Can Sound-Smith tip sound as good as original?

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.

Raul, just so I understand you clearly, you are saying that on a cartridge such as the Clearaudio Virtuoso, a retip job from a company like Sound-Smith is acceptable, but when you get to cartridges in the $2000+ range, it would be better to get a retip from the manufacturer? I mean I love the way this Virtuoso sounds right now, but the cantilever is slightly bent and I need to get it replaced so as not to cause damage to my records. It's also nearly impossible to properly setup a cart with a bent cantilever. However, I would be very disappointed if my rebuild from Sound-Smith sounded worse than how it sounds right now.

I'd like to hear from someone who has upgraded their Virtuoso to the ruby cantilever from Sound-Smith, because that is the option I am considering. But Raul, I understand that you have had your Virtuoso rebuilt by Sound-Smith, and from what you said, it sounds almost identical to the original stylus. Am I correct?

In my experience trying to get the original manufacturer to service one of their own cartridges is an excercise in futility. This past year I tried to get Lyra to service the cartridge and I was totally ignored. Basically from thier dealers I was told that a trade in was the only answer to a newer Lyra. A few years earlier went through the same grief with Dynavector. The only high end cartridge manufacturer that attended to my concerns and accomplished the work I requested as Benz Micro. No trying to upgrade me to a newer unit, or other smoke and mirror tactics.

While the Lyra now sounds wonderfull, in the future I will once again return to Benz Micro. Apparently they appreciate their customer base far more than their competitors and it shows in their customer service.

Thus far the work on the Lyra I have done by Soundsmith is first rate, no complaints. If it had not been first rate work I would have reported it on Audiogon.