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Anybody out there re-cantilever their cartridge with a Soundsmith Contact Line diamond ?

The cantilever on my Dynavector 20x2 is damaged. Dynavector wants X number of dollars to exchange it. Then I read about Soundsmith's rebuild option, which is intriguing. A feature aspect of their cantilever rebuild is their Contact Line Diamond stylus as opposed to Dynavector's Micro Ridge Nude diamond.

 

"The Soundsmith Contact Line diamond stylus has three times the contact area in the vertical direction of the groove wall compared to an elliptical shaped diamond".

 

I thought I was in the clear, but now I'm informed that a Contact Line Diamond stylus with three times the contact area, picks up a ton of surface noise off the record. So much so that the surface noise can become forward on all but the most pristine records. So much so that the surface noise becomes intrusive.

 

Anyone out there had a Soundsmith modification done to their cartridge, if so which option had you had done, and what's been your expience?
thehorn
jollytinker
213 posts
 
Dude. Your comments to Chakster really weren't called for. He offered sound advice and said nothing to disparage you, nor did he pursue vacuity in any way. I agree that you may be better served by spending a little more money and buying a different cartridge. In addition to the ones that Chakster listed, the Hana cartridges offer tremendous bang for the buck. And another thing to consider: soundsmith retips take a famously looooonnnnggg time. If you feel like playing records in the next four months or so, then you'll need another cartridge anyway. 

I say this as someone who has done three retips with soundsmith and wouldn't hesitate to use them again. They've done nice work for me on two dynavectors and a denon 103. I wouldn't have them work on my fancy Zyx's for the reasons Chakster mentioned. 
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jollytinker
213 posts
 
Cartridge Nazi? Heh. I guess you're offended by my Zyx comment @tooblue . Actually I would just prefer to have Mr nakatsuka work on my cartridges if possible and he won't touch them if someone else has worked on them. I'm sure your SS-zyx sounds wonderful. They do know what they're doing 
tooblue
1,881 posts
 
@jollytinker, my comment wasn't meant for you, apparently you haven't met the intended target.
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