Waaaah. Snapped off my cantilever.

Dear Darkj: I think that your cartridge is first step down the XV-1s so it is not an unexpensive cartridge.

If you send it to a " universal " re-tipper " you will receive a different cartridge with a different quality performance level that almost always is only different but not better one. IMHO there is no single reason for a cartridge coming from a re-tipper can sound better only because a different cantilever or stylus shape or what ever, a cartridge is more than cantilever/stylus shape. Let me explain:

With top and expensive cartridges every single part of the cartridge design was choosed to achieve the cartridge designer targets. Normally all those manufacturer cartridge parts are sourced especially only for that cartridge manufacturer ( in this case: Dynavector. ) and no re-tipper ( any ) can put his hands on any single of those valued cartridge building parts that are exclusively for Dynavector.

In the other side the re-tipper does not know each one single " reason " why the designer made the cartridge design in that way, not even know the real " hidding " manufacturer designer targets in that cartridge design. Only the cartridge manufacturer can fine tune the cartridge suspension according those targets.

Additional when you send the cartridge to the manufacturer what you received is a totally new sample with all the manyfacturer up dates on it, up dates that several times the manufacturer never speaks on them. So, probably you will receive from the manufacturer a better cartridge than the one you own. This can't happen through a re-tipper.

I use re-tipper for vintage cartridges or today non top of the line ones.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Dear Darkj: I think that your cartridge is first step down the XV-1s so it is not an unexpensive cartridge.

If you send it to a " universal " re-tipper " you will receive a different cartridge with a different quality performance level that almost always is only different but not better one. IMHO there is no single reason for a cartridge coming from a re-tipper can sound better only because a different cantilever or stylus shape or what ever, a cartridge is more than cantilever/stylus shape. Let me explain:

With top and expensive cartridges every single part of the cartridge design was choosed to achieve the cartridge designer targets. Normally all those manufacturer cartridge parts are sourced especially only for that cartridge manufacturer ( in this case: Dynavector. ) and no re-tipper ( any ) can put his hands on any single of those valued cartridge building parts that are exclusively for Dynavector.

In the other side the re-tipper does not know each one single " reason " why the designer made the cartridge design in that way, not even know the real " hidding " manufacturer designer targets in that cartridge design. Only the cartridge manufacturer can fine tune the cartridge suspension according those targets.

Additional when you send the cartridge to the manufacturer what you received is a totally new sample with all the manyfacturer up dates on it, up dates that several times the manufacturer never speaks on them. So, probably you will receive from the manufacturer a better cartridge than the one you own. This can't happen through a re-tipper.

I use re-tipper for vintage cartridges or today non top of the line ones.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

How about shearing off half the diamond on a 50 hr Benz Lps cartridge that I had just bought 30 days earlier for $2500?

and then finding out Benz had a 12 mth wait for their $900 retip?

Sound smith was not an option as a non factory retip would have diminished the value of this $5000 cartridge.

Luckily Musical Surroundings, Benz's US distributor, took pity on me and I was able to get it back within 6 weeks, sounding good as new.

Thanks Garth at MS and Jay at Audio Revelations for the great customer service.

Mr D- "the Dynavector has a boron cantilever. The Soundsmith ruby cantilever is not an upgrade at all as boron is a far better material to use," Have you heard one, with a ruby cantilever? If not: On what is your opinion based? Thank you for your reply.

"If you send it to a universal re-tipper, you will receive a different cartridge with a different quality performance level that almost always is only different but not better one." Again: On what is this opinion based? Both Van Den Hul and Soundsmith have built some excellent cartridges. In fact; the Van Den Hul styli profiles(VDH1/VDH2) were used by a number of upper-crust cartridge manufacturers(ie: Elac, EMT, Coral,
Ortofon, Allaerts, Clearaudio, Audio Note, et al), in the 70's and 80's. While the OP's cartridge is also an excellent(but not, "state of the art") specimen(I own a Dynavector myself), I see no reason that it's performance could not conceivably be improved upon, or matched(at a competitive price point) by those with the experience to extract the sound of live music, from a vinyl pressing. But then: If the OP was perfectly pleased by the original sound of the cartridge; an exchange via Dynavector(admittedly- no gamble) would certainly be indicated.