2. analog
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Retipping Cartridge

Just wanted to give a shout out to [email protected] in the the El Dorado Hills, California.  I've had a Cardas Ruby 2 cartridge for some time (came used on a Rega P9 purchased here on Audiogon.  Thank you Audiogon!) and was wondering if it needed some service.  In the past I had sent my cartridges back east to the the ever popular Needle Doctor but decided to check this outfit out as they were very local.  I had heard about this outfit through audiogon and decided to have them check my cartridge out.  They indicated that indeed I did need a new stylus.  No big surprise.  The work was done very efficiently and reasonably.  I now have two terrific cartridges, a Cartridge Man and the aforesaid Ruby 2 and they both sound great.  Thanks Needle Clinic.  I'm glad a put my trust in your workmanship!
redcarerra
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
Nandric 
Obviously each case is different and I do not know if Steven can repair your carts but you can reach out to him to see.
Good luck my friend.
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,251 posts
 
I care less what the others think, I sent my cartridge to Needle Clinic and Andy replaced the cantilever and upgraded my stylus tip.  It is a night and day difference for the better.  The price was dirt cheap and Andy returned my cartridge to me a day after he received it.  All told From the day I shipped it to him until the time I got it back was exactly 7 days. Realize that I live on the east coast and Andy is on the west coast. Andy will always get my business.  
letch
105 posts
 
I only heard about Soundsmith so I sent it to them. I thought the turnaround time would be longer and it was so short that it's going to be back before I'm ready for it. No worries, it was broken for 20 years and fixed in under a week. It can wait a few days while my protractor gets here. It's great that there are multiple places to get repairs. Good for the analog world!
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Thank you Chakster for sharing all that history regarding my cartridge. I had no idea. All I know is it sounds great. In response to your your inquiry, no, I do not know the difference between Cartridge Man and Grado. Also, I did look into returning the cartridge to benz but was told repair times were extremely lengthy. I also considered trading it in but the process seemed confusing and more expensive then I was prepared for. Being a If I had a Mercedes, I doubt I would have it repaired at a Ford dealership. Again, thanks for all that information regarding my cartridge. Very much appreciated.

You're welcome. 

I hope some expert can explain me what is a Cartridge Man and why it looks exactly like the Grado Prestige series, but cost much more? I wanna know. 

The Cartridge Man company based in UK.
Grado Labs based in USA and this company is the manufacturer. 

I assume Cartridge Man ordering parts from Grado, tweak their cartridge and sell them for higher price.

Would be nice to know what's the difference in sound between some of the best Grado and that Cartridge Man pickups.

My favorite Grado is XTZ (signature model from Joseph Grado, made in the 80's). As i can see the stylus for XTZ is still available (compatible with all Grado prestige series). 




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