Fremer's review of the Anna cartridge

Arm wand replaced, wiring problem found and repaired . Magna Glide magnets were just loose. None of these conditions were caused by "shipping" .

Nandric
The cart producers get the whole cantilever/stylus combo from their supplier. The so called 'retip' is usually a simple substitution of this combo. The 'real retip' by which a new stylus is glued in the existing cantilever seems to be much more difficult job to do. So the solution of the 'stylus problem' is obvious. To 'virtually rebuild the cartridge' and ask unreasonable price make no sense to me. If one need to change the tyre one will rarely rebuild the whole car because of the tyre. No wonder the most of us use repair cervices like Ledermann , Axel Schurholz, Van den Hul, etc.

I agree. Generous trade-in programs can be a partial answer to the retip problem as well. I know Lyra offers a pretty good trade-in deal with their cartridges, regardless of their shape. That's just good business as it provides a strong incentive for ownership continuity. But I still think a retip should not cost almost as much as a brand new cartridge given that the stylus will wear out even with very responsible listening habits and utmost care taken, possibly quite quickly if someone plays their records a lot. It would be unthinkable to have to pay nearly as much as the cost of an amplifier every time power tubes had to be replaced. But then I guess you can't just replace the stylus yourself...

But then I guess you can't just replace the stylus yourself...

By jove, I think [s]he's got it!!!

Swampwalker,
No, I don't think I do. It still does not justify the cost. And where do you stand? I think the issue warrants a serious discussion.

Nandric hit the nail on the head. Up until a few years ago, I took the purist approach; if the cartridge needed retip or repair, it needed to go back ONLY to the original maker, regardless of cost. However, at present I have done a "one-eighty"; I would happily use Sound Smith in the US or any number of others to rebuild my cartridges. Not only is the cost markedly lower but also the repaired product might be as good or better than the original, such is the quality of the work done by SS, Axel, etc. (There is some element of chance involved, and the option of a trade-in/trade-up is also to be considered ahead of rebuild, IMO.)

After further thought, I wonder whether the Ortofon Anna debacle occurred because of the very novel way in which the cartridge body is manufactured. Ortofon seems to have gotten very experimental in that realm. First, the A90 broke some new ground, and now the Anna adds another complex wrinkle to constructing the body. Moreover, they've also produced that very novel SPU-type. Perhaps they've strained their resources. But, as someone else mentioned, they were really remiss in sending a defective product, nay, TWO defective products in succession, to Fremer of all people. That is kind of scary.