Dynavector Karat 17D3: retip for $500 or get something new?

Dynavector 17D2 mkII is excellent cartridge, today I took a picture of my spare sample, still NOS in the box. 

This is my 4th Dynavector cartridge, and the 1st Dynavector with unique magnetic flux damping and softened magnetism (patent) along with powerful Neodymium magnet that combine to eliminate any hardness or irritating edginess that commonly occurs in many moving coil cartridges. This has also enabled to increase the output of 0.26mV. It has 1.7mm length Diamond cantilever which is much smaller than any conventional cantilever. Karat 17D2 mkII showed a ruler flat response from 100 Hz to 30KHz (under ± 0.5 dB) as you can see on printed individual test for this particular sample. The Micro Ridge of 0.06 square mm nude diamond stylus is carefully mounted in the cantilever. The armature of 0.9mm square and 0.4mm thick is much smaller than normal, upon which are wounded 70 turns per channel of 11 micron fine wire. Dynavector is highly regarded as a manufacturer of the finest high-performance moving coil phono cartridges since 1975. My first Dynavector was a high output DV-30A from the 70’s, released in Japan 1 year before the Karat series. Then I fell in love with Karat 23RS (Ruby) and Karat 17DS Super (Diamond), the sound quality was addictive. At the moment the Karat 17d2 mkII (Diamond) is the highest model in my vault.

I would NEVER let anyone to re-tip it, except for the Dynavector in Japan! 

The question in my mind is whether indeed anyone other than Dynavector can re-tip a 17D3 with its unique 17mm diamond cantilever and stylus.  Because I doubt that anyone but DV can do that, it really is a choice of whether you want to have a "new" cartridge that is a chimera of the 17D3 body with a very different cantilever and stylus or a whiff of the original SQ that you apparently grew to love.  I advise you to send it back to DV.
(Chak, Those B&K frequency response graphs that used to be routinely included in the box with any fine cartridge almost always showed a "ruler flat response".  I've got the one that came with my own 17D3.)

What is clearly stated in the manual:

Either cantilever or stylus of Karat is not replaceable. In the case of the worn stylus, your cartridge is replaced to the new cartridge with special rate charge of the retail price. When the cantilever is broken by any reason, your cartridge is also replaced to the new one with same price from above special rate. The other electrical and mechanical defects are guaranteed except the user’s mishandling or abuse.

P.S. You have to contact Dynavector (or Dynavector Dealer).

I didn’t have the VTA off in any way shape or form. I’m not alone in my interpretation of the 17D3. I’m not implying that the cartridge is “bass light”, I mentioned it lacks authority, which is subjective, but to me means worthy of me acknowledging it sounds real and deserves my attention. And when I say the cartridge is thin and bright, I don’t mean that it is only through the bass. While the 17D3 is likely amongst the neutral and most articulate and dynamic sounding cartridges available in its price range, it doesn’t add a lot of body or musicality across the spectrum that others crave in more expensive MC cartridges.

But is it bad for the money? Absolutely not. For example, I actually replaced the 17D3 with a popular Shelter 501 MK2 which is in a similar price range. The Shelter did add some of the midrange warmth, but at the expense of slowing down attacks and rounding off the frequency extensions.

It wasn’t until I got to the ART9 a few cartridges later that the bar was so significantly raised because it brought both the tonal and holographic realism and the resolution. I am not alone in this perspective either, if you review the threads on this cartridge in this forum. Dozens of folks swear by it, and many of those have not felt the need to move on to a different cartridge for years.
I have even tried the flagship Audio Technica ART1000 to succeed the ART9. While it was more resolving, I actually preferred the tonal balance of the ART9 and didn’t feel that the ART1000 was worth 4x the MSRP. I landed with the Air Tight for guidance received on forums and reviews that folks who wanted to push past the ART9 should consider it a next step. I’m glad I did, but it’s an endgame cartridge that is not easily attained.

These cartridges were installed on a VPI Classic signature with the 3D arm and Nordost reference wire. The table and cartridges were aligned using a stylus scale, an adjustable VTA base, and a Fosgometer and Soundsmith Counterintuitive for the azimuth. Loading settings were controlled by one of three stages at the time - Fozgate Signature Phono, Modwright SWP 9.0 SE, and now Modwright PH 9.0.

I have since upgraded to the Clearaudio Innovation Wood.

With all of those changes across the years, the most satisfying changes were finding the ART9 cartridge (I’ve owned three), and the Modwright phono stages, which are absolute giant killers once tubes are rolled right.