If it were mine, I would send it to Steve at VAS and ask him to evaluate it. Call him first and explain the situation. 732-888-3288. He will tell you if it is worth repairing, what is involved, and the cost. Conversely he will tell you if it is not worth repairing. Alternatively you could send it to Peter Ledermann at SoundSmith. All the same comments. The difference lately has been turn around time, with VAS much faster. But both are reputable. There are others, these are the two that I have done business with and can recommend.
Is it worth getting an 11 year old cartridge re-tipped?
Hi - I have a Lyra Kleos which is 11 years old with about 1500 hours use. It now mis-tracks on a few LP's that play perfectly on a friends system. My dealer had a look at it through his USB miocroscope and said that the stylus was rounded and suspension seemed a bit flat. He said he didn't think there was much life left in it.
So, I could send it away to be re-tipped, but given its age I am wondering whether or not I shoukd just get a new unit in case the damper/suspension is beyond repair...
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Yes - 100% worth it. Just had my MC rebuild done by Peter Ledermann at Soundsmith; he has been doing it for 40+ yrs. You send it in - he does a complete microscopic eval before starting any rebuild. You can pick your Cantilever and Stylus shape - if in doubt, he is a great resource & guide.; he will discuss options with you. If the rebuild is not worth it, he will tell you and if it is a complicated rebuild with lots of damage, no charge if it fails. All rebuilds come with a one yr warrenty. His website is one of the more extensive knowlege bases for anything cartridges. https://sound-smith.com/services
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The question is whether the suspension can be rebuilt, if that is needed. I suspect each "retipper" will have a different answer to that question. So, ask. But I do not think that age of 11 years alone means that the suspension absolutely has to be rebuilt. I have a 17 year old Koetsu Urushi sounding better than ever after only a stylus replacement, done by Expert Stylus. The qualifier is that my Urushi was never under heavy use due to the fact I have so many other cartridges and turntables. |
slaw... I sent mine in at the end of last year...Peter was in the process of relocating his shop to a new location. Once the cartridge arrived at the correct address (my bust), he did the eval the next day and called me that evening. My issue was major = In the process of moving my gear - the cartridge snagged on my son’s shirt sleeve. Peter's rebuild included the suspension, some fine tuning and a new cantilever & new stylus. Total time was 6 days, then shipped back in two days. On his website he notes his rebuild time from 8-12 weeks…. depends on how many are in front of you. I got lucky with the short turnaround time. For me - I went with Sounsmith as they have the one yr warrenty with all rebuilds & also if the rebuild failed = no charge.
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