Cartridge without serial?

@chakster - the cartridge that I got retipped from VAS for ~$500 was well worth more than the ~$6k that I would have to pay for a new cartridge from their trade-in/exchange program.  I can pick up two top end used cartridges with the savings. I also knew that I could no longer go back to the mfr and ask for a trade-in as the cart, in their mind has been tainted - another arbitrary rule, since they don't retip anyways and give you a new cartridge. In some instances, for reasonably priced cartridges, trade-in/exchange program may fare better - but that depends on the buyer. As for me,  I haven't totally fallen in love with a cartridge, where I must have the original. There are many offerings out there and life is short.

@daveyf - the cartridge mafia runs a tight ship. ; )

@rdk777   LOL, +1

Chak, in one paragraph you contradicted yourself. You wrote that your ZYX aiRY III cartridge lacked a serial number, and then you also wrote that it had a fake serial number. You can’t have that both ways. Which is true? And this is the umpteenth time you have brought this up, so I gather you are really pissed off at 2Juki.

Read again, i said all my cartridges have serial numbers, except for that ZYX Airy III (with fake serial number), and I asked Mehran from SoraSound to check that number, it was there, but it was fake according to Mehran’s information). I don’t care about 2juki or whatever he is under many names, I just want to let other people what’s going on if they don’t know why serial numbers are fake (or removed completely). I don’t have my Airy anymore and I’m not interested in modern high-end cartridge grey market dealers are selling (I don’t buy them anyway at all for a long time).

I just share my experience with this particular cartridge (brand) because this is the only cartridge I bought with fake serial number from grey market dealer (I was hooked too, by the price ).

And I want to advice everyone to contact Mehran first when it comes to ZYX (he’s official importer in North America), because he can offer much more opportunities than a grey market seller in Hong Kong. People don’t even know what Mehran can offer privately! This is why my next ZYX was Premoum 4D from Mehran and the price was better than from grey market dealer! He even called me a few times over the phone and emailed many times, Mehran is one of those dealers you want to deal and he always ready to help (what you expect for a dealer) while juki barely can speak English (and you have no idea who he is).

Mehran and Nakatsuka-San (ZYX) know each other very well. I think they are pissed off about grey market dealer. 

As for the other brands/cartridge I really have nothing to say, some people always looking for discount for an expensive cartridges and I can understand it. What I don’t understand is why they are looking for very expensive cartridges if they can’t afford them from official dealers? For some people price is the only guide, not a quality, just price. They think if it’s more expensive then it must be better, but it’s a myth! But then those people are ready to ruin the signature sound with different parts from retippers, for those who retip/refurbish ZYX with SoundSmith I’d like to ask why don’t you buy SoundSmith own cartridges instead ? If you re-tip/rebuild with VdH then why don’t you buy VdH cartridges instead ?

 @chakster  If the manufacturer is NOT supplying into the grey market, and in the case of Nakatsuka-San...how does he explain the availability of his cartridges??