I listen with a Supex SD-909 MkII manufactured the 70s or 80s, bought used. Needle Clinic has retipped it twice with boron/micro reach. Suspension is very delicate and the ability to pick up subtlety and detail make it competitive with far more expensive carts. I put about 20 hours a week on it
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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- 24 posts total
If I were you I would get a factory rebuild - this is the same as a new cartridge. As far as I am aware the factory rebuild is significantly less than the full price pot a new one. With all due respect to the rebuilders the Lyra styli are special order, and a retip cannot match the performance of a factory rebuild. As an example JCarr has posted on this forum that the Soundsmith retip stylus are signicifantly larger than the original Lyra stylus. Although others may say the retips sound excellent, remember they are comparing the performance to a worn out cartridge, not factory new. |
My cost for a total Soundsmith rebuild and an upgrade to a Boron cantilever & Nude "Contact Line" diamond (a low mass design) was about 22% the cost of buying brand new, for the same cartridge. The pricing depends on the amount of damage and work that needs to be done & choice of cantileve/stylus-diamond. After an evalution - Peter discussed options vs cost before preceeding. |
OP if I were in your shoes, I would, provided you know who is doing it. If it gets messed up, well there it goes. but if goes well, A Lyra Kleos will always be a Lyra Kleos. if you like its sound signature and synergy, I would keep that going. However, if you are looking to find out what is out there, well this is the good time to switch
Good luck |
allenf1963I noted on Peter's webpage = he does have a Koetsu Urushi Gold rebuild listed for sale....he has worked on these. The price is tempting ... https://sound-smith.com/articles/sale-cartridges A eval & tune up would be a significantly more cost effective than new. Not sure which version you will be acquiring. A good review comparing four in the Koetsu line. https://medialux.blog/2019/07/08/4-koetsu-compared-japanese-art-part-ii/
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- 24 posts total