Retip for zyx

Agree with Stringreen. The ZYX stylus is unique and not available from anyone else that I know of. If you use a different stylus the basic character of the sound will change. You may like the change or not, but FWIW it will no longer be a ZYX.

But on the other side of things, retips are FAR less expensive. You are still getting the advantages of the coils, cantilever and other aspects of the design. Is it strictly an Airy 3? Are you saving a lot of money by getting it retipped? Yes. Personally, I'd try the retip before trading in for a discount. And I'd love it if you recorded a before and after file of this cart. That way you and others could hear the impact of the new retip. It is not entirely clear how much the retip will change the sound, and this would be a great way to determine this.

I understand that it will not be exactly a ZYX but I am curious if others have tried a soundsmith or other re-tip and what they experienced.

If I crashed my Porsche, I would only have Porsche fix it.

you can get it retipped both in US (soundsmith) as in Europe(van den Hul, Goldring) to name a few.

changing only the diamond tip will not change that much the initial character as changing the entire cantilever/ tip assembly, especially if you pick a similar profile.

but if you get a good discount on a new one it would be a better option