of various makes - Peter at SS, Andy Kim in WA, Steve Leung in NJ etc etc... not to mention some of the manufacturers of course, who still do them. It would seem to me these old craftsmen may or may not be passing along these valuable skills to younger apprentices.
I have bought a couple Grace F9 retips from Peter Ledermann - they work wonderfully. No longer having a fresh factory F9L I will never know whether they sound different. But they sound great.
Curious to hear comments about how these retips are done, and whether they can reliably reproduce the original sound signature of the cartridge. I wonder, for instance, about how the cantilever is removed and reinstalled, relative to the suspension of the original cartridge, etc etc. Is the suspension replaced? What is a suspension comprised of, for example, in a typical higher end MC cart like a Dynavector a Lyra a VDH...
Of course, as time passes, the original cartridges age and I can imagine suspensions in them eventually get compromised as well...
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- 61 posts total
@lewm sorry to have you repeat old hat, i should probably have done a search through a-gon archives before posting it was this listing that made me wonder... i have loved the sound of my dyna's... saw this... thus the query https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649667301-dynavector-xv-1s-retipped-w-0-hours-free-ship-no-fees/ much appreciate the replies @millercarbon i will look at all the good stuff from peter ledermann you highlighted, thank you |
As the owner of many vintage cartridges I must say that compliance is measurable with Hi-Fi News TEST LP. Based on my experience with more than 60 cartridges I can say that a high compliance is always a high compliance and a low compliance always a low compliance. Stiff suspension is a myth, softened suspension is a common problem for some well know cartridges, just don’t buy them and you’re fine. I think Lewm is not a hunter for vintage cartridges even if he has some at his vaults. SoundSmith Grace stylus has advanced stylus profile, the original is elliptical. But when you will try an original Grace with original MicroRidge you will not find anything better than this. Grace offered MR styli in the 80’s with F14 and LEVEL II cartridges, your F9 is from the 70’s. Grace upgraded the whole line of cartridges in the 80’s - they are the best from Grace. For a person who think that every vintage cartridge must be rebuild because of that myth (about suspension) my advice to pass on it and stick to the new cartridges. Very simple. People are buying top vintage cartridges not because they want them to be rebuild by someone with new parts. Buying many different samples of the same vintage cart is the best test, after purchasing many samples of the same model you can judge about the quality of this model. If you can’t do it yourself you’d better ask those who purchased many and tested many. A top vintage cartridge is valuable ONLY when it’s perfect. Some people sell junk, don’t buy from them. Audiophiles (not dealers) is the best source for used cartridges in best condition, they you will get exactly what you paid for (not a junk sample with dead suspension). New cartridges can have many more problems than an old ones! Suspension collapse quickly even on $5000 LOMC made today (if you think all new is better then how can you explain that?) My advice: NEVER BUY RE-TIPPED CARTRIDGES! (exception is a factory retip/rebuild by the manufacturer). Always search for the original sample even if it will cost more. Only an average cartridge can be upgraded with different cantilever/stylus, a perfect cartridge can only be downgraded with different parts coming from a third-party vendor. P.S. SoundSmith cartridges is not the answer to all questions, they are not the best in the world, some of them in the new line are so ugly (sorry, previous design was aesthetically much better in my opinion). |
- 61 posts total