I've seen some comments here and there about Soundsmith and their cartridge re-tip services. I wanted to convey my recent experience.

Yours truly, aka "fumble fingers", mishandled my Ortofon Kontrapunkt A in the fall of 2008, resulting in a bent cantilever. I contacted Soundsmith for an RA number, and sent the cartridge off for the $250 service in mid - November. I was advised at that time that there was a significant backlog and that my cartridge would be serviced as soon as possible.

By end of January I was curious about the status of the cartridge, so I called and was told that my cartridge was received and was nearing the top of the queue. There was still a bit of a backlog, however. I also learned at this point that Pete, the gentlemen who actually does the exacting work replacing the key components for each cartridge, had been quite ill, and his absence certainly contributed to the backlog. his attendance at work and ability to be productive while there was quite variable. By mid - March, however, a subsequent call revealed that my Ortofon was still pending work, but would be serviced within 10 or so days of that call.

Sure enough, I received a call in early April that the cartridge had been completed, and was ready to be sent out. If you're keeping count, then you'll note that about 4 and a half months had elapsed between when the cartridge was sent, and when it was finally completed. I wouldn't dispute those who might be critical about lack of proactive communication to those with cartridges in the queue regarding the reasons for the extended delay. However, I will say that when I called I got a relatively accurate update about the estimated completion date, and also disclosure about the reason for the longer than expected turn around time (Pete's illness).

I often find myself keeping in mind that, with this hobby, I'm dealing with a number of small businesses to have my needs serviced or to obtain products. All of them function a bit differently, have different levels of resources - both financial and human - to address service needs, and wildly different outcomes from a customer service perspective. Given when I learned about Soundsmith while my cartridge was being serviced, I can't complain too much about the process. Having supervised employees in a service environment, I understand that one absence of a team member, especially while resources are tight, can lead to unintended consequences from the client's / customer's perspective. If that is a key employee, and when their attendance is unpredictable, it can lead to any number of unintended consequences.

What I can do is provide my observations about the final product. With the $250 level of service, the opportunity to have returned to me a cartridge that is an improvement over the original design presented itself. The Kontrapunkt A in stock form has a nude fine line stylus with aluminum cantilever. The $250 service involves the replacement of the existing cantalever and stylus with a ruby cantilever and a nude mounted line contact stylus. The Kontrapunkt B has a ruby cantilever with a nude mounted Fritz Geiger stylus. So, the finished product would be a step forward from the original design, though not quite to the "B" level.

I got exactly what I was hoping for. Here are a few observations on performance, though admittedly I've only had a couple of hours to listen to the finished product. I'd also concede any argument that is based on the fact the it is difficult if not impossible to distinguish sonic differences between listening experiences that are months apart. Though purely subjective as these comments may be, I do think that the finished product is a nice improvement over the stock "A". I certainly don't recall this level of space and definition with the original. In fact, the manufacturer's own statements in the brochure for the Kontrapunkt line of cartridges about the relative sonic attributes of each cartridge seem to match my experience. The finished product is, to my ears, closer to the description of the "B" than the "A", with the "B's" wide and deep sound stage, presence and articulation.

I also need to comment on the background noise. Compared to some of my other cartridges, which include some very nice though vintage units (Stanton 881S with Stereohedron stylus, Ortofon OM-30 with the line contact stylus as two examples), the audible background noise when playing disks is almost non-existent. The original "A" was pretty good at playing quietly, but this cartridge is VERY good at it.

For those who may have been hesitant to send in your cartridges for service to Soundsmith because of comments posted here and elsewhere, let me assure you that "the doctor is now in" and seeing patients, and while you may have a bit of a wait, the wait now should be less over time as the backlog gets back under some control. Also, I'd rather have the job done right than fast, and I think the folks at Soundsmith might concur with this based on my results.

Glad to hear a +1 on soundsmith, I have cartridge that has been de-cantilevered by a previous owner!

