Waaaah. Snapped off my cantilever.

Rodman99999, 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, which is why for a retip (rather than a broken cantilever) the Soundmsith option of a straight stylus only replacement is the best option when your cartridge has a boron 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.