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Retipping Rega Apheta 3 Stylus By Andy@ Needle Clinic

So, I am the proud owner of a Rega P10 turntable which came standard with the Apheta 3 Stylus. Somehow very mysteriously I awoke one morning and found that the cantilever and stylus had broken completely off from the Apheta 3 when I went to play a record. I have my suspicion that it was the housekeeper who was responsible for the mishap. I wondered about the fix. Buy a new Apheta 3 or find an experienced retipper?  My online research led me to Andy C Kim of the Needle Clinic. I reached out to Andy by email and he responded quickly. He recommended a Micro Ridge Nude Stylus Boron as the retip replacement and indicated that it was an upgrade over the Rega stock factory Apheta 3 stylus. He quoted a very fair price of $450.

I sent my broken Rega Apheta 3 via USPS Priority Mail to Andy at his business address in El Dorado Hills, CA. I live in New Jersey. When it arrived at the Needle Clinic 3 days later, I received an email from Andy on the same date that he received it that the work had been performed and it was ready to ship back to me. 

Andy retipped my Rega Apheta 3 stylus in less than one day turnaround. That is pretty good in my book. 

Andy sent the cartridge back to me on the east coast within 24 hours of receipt from the Needle Clinic on the west coast. 

Andy is the type of person that I want to do business with. Trustworthy and diligent.

How does the retipped Apheta 3 sound?  Spectacular. It is everything that it was and more. Thanks, Andy.

Clifford Lazzaro

128x128celesquire
tzh21y
1,654 posts
 

He does a great job.

 

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mikechivy
3 posts
 

Wondering what you think 8 months down the road. I have around 300 hours on my Apheta 3, but if its an upgrade I will gladly send it in this week for a re-tip. How many hours did you listen to your Apheta 3 before it was broken?

Super interested on what your thoughts are. What (if anything) have you noticed after the retip?

tomflynn's avatar
tomflynn
4 posts
 

Hi all. This forum has been quiet for a while. I figured I'd throw my two cents in and strongly recommend Andy @ Needle Clinic for re-tipping. I have a Rega RP8 turntable and I had an Apheta 2 in service for about 3 years. I had a broken stylus after an incident and I sent it out to Andy a re-tipping with a  micro ridge nude stylus boron to replace the original aluminum stylus.

I'm thrilled and exhilarated by the rebuild. I had a backup 2nd Apheta 2 in the system after the one I sent to Andy had broken. When I switched in the re-tipped unit he sent back to me, I was struck immediately by the changes. But I always take a minute to fully book my impressions. I have now gotten my bearings after a few weeks of listening. The soundstage, the details, the tracking, the even-handedness of the cartridge are all improved. I would say that the brightness and angularity/edgy tendencies of the original/stock cartridge are all but gone. And the detail retrieval and poise of the re-tipped cartridge are both significant upgrades over the stock Apheta 2. 

Additionally, Andy was super quick. Once he received my cartridge, he got it right on his bench to complete the work and had it sent out to me within a day or two. I'm already thinking about upgrading other cartridges by having Andy re-tip them. But for now, hopefully I've got lots and lots of hours left on this re-tipped and much improved Apheta 2. 

lewm
13,039 posts
 

This is the 3rd thread devoted to the wonderfulness of Andy Kim.  Just saying.

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