Mike, thanks much for that report. Knowing the type and quality of work that Soundsmith performs, and the fact that they told you up front that there was a significant backlog, I'd have no problem using their services. It's obviously a less expensive alternative to having to purchase a new cartridge. And even for those with MM unobtanium styli, such as the V15 V and Vx, it's a worthwhile route to explore.

I've seen some comments here and there about Soundsmith and their cartridge re-tip services. I wanted to convey my recent experience.

Yours truly, aka "fumble fingers", mishandled my Ortofon Kontrapunkt A in the fall of 2008, resulting in a bent cantilever. I contacted Soundsmith for an RA number, and sent the cartridge off for the $250 service in mid - November. I was advised at that time that there was a significant backlog and that my cartridge would be serviced as soon as possible.

By end of January I was curious about the status of the cartridge, so I called and was told that my cartridge was received and was nearing the top of the queue. There was still a bit of a backlog, however. I also learned at this point that Pete, the gentlemen who actually does the exacting work replacing the key components for each cartridge, had been quite ill, and his absence certainly contributed to the backlog. his attendance at work and ability to be productive while there was quite variable. By mid - March, however, a subsequent call revealed that my Ortofon was still pending work, but would be serviced within 10 or so days of that call.

Sure enough, I received a call in early April that the cartridge had been completed, and was ready to be sent out. If you're keeping count, then you'll note that about 4 and a half months had elapsed between when the cartridge was sent, and when it was finally completed. I wouldn't dispute those who might be critical about lack of proactive communication to those with cartridges in the queue regarding the reasons for the extended delay. However, I will say that when I called I got a relatively accurate update about the estimated completion date, and also disclosure about the reason for the longer than expected turn around time (Pete's illness).

I often find myself keeping in mind that, with this hobby, I'm dealing with a number of small businesses to have my needs serviced or to obtain products. All of them function a bit differently, have different levels of resources - both financial and human - to address service needs, and wildly different outcomes from a customer service perspective. Given when I learned about Soundsmith while my cartridge was being serviced, I can't complain too much about the process. Having supervised employees in a service environment, I understand that one absence of a team member, especially while resources are tight, can lead to unintended consequences from the client's / customer's perspective. If that is a key employee, and when their attendance is unpredictable, it can lead to any number of unintended consequences.

What I can do is provide my observations about the final product. With the $250 level of service, the opportunity to have returned to me a cartridge that is an improvement over the original design presented itself. The Kontrapunkt A in stock form has a nude fine line stylus with aluminum cantilever. The $250 service involves the replacement of the existing cantalever and stylus with a ruby cantilever and a nude mounted line contact stylus. The Kontrapunkt B has a ruby cantilever with a nude mounted Fritz Geiger stylus. So, the finished product would be a step forward from the original design, though not quite to the "B" level.

I got exactly what I was hoping for. Here are a few observations on performance, though admittedly I've only had a couple of hours to listen to the finished product. I'd also concede any argument that is based on the fact the it is difficult if not impossible to distinguish sonic differences between listening experiences that are months apart. Though purely subjective as these comments may be, I do think that the finished product is a nice improvement over the stock "A". I certainly don't recall this level of space and definition with the original. In fact, the manufacturer's own statements in the brochure for the Kontrapunkt line of cartridges about the relative sonic attributes of each cartridge seem to match my experience. The finished product is, to my ears, closer to the description of the "B" than the "A", with the "B's" wide and deep sound stage, presence and articulation.

I also need to comment on the background noise. Compared to some of my other cartridges, which include some very nice though vintage units (Stanton 881S with Stereohedron stylus, Ortofon OM-30 with the line contact stylus as two examples), the audible background noise when playing disks is almost non-existent. The original "A" was pretty good at playing quietly, but this cartridge is VERY good at it.

For those who may have been hesitant to send in your cartridges for service to Soundsmith because of comments posted here and elsewhere, let me assure you that "the doctor is now in" and seeing patients, and while you may have a bit of a wait, the wait now should be less over time as the backlog gets back under some control. Also, I'd rather have the job done right than fast, and I think the folks at Soundsmith might concur with this based on my results.

