Miyajima MADAKE experience


I've noticed that many (if not all) Kansui users tryin' to sell their Miyajima Kansui to upgrade to new released Madake of the higher price. I have zero experience with Kansui or Madake, but i have checked all the rave reviews (there are not so many btw) and spoken to several distributors in Eupore and USA. Seems like Kansui is great even with aluminum cantilever and shibata stylus. Everybody talking about organic sound and musicality of Miyajima top of the line cartridges.

BAMBOO CANTILEVER of the MADAKE is def. exotic solution along with Miyajima-san's CROSS COIL / CROSS RING method.

Appart from the distributors and reviewers it's always important to ask real users (who paid full price) about their Madake experience.

I wonder how this cartridge perform against top of the line modern hi-end cartridges such as ZYX, Benz, Dynavector ... you name it.

Anyone who didn't like it and why ?

128x128chakster
After the accident (with rare Technics cartridges) described by one of our member few years ago, i would never deal with Needle Clinic and wouldn't advice it to anybody else. 

There are many retippers with good reputation such as Expert Stylus and NorthWest Analogue is UK, SoundSmith in USA ... etc 


Well, I'm not alone in having had good experiences with Needle doctor, and I used him because of recommendations that I received from other satisfied customers who had him re-tip high end MCs.
Sometimes things happen, no matter who it is. 
@wynpalmer4 I know, but that case was more about Andy's personality, so for me he's no longer in the list of retippers. 

Anyway, i think it's not a good idea to service Madake at anyone else, but the Miyajima Lab. And it's sad that Miyajima's service is less affordable now.  

As for the lower model i'm sure that changing one aluminum cantilever to another is not exactly the same. Alumimum cantilevers are different too. The best about Miyajima was the cheap factory retipping/refurbishing service, it was possible only several years go, but not today. 
Oddly enough, my interactions with Andy, which have not been extensive, have been very pleasant and professional. Perhaps he's worked on his "bed side manner". Yes, they're not exactly the same stock, but darn close and yes, its not a shibata but a linear contact stylus but my listening/measurements are very similar to a stock Miyajima with the cantilever resonance/amplitude being in the same place, more or less, and with the same amplitude, and the alignment of the device is spot on so he managed to put it together without disturbing the damping elements or the coils, which is not an easy thing to do. The Shilabe has  a pronounced cantilever resonance peak in the high sonic/low ultrasonic range, the Kansui is much less pronounced, and the Madake is between the two- although my second device measures/sounds peakier than the first. These choices were made by Miyajima-san and help "tailor" the sound of his cartridges.
So, if you don't want to cough up the big bucks for at least the Shilabe, and I would expect the Kansui too, Andy does a fine job.
I wouldn't personally send a Madake to either NWA or Expert.
Ana Mighty Sound in France seem to be the high-end retip specialists in Europe these days.