Expert Stylus or Scantech?

Expert Stylus may be able to pop a new cantilever on one of these Troikas for a very reasonable sum. The total cost of may run you just $341. $480 if a total rebuild is necessary.

ES PRICES:
1. Retip
2. New Cantilever and diamond
3. Full rebuild - Coils, catilever, and diamond

US prices respectively for aluminum cantilevered cartridges are:
$288, $341 and $480. (prices includes shipping to customer)

In all cases the cartridge is cleaned up very nicely. Highly recommended.

[This message was edited by John Gilleran on THURSDAY 14 June 2001 at 17:14.]

Thank you very much for your advice!

So that means that Expert Stylus are doing the overhaul as good as Linn...?

In this case I would be very glad if you could tell me the address of ES!

Jun

...is that an ESCo-rebuilt cartridge is better than a Linn-rebuilt cartridge, certainly at least as good. I've heard it said that an ESCo-rebuilt Asaka (which I had) is almost as good as a linn-rebuilt Troika. Can't substantiate that, though, as I can't remember where I read it...

John

Here's a link with address info:
http://www.78tours.com/Expert_Stylus_Company.htm

I had my Klyde rebuilt by ES and it sounded as good or better than the original. My Troika will go to ES when it's time. Ask ES to send you some of the special compound for cleaning the diamond when they send you back you're rebuilt Troika.
It works great as well.

jcarr

do you make the Akiva?

Mike

Muchachos

The Linn rebuild offer has been discontinued. They will offer a trade-in, though.


Mike

Try this number for Expert Stylus -

Expert Stylus Co. PO Box 3, Ashtead, Surrey KT21 2QD, UK

Tel. +44 (0) 1372 276604

David

"Even when a cartridge has been treated carefully, by the time it has clocked sufficient mileage that the stylus needs to be replaced, the suspension and dampers will inevitably show signs of fatigue." jcarr

We'll have to see, I just sent off a Linn Klyde to Expert Stylus which that has been rebuilt once before by them after using it for 2,500 hours. It sounded great after the ES rebuild which needed only a cleaning and new diamond. This cartridge was originally a Linn Rebuild, the other parts on the cartridge have probably 4,500 hours on it.

The cartridge has been well cared for and the suspension/cantilever seems in good shape. I will report back what was done to it when it returns in 8 weeks or so. I have a Linn rebuilt Troika that I'm currently using that has about 2,500 hours that I'll be able to compare to the Klyde when it returns.

E.S. inspects the cartridges they recieve and replace only what's necessary. I put about 2,000 hours a year on a cartridge so need rebuilds about every year and a half.

quote:

---

Originally posted by John Gilleran:
"Even when a cartridge has been treated carefully, by the time it has clocked sufficient mileage that the stylus needs to be replaced, the suspension and dampers will inevitably show signs of fatigue." jcarr

We'll have to see, I just sent off a Linn Klyde to Expert Stylus which that has been rebuilt once before by them after using it for 2,500 hours. It sounded great after the ES rebuild which needed only a cleaning and new diamond. This cartridge was originally a Linn Rebuild, the other parts on the cartridge have probably 4,500 hours on it.

The cartridge has been well cared for and the suspension/cantilever seems in good shape. I will report back what was done to it when it returns in 8 weeks or so. I have a Linn rebuilt Troika that I'm currently using that has about 2,500 hours that I'll be able to compare to the Klyde when it returns.

E.S. inspects the cartridges they recieve and replace only what's necessary. I put about 2,000 hours a year on a cartridge so need rebuilds about every year and a half.

---

Hi John

I have a Linn Klyde in need of a new tip, and probably a rebuild. If it's not too cheeky to ask how much does it cost?

Yours in Music

Syd

Syd,

ES prices are posted earlier in the thread, though they have gone up a bit since they were originally posted. I think they're now
$320, $370 and $480 U.S. dollars including shipping back. Be prepared to wait 6-8 weeks for the cartridge to be returned. It helps to have two cartridges that you can rotate in and out between rebuilds.

I couldn't go 6-8 weeks without tunes.

Jonathan:

Is it possible that Scantech will still rebuild ArKiv B cartridges even though Linn does not provide the service themselves? In other words can I ship an Arkiv B directly to Scantech for a rebuild?

Paul

Just to clarify. The Linn Klyde mentioned in the above post Was replaced by a Linn rebuilt Troika which to my knowledge are completely rebuilt and it sounded no better than my ES rebuilt Klyde with 2,000 hours on the stylus and 4,500 hours on the other parts.