Your experience parallels my own, though you got your cartridge serviced faster than I did, given that I sent mine in almost a month before you. My cartridge, a Grace F9E Ruby, was received at Soundsmith on Oct 23. I was told at the time to expect a lead time of 10-12 weeks. It was shipped to me on the 8th of April. I should be receiving it this Wednesday. I will report back once it is broken in how it is performing. My lead time for getting my cartridge back was 5 1/2 months, or 22 weeks.

Very sensible and thoughtful post. I plan on sending Soundsmith my 103R when the time comes. There are things that happen in life that we have little control over and health issues is something that falls into that catagory. I applaud your patience.:thmbsp:

Mike, thanks much for that report. Knowing the type and quality of work that Soundsmith performs, and the fact that they told you up front that there was a significant backlog, I'd have no problem using their services. It's obviously a less expensive alternative to having to purchase a new cartridge. And even for those with MM unobtanium styli, such as the V15 V and Vx, it's a worthwhile route to explore.

I have also contacted them about my cart. Straight up told me it will take awhile because of back log. Not a problem in my eyes, Can't use cart as this is the only fix and the soundsmith reputation precedes him. well recomended.

I'm seriously thinking about having my beloved Ortofon X3-MC fixed with a new cantaliever and diamond. There might be better cartridges but MAN it just took my breath away when I first put it on my RM-5 and 9c arm and I have rarely felt so bad as when I bent the cantaliever on Christmas morning 2007.

Thanks very much for the thread. Think I'll find some money and get it sent off.

That's quite a story and very enlightening. Have read several posts about Soundsmith and all mention the long turn around and like you all seem to be happy with the final results, that's encouraging. Thanks for sharing your experience and am glad you're happy.

My perspective is that they are honest about the backlog (I asked about re-tipping an SPU) and their ability to do the job. The gentleman I spoke to said they check the entire cart out to see if it is even worth it before they do the work. If the innards are toast, a new cantalever would be a waste of money.

My attitude is that a broken cart is trash unless the stylus is user replaceable. Whether it sits at Soundsmith for 5 months or in your junk bin, who cares! Buy another cart to tide you over, and wait for your other one to come back. Then you have a back-up. I know people who don't shop at boutique retailers (like the locally owned hi-fi shop) or support specialty services (like Soundsmith) because they want Best Buy serivice (in stock now, here you go sir). But when they have real questions or product issues, they wonder why that box store can't help them.

As long as I am informed of my products whereabout in the pecking order and told up front that there would be a wait, I have no problem. Nothing maddens me more at work that people who know about my workload but expect me to bump them up the ladder because they squak....I put them last!

James R.

MIke thanks for a Great post and your views on a truly fine service IMHO. There is a post here by Pete recounting his harrowing brush with the medical folks and surgery!
I truly believe you do get what you pay for with Soundsmith! Now that Pete is back work will go out as usual considering he is the only person who does the re-tips. He is also the Owner. I believe in hs post he said ( I like to do these myself as I don`t trust anyone else to do it).

MIke thanks for a Great post and your views on a truly fine service IMHO. There is a post here by Pete recounting his harrowing brush with the medical folks and surgery!
I truly believe you do get what you pay for with Soundsmith! Now that Pete is back work will go out as usual considering he is the only person who does the re-tips. He is also the Owner. I believe in hs post he said ( I like to do these myself as I don`t trust anyone else to do it).

Very true. When the cartridge was ready, I got a voice mail on my cell from someone named Michelle, I think. When I called back a bit on the early side the next day, Pete answered the phone, took my payment info, and commented on how well he thought the work turned out on the cartridge. Talk about someone wearing lots of hats - takes the morning phone calls, handling accounts receivable, and doing cartridge retips! All this after returning from surgery. Employee of the year honors await him I hope!

