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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
thehorn OP
111 posts
 
Thx Tooblue,
your input is appreciated.
As for your question Chakster
Maybe it’s time to try something different? Or you are so in love with DV-20x2 ?
The 20x2 has never turned a revolution. It was damaged when being set-up.


johnsonwu
469 posts
 
Audiogon has no shortage of naysayers who will defend “manufacturers’ original” against everything. 
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Audiogon has no shortage of naysayers who will defend “manufacturers’ original” against everything.

As much as a bunch of people who will always claim that refurbished cartridge is better than the original. So why do we need the originals if refurbished always better ?

When i ask those guys they can’t compare side to side (at the same time) the original versus same model refurbished. This is a problem. Normally people biased by the fact that their broken cart is back to life for less than the original manufacturer charge for retip or exchange, and they are happy about it.

There are so many technical aspects in cartridge design that people don’t understand. Each cartridge is different. I believe that people at SoundSmith learned a lot to make their own cartridge. In terms of service this is definitely the best option. As for the sound quality i hope SoundSmith cartridge owners can chime in and make a comments.

irish_tim
55 posts
 
I had the cantilever, contact line stylus work done by Peter on my Cardas Myrtle Heart.  Excellent work.  
upstateaudio's avatar
upstateaudio
249 posts
 
I had my Dynavector 10x5 redone by Soundsmith with a ruby cantilever 6 years ago with line contact stylus. I was very satisfied. It has become long in the tooth, so I now have a lightly used 20xl2 .When more funds become available again, I will have the 10x5 retipped as a backup and the 20xl2 will be sent out after it comes back.  I had ruined a 20xs through poor handling last fall that I sent to  them, unfortunately it was beyond repair and they did not charge me. Peter and his crew do excellent work, highly recommended.

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