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Andy Kim - Needle Clinic

I wanted to put this post out there about Andy Kim of Needle Clinic, located in Bellevue, Washington. As many may know, Andy is a cartridge re-tipper. I tried to find some older posts to add my comments but couldn't find them. So I'll start another OP. I just got my Lyra Kleos back from Andy today. Here's my comments.

My Kleos sounded a little off lately, so I thought it should be checked out. I sent it to Andy Kim. It turns out all that was needed was the stylus required a cleaning and polishing. Andy reported back that the stylus only has about 10 percent wear; IOW plenty of life left.

So I remounted the Kleos today and have been playing all types of music: rock and roll, classical, and so forth. The Kleos sounds wonderful; just great. Kudos to Andy Kim.

Fyi -- some may ask why I didn't send it to Peter Ledermann at Sound-Smith. I seem to recall reading somewhere that he's been unusually busy lately -- and with good reason -- and turn around might be a bit delayed. Also, I'm not sure Peter uses replacement cantilever/stylus assemblies that match (or at least come close to) the original. Andy does.
Anyway, that is a bridge I don't have to cross today.

Bottom line: Andy turned my cartridge within a week of receipt and I am pleased.
bifwynne
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Thanks for chiming in Jonathan. You posted that "Lyra does not retip its phono cartridges - we only do rebuilds (and adjustments as mentioned in the first paragraph). If a Lyra cartridge is worn to an extensive degree and/or damaged, it will be fully rebuilt to the latest (most advanced) production specification for that particular model, or replaced with a brand-new cartridge."

Three questions. (1) Please clarify what is meant by Lyra does not retip, but will do a rebuild. That is, if as part of rebuilding a Lyra cartridge, the stylus is worn, will it be replaced? (2) Where does Lyra post the cost for a rebuild? (3) How long does it take to turn around a cartridge if (I) it requires just a simply cleaning, or (ii) a rebuild?

Thanks.

Cheers,
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
P.S. Jonathan -- I was without my Kleos for about 2 and a half weeks. Most of the time delay related to the mails. While the cartridge was offline, I used my backup cartridge. The difference between the two was quite stark. However, after my Kleos came back spit and polished, it sings. If I can keep it maintained for a reasonable cost, it's a keeper.

Btw, does it sound reasonable that the stylus showed only 10-percent wear after 1500+ hours of use? Frankly, that seems very, very light.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
My Kleos sounded a little off lately, so I thought it should be checked out. I sent it to Andy Kim. It turns out all that was needed was the stylus required a cleaning and polishing.
Glad you got it looked at by an honest guy and kudos to Andy Kim (whom I hadn't heard of before this thread).

I can no longer count how many times I've had cartridges shipped to me for inspection, supposedly because (according to the owner) they were wearing out or defective, only to find that a simple but thorough stylus/cantilever cleaning brought them fully back to life. It's always the first thing I check, and usually the last that I have to. :-)

Stylus cleaning after every side is mandatory to maintain performance, especially with cartridges having advanced stylus profiles like the Kleos. Modern styli rely on very small contact radii for their clarity, HF extension and low level detail retrieval. The tiniest amount of smudge interfers with that.

This is true even if your LPs are very well cleaned. As JC taught me years ago, a perfectly clean groove will shed vinyl particles. The heat and pressure at the stylus/groove interface bond these to the stylus. Cleaning after every side is the surest way to avoid incremental buildup of smudge.

Routine use of a Magic Eraser (followed by a soft brush or a dunk in Xtreme Phono type goo) will maintain a stylus in as-new condition.
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Doug, does it sound reasonable that my Kleos stylus only shows about 10-percent wear after 1500+ hours of use. Frankly, I'm quite surprised. I always thought 2000 hours was pretty much the best one could usually expect.
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
I can answer for Doug authoritatively and say that at 2000 hours your Kleos will be toast and that solely as a result of my extreme generosity, I will pay you $100 (and I will send you a prepaid shipping lable) to take it off your hands so that you do not have to go through the agony of cartridge disposal ;~) This is a one time offer, so call now. Operators are standing by! This offer will not be repeated! OK, $150, but that's my final offer.
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