I really couldn't understand why so many people were putting up such a big stink about the wait, even though they A. Knew the poor man was sick. B. Knew that he did execelant work. People just have no patience anymore. Glad to hear he is back on the mend and able to work though. Makes me want to send in my Sumiko Pearl into him for his lower end retip. I really like the sound of that cart and would like to see if his retip would help it out on the Topend and maybe grab some more detail out of the groves.

... I'd also concede any argument that is based on the fact the it is difficult if not impossible to distinguish sonic differences between listening experiences that are months apart. ...
This is so true.

Also, thanks for sharing your positive experience. Like others I too plan on sending a stylus or 2 to SS for retipping.

There's just not enough patience and understanding in the world.

I really couldn't understand why so many people were putting up such a big stink about the wait, even though they A. Knew the poor man was sick. B. Knew that he did execelant work. People just have no patience anymore. Glad to hear he is back on the mend and able to work though. Makes me want to send in my Sumiko Pearl into him for his lower end retip. I really like the sound of that cart and would like to see if his retip would help it out on the Topend and maybe grab some more detail out of the groves.

You should go back and read my post. I was reporting facts on the turnaround time to receive my cartridge, nothing more. I was told on Oct 24 that it would be 10-12 weeks. No one at the time at Soundsmith indicated that Peter was sick, or had gotten sick since receiving my order, and I did not find out he had been hospitalized until January of this year. I do, however, think Soundsmith should endeavor be more accurate in the lead times they give customers with respect to turnaround times. That's not an unreasonable request from a customer to a business. I called Soundsmith on March 9, about four and half months after my cartridge had arrived, and was told it would be done in 10-12 days. I then called 14 days later and was told it would be done in 10-12 days. My view is that would have been more accurate to tell me up front it would be another month up front, instead of telling me it would be ready 10-12 days, and then two weeks later saying it would be ready in 10-12 days.

That said, the lead time is completely understandable given that Peter was in the hospital for a month and he does all of the rebuilding himself. Peter did say in another post that he expects his turnaround times (TAT) to be 10-14 days in about a month, so he must be working at flank speed to get his backlog down to that TAT. One thing Peter could do is a value-stream analysis, calculate customer pull, cycle time, and lead time, this may allow him to predict TAT accurately.

Summing up, I know and trust that Peter provides an extremely high quality of service and products, and I respect him for that. But I respect him even more for the fact that he trains and mentors audio technicians to have a set of very special job skills at Soundsmith, and takes a very active role in doing in contributing materially to society with his training and mentoring programs. I was very impressed when I read that.

Puma I wasn't referencing you, just one I saw on this forum and some posts elsewhere. You were very respectful in the way you conveyed your opinion, you just stated you wished they stated more accurate turnarounds. Sorry if I came across wrong, Nick

No worries, Nick! I know you're a straight up guy with a good memory! :)

Just making sure things are being clearly communicated on my end.

FWIW, my Grace Ruby has arrived and it should be brought around to my desk any time now. Tonight it will get installed and the Stalking Leopard will go back to work on the Rega!

Best,
Stephen aka Puma

I received my Soundsmith Otello cartridge couple weeks ago. Made and delivered in 30 days on the dot just like the site said. It's the most I've spent on a cartridge and it sounds soooo good...:music::banana::thmbsp:

No worries, Nick! I know you're a straight up guy with a good memory! :)

Just making sure things are being clearly communicated on my end.

FWIW, my Grace Ruby has arrived and it should be brought around to my desk any time now. Tonight it will get installed and the Stalking Leopard will go back to work on the Rega!

Best,
Stephen aka Puma

Thanks:D

The Leopard shall feast tonight then! Some good "stalking" shots should be interesting to see:yes:

I received my Soundsmith Otello cartridge couple weeks ago. Made and delivered in 30 days on the dot just like the site said. It's the most I've spent on a cartridge and it sounds soooo good...:music::banana::thmbsp:

Are you using the Bugle for a pre? If so what did you spec it to for Gain? Glad its sounding so nice, Nick

Are you using the Bugle for a pre? If so what did you spec it to for Gain? Glad its sounding so nice, Nick

I went w/ the stock +40db...

