Phono Cartridge Purchase from Asia?

@paulgardner

I have purchased 2 carts from Kron in the last 2 years or so. Kiseki Purpleheart and a Benz Micro LPS.

The seller is honest, reputable, and ships incredibly fast. I received both of these items in two or three days maximum from his location, delivered right to my door.

There is a downside. No warranty. I broke the stylus right off one of these cartridges. (The Benz). The manufacturer denied the warranty claim. I sent it to a third path repair facility and all is good.

I think you have nothing to be concerned about with the seller other than warranty issues. I feel the risk of no warranty can be worth it. But you should be aware of it going in.

To underscore the positive, I found Kron to be reasonable in negotiations, his shipping to Chicago was as fast as domestic shipping in many cases, and his communication was great.

@jbhiller thanks for the info! Yeah I decided to take the risk and understand there might not be a warranty for this. Kron has been very responsive and has already provided tracking info. Three days from Hong Kong to Chicago is crazy fast! Maybe it’ll be just as fast for me here in Minneapolis. Fingers crossed! 

A fragile expensive phono cart from some one off  place oversea?  No thanks.   It’s risky. Is it really worth it? Can’t you find a good sounding cart from a known reputable source? That’s what I would do.

There is a downside. No warranty. I broke the stylus right off one of these cartridges. (The Benz). The manufacturer denied the warranty claim. I sent it to a third path repair facility and all is good.

It's unlikely that user damage / misuse would be covered under any warranty. 

It’s unlikely that user damage / misuse would be covered under any warranty.

@big_greg That’s exactly what I’m saying too. Nor would I WANT it covered by warranty; it would necessarily raise the prices even more, and I guess I have a more steady hand than most. Buy 2 for the price of 1 (discounted) and take your chances, or pay a > 100% markup for routing an 8 oz package from overseas (assuming you mount & setup cartridges yourself). I’ll take my chances but realize others have a different calculation :)