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.