Refurbished / Re-tipped Cartridges - Are they worth Buying?


My thoughts around rebuilt carts, do they convey the same characteristics as the original designer envisioned and intended . Even with full restoration like new cantilever, stylus and suspension repair etc; much of the original design attributes are gone and you are now listening to the works of an individual who have pride themselves as rebuilt wizard.  

No disrespect intended for the folks in rebuilding business as I honestly believe they are incredibly talented to rebuild such a fine instrument. 

What are your thoughts, would you buy a completely rebuilt cart vs a slightly used cartridge….after all you’re mostly paying for brand pedigree, its signature sound and exotic materials to make such a fine product. 

128x128lalitk

Always had excellent experiences rebuilding carts with Soundsmith. Re-tip with or without new cantilever. However that is starting from an original cart. I would not buy a used rebuilt cart. No way to know how they were handled and how much use they got.

I think a distinction must be drawn between retipping by sawing off the cantilever and glueing a new cantilever/stylus to the stub, and retipping by leaving the original cantilever intact and replacing only the diamond stylus. In the former, the mass of the moving system, and the resonant characteristics of the cantilever are altered. In the later not so much, if at all.

Now some cartridges, Lyra and Koetsu come to mind, have proprietary stylus cuts, so those will never sound exactly the same, but most stylus cuts are generic and supplied by Orbray, Ogura, Geiger, and a few others.

@mulveling, @lewm 

Thank you gentleman for your well thought out responses. Good to know there are some reliable resources that can rebuild your treasured cart with same materials (if available). I did liked your comment about outcome of such rebuild as hybrid design with good results but different. The owner who has spent considerable amount of time with original build is in a position to judge whether rebuild is worth keeping around. This makes it a worthwhile endeavor on high priced carts or those no longer in production. 

Welcome to the wonderful world of vinyl playback :-) 

Agree with those above who have had good experience with Soundsmith rebuilds. Peter rebuilt a Lyra Skala for me a year ago and I’ve been very happy it. It is a beautiful, musical experience listening to records now.

Once he gets the cart he does an assessment of what needs to be done and what options you have. He is very clear on cost up front, so it’s a user friendly experience. Plus my wife was very happy that I spent under $1k instead of $9k+ on a new Lyra.

Another reason to prefer the factory is the parts selection process. A factory can afford to order many parts and use the best only for its most expensive cartridges, and sell or throw away the dregs. A retipper, perhaps not.