I went w/ the stock +40db...

Really and thats loud enough for your Otello?

Thanks:D

The Leopard shall feast tonight then! Some good "stalking" shots should be interesting to see:yes:

The Grace Ruby arrived from Peter today and will be going in tonight! :banana:

The ruby cantilever is very thin and the stylus looks incredibly tiny, the whole thing is very low mass, it appears...this thing should really be able to pull out some detail, I would expect.

Have to be extraordinarily careful in setting it up for Stevenson geometry and doing the azimuth adjustment.

The SME III is probably the perfect arm for the Grace as it is one of the lowest mass arms anyone has ever made.

Peter says that the break-in time on the Grace should be minimal if I get the azimuth dialed.

The leopard stalks tonight....:music:

The Grace Ruby arrived today and will be going in tonight!

..... will be waiting patiently at this end to hear your assessment. Got a Grace F-9 that's in good condition ...now..... but I suspect I'll need the service in the future.

Really and thats loud enough for your Otello?

Oh yeah. It's only slightly quieter than the DL-110.

FYI - I also posted this over at the Audio Asylum. Peter added this feedback to the thread on AA. I hope its OK to post this here:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/82/826960.html

The Grace Ruby arrived from Peter today and will be going in tonight! :banana:

The ruby cantilever is very thin and the stylus looks incredibly tiny, the whole thing is very low mass, it appears...this thing should really be able to pull out some detail, I would expect.

Have to be extraordinarily careful in setting it up for Stevenson geometry and doing the azimuth adjustment.

The SME III is probably the perfect arm for the Grace as it is one of the lowest mass arms anyone has ever made.

Peter says that the break-in time on the Grace should be minimal if I get the azimuth dialed.

The leopard stalks tonight....:music:

IIRC the Grace 9E, had a very low compliance for a MM, around 12 (both aluminum alloy & ruby). Does Peter's new stylus assembly retain the original compliance or have a different compliance? If different, what is it and how does it affect performance?

I thought the original Grace was a high compliance cartridge, not a low compliance one.

I don't know about Peter's new stylus ass'y; my guess it is a high compliance design.

Installed it last night, and it sounds quite good, LOTs of detail and inner detail; perhaps a bit thin sounding right now compared to the Grado. Should get better with some time on it; only has about 2 hrs on it right now. Sounds a bit cooler than the Grado, Grado is warmer and fuller sounding. Overall, though, it sounds remarkably good.

I love my 'The Voice'(Ebony). :yes: :thmbsp:

FYI - I also posted this over at the Audio Asylum. Peter added this feedback to the thread on AA. I hope its OK to post this here:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/82/826960.html
Peter :ntwrthy: is member here though he has not posted in a long time
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/member.php?u=52539

After a bit of listening, the Grace continues to sound quite good. Excellent inner detail, air, and spaciousness. It also tracks like nobody's business.

However, it does not sound as rich and full-bodied or dimensional as my Grado Reference Sonata. It's thinner and more neutral. This could be due to the fact that the Grado is on a better table/arm than the Grace. The instrumental or vocal imaging of the Grace is more like 2-D cardboard cut-outs. The shape is there, but it's thin or flat. The Grado has very full and three dimensional instrumental imaging, with a more complex and richer presentation of instrumental timbres and overtones. The Grace may be more detailed, though. The Grado has quite a bit more punch, dynamically-speaking.

