@scott22 - good question. I don’t think there is anyone who would not prefer a factory-rebuilt cartridge to a retip, but as stated above, it’s not always possible, as the maker is no longer around, as in the case of Transfiguration. All I can say is this- I cannot recall reading one post here in 10 years where someone has had a cartridge worked on by Soundsmith or VAS that they were not delighted with. I did have a problem with the suspension after a Soundsmith repair and they fixed it asap. As far as the same exact sound? I don’t think anyone will go in record as saying the sound was exactly the same. Musical memory is too short to make an exact comparison. But from what I can see, the crusty, picky audiophiles here are invariably satisfied with the cartridges when they get them back.
,