Can Sound-Smith tip sound as good as original?

Thanks everyone. Well I have no choice but to get the cantilever replaced because I purchased it bent. Raul has said that he had his Virtuoso cantilever replaced with the standard aluminum one from Sound Smith and it sounds almost the same. I'm considering upgrading to the ruby cantilever, just to be sure I get the same level of performance as the original cantilever.

A few words from a cartridge designer's perspective.

One of the most sonically critical factors in any MC cartridge is the matching of the cantilever to the suspension and damper system. The rubber dampers and cantilever have a particularly strong effect on the sound, and normally the cartridge manufacturer will select the rubber compound and shape of the damper(s) to best match the cantilever material and shape (including dimensions).

If you change the cantilever material without also changing the dampers, you will alter the sonic balance away from what the cartridge manufacturer originally intended. Aluminum, ruby, boron, beryllium et al have difference resonance patterns, and the job of the rubber dampers is to critically dampen unwanted resonances without choking off desireable aspects of the sound (overdamping). Hence, if the cantilever material is changed, its resonance characteristics will also change, requiring an accompanying change in dampers to achieve the best overall effect.

You may prefer the sound that results from changing an aluminum cantilever to one of boron or ruby, but that is a personal choice that may or may not be shared by the original cartridge manufacturer.

If, for cost reasons, you decide to go with a non-original retipping firm rather than an original factory rebuild, to insure that changes in sonic personality and tonal balance are minimized, I would recommend keeping the same cantilever material.

FWIW, changing the stylus profile may alter the resolution and noise level, but won't alter the sonic personality to nearly the extent that the cantilever material will.

regards and hth, jonathan carr (lyra designer)

Jcarr, thanks for the great information. That's all news to me, and is definitely good to know. I'm not sure as to whether or not Sound-Smith changes the damper materials when preforming a cantilever upgrade, but I venture to guess that they do not.

I've read several testimonials from Sound-Smith's website about people who have upgraded their cartridges (most of them expensive MC carts) to a ruby cantilever and liked the results. As to whether or not I would enjoy those results personally with my Virtuoso cart, I do not know. It would be horrible to spend that money, having to wait 10 weeks for the rebuild (I'm told that's how long the wait is right now), only to remount the thing and find out I don't enjoy the new sound.

However, I do believe that both the original stock cantilever and the Sound-Smith aluminum cantilever both have an elliptical diamond stylus. So when looking at both the cantilever material and the stylus profile, that option from Sound-Smith appears to be the closest to the manufacturer's specs.

Jwglista:

>I'm not sure as to whether or not Sound-Smith changes the damper materials when preforming a cantilever upgrade, but I venture to guess that they do not.<

In most cases, cartridge dampers are proprietary and unique to the individual cartridge manufacturer. The rubber may be a compound of multiple types of rubber which is custom-specified by the cartridge manufacturer, and the damper will likely be shaped in a dedicated mold that is not used for anything else. So if a non-original retipping firm changes dampers, they would need to make their own.

I hear you on the worry factor of committing to a rebuild without knowing what kind of sound you will be getting. I've sent some of my own cartridges to non-original retipping firms for a workover (as a test), and in some cases I thought that the sonic outcome was tolerable, while in other cases I thought that the results were pretty disgusting.

In your case, Jwglista, I think that to have Soundsmith change the stylus profile to something more advanced is an allowable deviation from the original specifications. With a line-contact as opposed to an elliptical, the cartridge may become a little more critical to align and set up, but the essence of the sound will likely remain intact, and otherwise I don't think that you will notice much drawback.

regards, jonathan carr

Dear Jwglista: +++++ " you will alter the sonic balance away from what the cartridge manufacturer originally intended " +++++

IMHO every cartridge design reflects the designer preferences/priorities and normally the cartridge voicing is made taking in count those preferences and a quality performance level, of course that in some models the designer has to make some trade-offs on his preferences for commercial factors.

In any case and specially on the expensive cartridges if any one like the original cartridge sound we have to pay for it making the re-tip through the cartridge manufacturer, this is what I do always.

I can't think to send a Xv-1 or KRSP or MC7500, Titan i or Orpheus to any re-tipper people like SS, no way.
Of course that I can d it but IMHO the cartridge that I will receive with the whole re-tip job will be a different cartridge where the designer hard work ( research, voicing, selecton of parts, the design it self, et, et ) disappear in favor of what?.

If you speak with the re-tipper people ( I already do with at least three of them ) they say that we don't have to worry about that their work is first rate and that the cartridge will " sound " at least like the original and better yet. Well all them are promoting their commercial job.

Do you think that is true? do you want that your cartridges ( example ) on the 5K-10K price range " receive " for 500 dollars a re-tip other than through the original manufacturer only because is a low price and the promise that maybe it will sound better?, well I don't take that risk, do you? it makes sense to you? anyone?

IMHO I don't think that that re-tip cartridge alternative is like the tube rolling exercise. Well this is only an opinion.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.