Rebuilt Ortofon A90?


Ortofon offers a full rebuild of the A90 for around $2,200. According to the website: "Repaired cartridge is in fact a new product with a new motor." Has anyone had this done yet? If so, how did it turn out? Good as new?

Here's the link.

Thanks,
wrm57
I am a big supporter of all things SoundSmith especially after he repaired my Blackbird for free and after hearing his system at AXPONA! That said, I believe one might be better off offing the Ortofon option until that avenue runs out. With a cart like that, maintaining as much of its intrinsic value for as long as possible may be desirable . What a silky smooth incredibly fast sound he got coming out of his speakers this weekend. Go Peter!
What Peter does is fantastic, his products sound very good, and he is a good guy.
But I believe if you don't have the original company to rebuild the cartridge you go to him.
Just for knowledge's sake; I stock the original stylus used with the A90 - when I retip them "only" - you are back at the original starting point. No sonic changes.

Peter Ledermann/Soundsmith
Thanks, Peter. That's good to know. You did a great job on my Shelter 901 and Denon 103D a few years ago.

Bill
Well, that is indeed something to think about.
Ortofon Dealers (not the Manufacturer) will charge you $2000 for an already paid cartridge. But you don't get a work for 2k, the half of it is profit for your Dealer and the Distributor. All they do is to rewrite the address, that needs time.
A professional retipper charges his time only AND - maybe - he is able to improve the cartridge with better parts (Manufacturer rarely use the best parts available, why should they cut their profit and don't forget, A-90 Hype is dead and buried, the new King is Anna ....)
So, it could be (!) possible, that Soundsmith is able to make you a better cartridge - well, as long as the return address is not in Mexico or a Raul whatever..:-) - even when the result would not meet your dreams, you can still send it back to Ortofon.
It is worth to do a call, imo.