Can Sound-Smith tip sound as good as original?

Dear Jwglista: One of the cartridges that I re-tipped through SS was my Virtuoso ( no Ruby cantilever but aluminum. ) and I can say is like the original.

IMHO if any one of us in any cartridge change the cantilever build material ( Ruby instead boron or aluminum, et. ) change the original cartridge design/performance, no single doubt about.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

On the Lyra I had done was a re-tip. Replace the diamond stylus on the original cantilever. I experienced no change in signature. However when the cantilever is replaced, no doubt a change in signature is quite likely. My process was new diamond on the originial cantilever, the suspension was not touched as it was still in spec. Sounds fantastic and I completley recommend Soundsmith for this type of work.

Thanks everyone. Well I have no choice but to get the cantilever replaced because I purchased it bent. Raul has said that he had his Virtuoso cantilever replaced with the standard aluminum one from Sound Smith and it sounds almost the same. I'm considering upgrading to the ruby cantilever, just to be sure I get the same level of performance as the original cantilever.

A few words from a cartridge designer's perspective.

One of the most sonically critical factors in any MC cartridge is the matching of the cantilever to the suspension and damper system. The rubber dampers and cantilever have a particularly strong effect on the sound, and normally the cartridge manufacturer will select the rubber compound and shape of the damper(s) to best match the cantilever material and shape (including dimensions).

If you change the cantilever material without also changing the dampers, you will alter the sonic balance away from what the cartridge manufacturer originally intended. Aluminum, ruby, boron, beryllium et al have difference resonance patterns, and the job of the rubber dampers is to critically dampen unwanted resonances without choking off desireable aspects of the sound (overdamping). Hence, if the cantilever material is changed, its resonance characteristics will also change, requiring an accompanying change in dampers to achieve the best overall effect.

You may prefer the sound that results from changing an aluminum cantilever to one of boron or ruby, but that is a personal choice that may or may not be shared by the original cartridge manufacturer.

If, for cost reasons, you decide to go with a non-original retipping firm rather than an original factory rebuild, to insure that changes in sonic personality and tonal balance are minimized, I would recommend keeping the same cantilever material.

FWIW, changing the stylus profile may alter the resolution and noise level, but won't alter the sonic personality to nearly the extent that the cantilever material will.

regards and hth, jonathan carr (lyra designer)

Jcarr, thanks for the great information. That's all news to me, and is definitely good to know. I'm not sure as to whether or not Sound-Smith changes the damper materials when preforming a cantilever upgrade, but I venture to guess that they do not.

I've read several testimonials from Sound-Smith's website about people who have upgraded their cartridges (most of them expensive MC carts) to a ruby cantilever and liked the results. As to whether or not I would enjoy those results personally with my Virtuoso cart, I do not know. It would be horrible to spend that money, having to wait 10 weeks for the rebuild (I'm told that's how long the wait is right now), only to remount the thing and find out I don't enjoy the new sound.

However, I do believe that both the original stock cantilever and the Sound-Smith aluminum cantilever both have an elliptical diamond stylus. So when looking at both the cantilever material and the stylus profile, that option from Sound-Smith appears to be the closest to the manufacturer's specs.