Puma,
It was stated decades ago,that the turntable lays the foundation for the ability to extract the absolute best from both the arm and the cartridge.Next in the 'Phono Hierarchy' is the arm.
The absolute attainable performance of any cartridge,is only as good as the turntable and arm that it is situated upon.
I've seen people object to this notion by saying 'Well,if I take a(let's say)Thorens TD 166 and put a(let's say)Grace F9E on it,are you going to tell me that a Caliburn Continuum/Cobra with a $5 ceramic cartridge will be better sounding?"
The question misses the point.
Obviously,trying to funnel the performance of the Caliburn turntable and arm through a $5 cartridge is a futile effort.The 'axiom' of turntable/arm/cartridge rests upon the ability to wrest the absolute best performance from the given item.
The best cartridge in the world,needs to be mated with an arm which matches it's compliance and effective tonearm mass needs.The suitably matched arm/cartridge combination needs to be mated with the best possible turntable in order to extract the absolute best from the combination.
My Dynavector Karat Diamond cartridge worked wonderfully on my Yamaha PX-2 turntable.When I got the Yamaha GT 2000,the same cartridge sounded hugely better.
To get a true idea of the comparison between your Grace and the Grado,you need to hear them on the same turntable.Even then,the arm/cartridge match,may be favourable towards one cartridge and detrimental to the other.

Puma,
It was stated decades ago,that the turntable lays the foundation for the ability to extract the absolute best from both the arm and the cartridge.Next in the 'Phono Hierarchy' is the arm.
The absolute attainable performance of any cartridge,is only as good as the turntable and arm that it is situated upon.
I've seen people object to this notion by saying 'Well,if I take a(let's say)Thorens TD 166 and put a(let's say)Grace F9E on it,are you going to tell me that a Caliburn Continuum/Cobra with a $5 ceramic cartridge will be better sounding?"
The question misses the point.
Obviously,trying to funnel the performance of the Caliburn turntable and arm through a $5 cartridge is a futile effort.The 'axiom' of turntable/arm/cartridge rests upon the ability to wrest the absolute best performance from the given item.
The best cartridge in the world,needs to be mated with an arm which matches it's compliance and effective tonearm mass needs.The suitably matched arm/cartridge combination needs to be mated with the best possible turntable in order to extract the absolute best from the combination.
My Dynavector Karat Diamond cartridge worked wonderfully on my Yamaha PX-2 turntable.When I got the Yamaha GT 2000,the same cartridge sounded hugely better.
To get a true idea of the comparison between your Grace and the Grado,you need to hear them on the same turntable.Even then,the arm/cartridge match,may be favourable towards one cartridge and detrimental to the other.

Theo, Thanks for your post. It's informative and provides meaningful context.

I will add that, as a scientist and a Six Sigma Black Belt by profession, I'm aware of all that. And I fully realize that any meaningful comparison has to reproduce as much as possible the same testing conditions for each cartridge, taking into accounts control factors that minimize the effects of noise factors on the functional response.

Just reporting between the two different set-ups as they are set up in my system presently.:D

Theo, Thanks for your post. It's informative and provides meaningful context.

I will add that, as a scientist and a Six Sigma Black Belt by profession, I know all that. And I fully realize that any meaningful comparison has to reproduce as much as possible the same testing conditions for each cartridge, taking into accounts control factors that minimize the effects of noise factors on the functional response.

Just reporting between the two different set-ups as they are set up in my system presently.:D
Puma,
Thank you for your "thank you". :thmbsp:
My intention was both to be fair to the Grace cartridge(and Soundsmith),and to put the 'comparison' between the Grace and the Grado into the context it merited.
I myself went no further in formal education than Grade 10,had to read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Sigma

in order to understand that you weren't a Karate instructor,and fully realise that some comparisons aren't comparisons at all.There are however people who read posts and are less informed on the subject.They need to have a 'clarification' inserted into the thread in order to provide a firm foundation their ongoing acquisition of dependable,verifiable audio-related truth.
Please feel free to scrutinise my posts for any similar lapses.They are riddled with idiocies. :yes:

Being fair to the Grace and Soundsmith is by all means warranted. It's impressive how good the Grace really is, especially with the work Peter did to it. And it still needs some running in as it only has about 2.5 hours or so on it, so running it in will be fun. At some point I may get around to putting the Grace in the SME V and Gyro SE, but right now it's home is in the Rega. Maybe on some rainy weekend afternoon. ;)

Right now, I'm just enjoying having two TT's that I can use for playing records...

Whether there is such a thing as verifiable, audio-related "truth", I cannot say, but it would make for some lively discussion! :)