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Clavis Soundsmith retip

I had this old broken Clavis cartridge stored away for over ten years and decided to send it off to SS for the ruby cantilever/stylis replacement.

I was told that the turn-around time was 12 weeks from the time of delivery. I took into consideration that SS had to deal with the Rocky Mountain show and the CES, and called at the end of 13 weeks. I was informed that the cartridge was ready. Got it in 3 days, UPS ground.

I have an original Well Tempered table and arm which is a real B**** to set up properly, but once its dialed in, its wonderful, one of the best out there. With the help of a friend, the cartridge was set up in about an hour and we were ready to go with the first listen.

On first impression, the midrange was very good right out of the box. The highs were tizzy and uncomfortable to listen to. The bass was lean. Now, this is a direct parallel to how the Clavis was when it was new. The original Clavis took 50 hours to break in. I didn't expect the re-tip to be any different.

The SS retip is VERY sensitive to tracking force. If you've read this forum, you know that SS suggests a tracking force between 1.2 and 1.8 ... Well, if you get the SS retip, invest in a digital tracking force guage. My gauge measures in tenths of a gram. The cartrige is so sensitive to tracking force that I wish I had a guage that measured in hundredths of a gram.

I started out at 1.8 grams and got a lot of distortion as if the cartridge was dirty or mistracking. I gradually reduced the force until the mistracking stopped, finally settling on 1.3 for best results.

The presentation remained tizzy in the highs and weak in the bass ... until ten hours time was reached. At that point, everything came into focus, and I can say ... the SS ruby cantiliver and retip is simply amazing.

The Clavis is basically an early version of a Lyra Skala, so stock, the Clavis is no slouch in transparency and musicality. The re-tip takes it to a new level. Quite honestly, I have never heard such clarity of voice, or separation of instruments in my system.

I'm a tonality freak. If an instrument doesn't sound tonally correct, then I don't want any part of it. I can happly say, with the re-tip, a cello sounds like a cello and a trumpet sounds like a trumpet. Piano is to die for! The highs are extended and sweet and bass has depth and punch. Bowed basses are amazing as are the lower registers of the cellos.

Just for reference,I'm using an ARC REF-3 and an ARC-PH7.

Bottom line: If you have a broken cartridge, why buy a new one? Just send it in and buy the re-tip with the ruby cantilever with confidence.

Thank you Sound Smith for bringing my beloved Clavis back to life at a VERY reasonable price.
128x128oregonpapa
jcarr
382 posts
 
I am happy to hear that your Clavis is playing well again, and that you are happy with it. Congratulations!

Now, if you would have sent the Clavis back to us, it would have been completely rebuilt, and incorporated any of our newer advancements that are compatible with the Clavis design (improved coil windings, choice between single vs. double layer coils, core material, suspension, dampers, stylus, cantilever etc.). Still, I understand that cost may be an important issue (especially during these times).

Since you are now tracking at 1.3g, unless Soundsmith replaced the dampers and suspension, the VTA/SRA may be too high with the tonearm parallel to the LP surface. I'd suggest trying to lower the back-end of the cartridge more than normal, and seeing how that sounds.

One correction - if your Clavis is an original one (the version that still used polepieces/yokes) and not the later Clavis DC (that replaced the polepieces/yokes with direct magnets), technically it shares practically nothing in common with the Skala, other than that the same people were responsible for both designs. The Clavis DC is closer to the Skala (in that both utilize yokeless magnetic circuits), but there are still fundamental and major differences between the two.

regards, jonathan carr (designer of Clavis, Clavis DC and Skala)

PS. FWIW, I've evaluated ruby and sapphire cantilevers on multiple occasions during cartridge development, but never liked the sound enough to consider using them in production.
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
Wow Jcarr. Your response makes me glad I bought a ZYX instead of a Lyra. You really should've responded by private email. I'll never buy a Lyra.
syntax's avatar
syntax
2,193 posts
 
Independent from manufacturers, what makes me wonder is the huge difference in performance after a simple retip/repair.
Is a different Diamond (when chosen) such a different world?
I have no experience with this, but I guess, a Designer has access to different diamonds to choose and what is the reason to go for an inferior one? Price?
Or is it more the fun to get something new for a few $$?
In a way i have problems with making a proper decision, when one of mine is going to die? Let's say a Lyra (whatever), I have a Lyra, listened to a Lyra for years (because I hate the sound :-) and wait until I can change it), and when it is ready for the next life, I can have a Lyra with the sound of - let's say - a Zyx?
I can understand when someone don't want to go to a Dealer to send it back to factory, and when he gets it, he has to pay some money to the Importer and Dealer and they did nothing for it except sending it with others to save costs.
What is the secret of these diamonds?
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
Well Jcarr, I must say that I've taken your post with mixed feelings. On the one hand,I appreciate the pride you take in your cartridge designs ... that much is apparent. On the other hand, you come across like the inexperienced audio salesman who asks the customer what he/she is using now, then proceeds to insult the potential customer's intelligence by running down the product the customer already has. After all, it was the potential customer's decison to buy what he/she presently owns, correct? I think if you read Mt10425's reaction to your post, you can get an idea of what the result of that demeaner is.

The Soundsmith retip/cantilever service costs $350.00. What, may I ask, is the cost of the total rebuild if placed into your hands and what is the turn-around time?

Thanks for the tip on lowering VTA, I appreciate that and will try it on my next listening session ... and will report back in this thread.

By the way, as the cartridge is further breaking in, the sound is improving even more. Still a little (very slight) spitty sibilents on some female vocals, but these are problamatic recordings anyway. On the best recordings, the sound is as amazing as the original Clavis and a tribute to your design.

There is a Skala in my audio future as I think its a wonderful cartridge. Your distributer, Alan Perkins, a personal accquaintance of mine, has always been an upstanding gentelman in all ways, personal and business wise. Kindness and courtesy are Alan's trademark, not to mention his keen ear for the ultimate quest of this crazy hobby of ours ... and that is the pursuit of emotional involvement in the music before anything else.

I'm looking forward to doing business with you in the future, Jcarr. Take care ...
nrenter's avatar
nrenter
766 posts
 
Are we really that thin-skinned around here? Is it wrong to have an opinion? Must our selection of words and tone be of greater importance than the content?

It's no wonder a number of knowledgeable contributors have moved on. Why bother?
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