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Expert stylus

ESCO would be best option if just retip/cantilever required, or Benz if a full rebuild required. Used them both over the years, both quite slow but great results in the end

One is the manufacturer, and gives a brand new cartridge, the other isn't, and doesn't. The difference is total. Surely, you buy a Benz because you want a Benz? If not, why bother.
 
I recently had my AT33PTG re-tipped after a woolly jumber accident. Goldring were not interested and said they couldn't do it. I ended up going to ESCO who did an accellent job. I believe I ended up with an at least as good if not better sounding cartridge for half the price of a new AT33, but it took three months! I might feel different about this re-tipping versus part exchange issue if I owned a really expensive cartridge but I don't because I don't believe they are worth it, either from a sound or angst perspective.
 
Ynwan paid about £350 for a new Gyger stylus and sapphire canti from Goldring, and the Goldring guy was actually trained by someone.

Ah, I've made a mistake - it's age you know ;) - I wrote earlier that I had a Gyger II tip fitted but it was actually an S. Ruby cantilever and Gyger S stylus £350 total (as sq says).

Ah, well £150 down on the deal then. I'll maybe go to the "Goldring Guy" next time.

Could someone enlighten me though...?

As I understand it a Gyger S is a stylus shape, and are made by various? Or is a Gyger S a specific thing made only be "Gyger"?

As you can see I have much to learn, and possibly much to save??
 
Thought that the Gyger is a cut invented by Fritz Gyger and used by various cart manufacturers. I know Benz Micro use the Gyger S on some of theirs
 
One is the manufacturer, and gives a brand new cartridge, the other isn't, and doesn't. The difference is total. Surely, you buy a Benz because you want a Benz? If not, why bother.

I read on AudioGon that Benz Micro is no more as the owner was getting old and they have decided to stop manufacturing now?
 
One is the manufacturer, and gives a brand new cartridge, the other isn't, and doesn't. The difference is total. Surely, you buy a Benz because you want a Benz? If not, why bother.

Because not everyone is like you?
 
The Gyger II and Gyger S, Shibata etc, are stylus profiles (shapes). Companies like Namiki actually make the stylus used by other manufacturers - few cartridge manufacturers actually make the stylus itself, or the cantilever, and fewer still actually make the stylus' that are used by the industry (prices are pretty comparable because there are so few manufacturers).
 
I read on AudioGon that Benz Micro is no more as the owner was getting old and they have decided to stop manufacturing now?

I sincerely hope not. The maker of the Transfig. Orpheus died a little over a year ago, putting paid to that model, but the company lives on.

There are so many hundreds of thousands of Benz cart's out there, the demise of the company would be a big blow to analogue transcription.

Any way of verifying this?
 
Broken cartridge...or just broken record?
you mean I have made the same point before, of course. Just as all the rest of you have.
People routinely ask similar questions, of course they get similar replies. The fact that you think differently is neither here nor there.
It is just like trying to 'repair' a Rolex by sticking a Timex mechanism in it the watch will work well enough, but it certainly isn't a Rolex anymore. Worse, people buyings second-hand cartridges has to ask themselves, ' How do I know what I am actually buying? '. People on PFM are honest, but a lot of other people may not be. I know of several people who got their fingers burnt. I would not touch a used cartridge unless I knew and trusted the owner.
Fortunately, I now use a cheap MM so it's one problem I no longer have.
 
Well its not the thinking differently, its the inability to accept anyone else's viewpoint that differs from yours as valid for them. A sort of bland mono-think...

people have lots of reasons, not all of them logical, sensible, audiophile based -- or any of the reasons you think is important.

"Interested in what the difference is" is my reason for buying some buggered DL103s and having them recantilevered, re cased and generally buggered around with until they work. There is so much disinformation floating about spread by manufacturers and users and retippers alike, I rather fancy finding out for myself.
 
Well its not the thinking differently, its the inability to accept anyone else's viewpoint that differs from yours as valid for them. A sort of bland mono-think...

people have lots of reasons, not all of them logical, sensible, audiophile based -- or any of the reasons you think is important.

"Interested in what the difference is" is my reason for buying some buggered DL103s and having them recantilevered, re cased and generally buggered around with until they work. There is so much disinformation floating about spread by manufacturers and users and retippers alike, I rather fancy finding out for myself.

Have you bought yourself a new t/t, fox?

Chris
 
...It is just like trying to 'repair' a Rolex by sticking a Timex mechanism in it the watch will work well enough, but it certainly isn't a Rolex anymore. Worse, people buyings second-hand cartridges has to ask themselves, ' How do I know what I am actually buying? '. People on PFM are honest, but a lot of other people may not be. I know of several people who got their fingers burnt. I would not touch a used cartridge unless I knew and trusted the owner.

But we're not talking about the acquisition of a second hand cartridge here. We're talking about giving a piece of equipment a new lease of life.

OK, so now we're onto the quality issue. I am one of very many satisfied ESCo customers. If they were doing the equivalent of sticking a Timex movement in a Rolex, that would be unacceptable to most people, of course. What ESCO have demonstrated is that, in the opinion of many customers they provide a service which renders the cartridge as good or possibly better than the original for an acceptable outlay. That's good enough for me, especially as I can no longer purchase a Karma, Troika etc. new. That it's not identical to the new item sonically is irrelevant for an obsolete cartridge.

As far as carts that are still in production go, you pays your money and takes your choice, as they say. I have the choice of (at the top end) paying £x000 for a new one or £x00 for a re-tip. That's customer choice, but if I can continue using my top end cart (albeit with a slightly different character) for a fraction of the cost, even if I were wealthy I'd probably go for it.

My every day Seiko just came back from being serviced, which included a new main spring. I do not know nor care if it's a genuine Seiko part. And what about the thousands of classic cars kept on the road with third party parts? Do I need to go on?
 


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