Audio-Technica ART 7

@rauliruegas

2juki, grey market?. No, I dfon’t thuink so and there is no rpove about not even from chakster because he said some one told him.

Anyone can do the same, if you bought something from 2juki then send your serial number to the manufacturer or to the distributor and ask, i bought my $3500 cartridge from him, so i know what i’m talking about. Fake serial numbers, grey market item not recognized even by the manufacturer who produced the item, the source is unknown, but everybody knows how it works. "Someone who told me " is one of the most respected distributor in the USA, but i won’t tell everything in public, it’s confidential. You should know that grey marked dealers are not supported by the manufacturers, a cartridge designer will not touch the item with fake serial number purchased from the "grey market dealer" for the price which is lower than official distibutor’s price. Those grey dealers kills the distribution at some point.

We have to remember that chakster is an audio seller and 2juki is a hard competition for him.

Raul, you’d better stop this bullshit!
As a "seller" i have only 6 feedbacks on ukaudiomart and about 25 feedbacks on ebay for years! I do sell my personal items or spares that i’ve been using myself like everyone in community. 90% of my ebay feedbacks is for the item i’ve bought (not for what i sold). I don’t have hidden accounts. There is no "competition" for me with the professional sellers.

So please don’t mix together me and a professional grey market ebay seller with various accounts as 2juki (11182 feedbacks), 2juki-cartridge (1618 feedbacks) who’s selling thousands of new unopened items.

I’m telling the truth here, the most expensive japanese cartridges from him comes with fake serial numbers to make it impossible to track down where it comes from even for the manufacturer.

I wonder that you support grey market dealers and not the manufacturers and their official distributors.

I would rather buy a used original cartridge from a fellow audiophiles who’s bought them from the official distributor (when it comes to today’s cartridges). In this case a seller can tell me where he’s got it from and maybe the distributor still can service this original cartridge for me. But the fake serial number is a red flag for the distributor and manufacturer, they will kick you off back to your grey market seller to service your cartridge, they will never touch it! It’s reasonable in my opinion. It’s a small world!

@melm @tooblue

I don’t understand where this badmouthing BS comes from. IMO we need the 2jukis of this world to make this expensive hobby of ours just a bit more affordable.

You don’t understand? Any good distributor can do much more for the buyer than grey market dealer, you should learn it somehow. Make a good relationships with the official distributor, high-end is hard to sell nowadays, you can get discounts from the distributors instead of the grey market dealers. The manufacturer will always be on the distributor’s side. This is how it works. I don’t think you will buy a stolen products just because it’s cheaper? It’s not exacly the same, but the principle is very similar, do you think grey market makes your life better?

What would you do with grey market cartridge when you need a re-tip or re-furbishing? Ending up with aftermarket service to get the cart back with a different specs, different materials, nothing like the original?

Or do you want to sell it to somebody else before it dies?

Or maybe you prefer the service from the cartridge designer who originally made and voiced this cartridge? The last option is impossible for the grey market products. If you have a truly high-end cartridge you need this option after 2000 hrs of paytime. Your choice. 

Guys, Just to be clear, I have no axe to grind with 2juki.  I tend to agree with Raul and Peter (PBN).  I bought my Technics tonearm from him, and it was exactly as described, but that is a used item not subject to any factory warranty.  As others have mentioned, eBay has fairly stringent requirements for professional sellers who use their website, which also ought to make buyers feel more comfortable.  I fear that I have diverted the thread from its main purpose, which is a discussion of the ART7. I was listening to mine again last night.  As time goes on, it's getting better, as one would expect.  Compared to very fine MM and MI cartridges that I more typically have run on the Bev system, the ART7 is quite lively, bordering on aggressive.  Bass definition may be superior to any cartridge I own, but I'd have to run them all on the DV505 into the Bevs in order to compare fairly.

While we are discussing sellers, some of us have also had problems with LP Gear, in the past, for example as regards how they represent their replacement styli (aftermarket vs factory original), etc. 

Dear @confuse_upgraditis: 2juki is a trusty seller. Till today everywhere in the internet exist no single claim against 2juki been part of a " grey market " as chakster posted with out any single prove that can confirm his posts.

He make a really serious acussation on a gentleman with out proves.

I like other gentlemans that already dealing with 2juki can recomend it and as @melm @tooblue said it makes some audio items more affordable.
The same happens with VDH cartridges that today those sellers makes an affordable cartridge.

That's not something wrong or that any one with out proves came or comes here to: forbidden.

Which could be the main reasons behind that chakster attitude? certainly not help any one of us.

R.

@lewm How is your ART-7 competes with Ortofon MC2000 ?

For decades Raul was so enthusiastic about high compliance Ortofon MC2000 LOMC here on audiogon, it was probably long time before he sold his soul to digital.

As the renegade of your ex belowed Moving Magnets, how would you rate MC2000 today compared to the AT ART series @rauliruegas ?

@rauliruegas

... certainly not help any one of us.

2juki will not help you either

I’m sure you’re completey missed my point, as i said i bought very expensive cartridge from 2juki myself based on his 100% positive feedbacks on ebay, but the problem comes much later, nor when you leave a feedback for a cartridge (everything was as described), but a year or more later on when you have to re-tip the cartridge or, in worst case, to re-furbish it.

And in this case the manufacturer or his distributor will check the serial number at the end of the day to find out it’s a grey market unit, not the original serial number, or the serial number that belongs to a very old and completely different model. Then you understand what is a trade off - your very best expensive high-end cartridge is not supported by the designed (manufacturer) and the distributor. Because they are teamed up together against a grey market sellers. If you’re fine with it - then go and buy from 2juki.

If you want forever warranty and amazing service then ALWAYS buy from the official distributors. I can not speak about all cartridges, but i’m talking about very best LOMC.

Also everyone should understand, and i believe they do understand, that 2juki just sell you cartridge once (you can send it back only once, if it’s not as described), but support and service is not his business, he’s just a grey market seller with lowered price for quick sale - that’s it.

The distributor of the same cartridge in your country, luckily i’ve got in tough with very nice distributor (not even in my country), will do the best to treat you right. Trade-in or upgrade is always better. Sometime the distributors offers something that you can’t expect, the discount is also possible. The difference is price is not that much, but you’re dealing with official distributors, not a cheaters.

Grey market dealers are not cheating you directly, they are cheating the manufacturers and distributors, they are in fact manipulates with serial numbers, but people support the cheaters buyin from them. You can discuss 2juki case with any distributor of the products he’s selling. It’s all about sales morality !!!

P.S. Maybe it’s not important for people who don’t mind to send any cartridge to SoundSmith for re-tip or even to install completely different cantilever to make their original cartridge way different (they always think it’s only getting better for some reason).

If your cartridge is not supported by the original manufacturer it’s very bad (imo)
Even used carts are supported by the manufacturer if they are from the valid source, so what’s the point to buy new from gray market if you can’t use the manufacturer/designed once you’ve bought grey market unit? Where is the logic ? Even lightly used cart from the distributor (they do trade in, so they can offer used with huge discount) is better than new from grey market dealer if you think a bit about future.

2juki also sells vintage gear - no problem with that, this is honest business.