I'm not convinced that full rebuilds are necessary nor am I willing to shell out for a new cartridge every year and a half. I'm just thankful there are companies that still can do the rebuild work.

Just got off the phone with Wyndham Hodgson of Expert Stylus to find out whether he recieved my check and had a very informative conversation regarding what is done during a cartridge rebuild. They do not simply pop a new diamond on the cartridge. They spend over 4 hours taking apart and cleaning the entire cartridge and when finished they spend more time testing the cartridge on various turntables. He mentioned that they are in the process of developing a website which will explain the various types of work they carry out.

He mentioned the analogy of replacing a car when the tires wear out when he hears people saying the a phono cartridge needs to be replaced when the diamond wears out.

I can confirm that Expert do an excellent job. I bought a rebuilt Roksan Shiraz from them last year. It sounds fab.

Edwin

John-

Hi. Could you go into more detail about what you were told about their procedures? I'm very curious to know what kind of materials, test equipment, and protocol they use. Hopefully the website will be clear as to just what people are getting for their money and how each type of cartridge is handled.

I guess I'm just a bit too paranoid about my vinyl collection to try this kind of thing - well, at least until builders like Lyra, Dynavector, Koetsu, etc. come out and say "Hey, we've seen what this firm does and can recommend them for our cartridges". For me, I'd sleep better coming up with the grand for a new Lydian Beta than sending off my worn Helikon and theoretically saving a few hundred bucks through these guys.

regards,
Scott

"Hi. Could you go into more detail about what you were told about their procedures?"

My recall to detail exactly what was said in our phone conversation is not that great but Mr. Hodgson has been in this business for forty years and has over 4,000 accounts with companies and individuals in the U.S. alone. He mentioned that alot of the tools he uses to rebuild cartridges were custom made by himself.

From what I understood from our conversation it sounded like some of the details your looking for will be part of the website he's putting together.

"until builders like Lyra, Dynavector, Koetsu, etc. come out and say "Hey, we've seen what this firm does and can recommend them for our cartridges".

I wouldn't hold your breath as I'm sure ES takes away business from these marketers of cartridges.

Has anyone *ever* had a cartridge back from Expert in less than three months?

Anyone???

cheers, Martin

E-mail:- MartinPayne at Dial.Pipex.com

I've only had one dealing with ES and I think it took 6 weeks from the time it was sent. I'm pretty sure ES is quite busy most of the time so when you send them a cartridge for rebuild it gets put into a queue and you wait. I would recommend getting a couple cartridges as I do and rotate them back and forth as they wear out. That way your never without tunes. I could never go more than a week without being able to listen to records.

Hi Martin

Yes!!! My DV XX-1L is being rebuilt by ES at the moment. It has been there 3 weeks and is now finished, talked to Mr Hodgson today he said "I am really pleased with the rebuild, it has gone rally well and tracks all test tracks. I will audition it on music for 2 hours tomorrow (Saturday) and get in touch on Monday to arrange return if all goes well"
If that is not dedication to the cause I don't know what is.
They also rebuilt my Troika which took 5 weeks and came back sounding better than ever. A true gentleman and a great company.

Cheers

Nick

Well, it sound like they're getting better, then. Good news.

Last time I had my ART1 retipped they had just ripped out all the old diamond polishing machines, and it took a couple of months to get the new ones online and have some free time. I believe they're mainly used for cutting diamonds to etch the printing blocks for bank notes. The carts are a personal sideline for Mr Hodges.

There was also something that styli are done in batches of the same profile, so they wait until they have enough carts requiring that profile before they make up a batch. I guess it depends how often they need your profile.

cheers, Martin

E-mail:- MartinPayne at Dial.Pipex.com

Well I thought I'd report back to this thread. I just received my rebuilt Linn Klyde from Expert Stylus and it greatly exeeds my expectations. It's significantly better than the 2 year old (2,500 hour) Linn Rebuilt Troika I've been running. In fact I'm pretty certain my Hi-Fi has ever sounded better.

I've peeled through the following albums this evening:

Foo Fighters - One By One
Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
Steely Dan - Two Against Nature
Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs
Theivery Corporation - The Richest Man in Babylon
O Brother Where Art Thou? - Soundtrack
Peter Gabriel - Up
Audioslave - Audioslave
Thompson Twins - Into the Gap
Alison Krause - New Favorite
Cheap Trick - In Color
Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way
Rush - Vapor Trails
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - The Last DJ
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Queen - News of the World
The J. Geils Band - Bloodshot
Dr. John - In the Right Place
Deep Purple - Come Taste the Band
38 Special - Wild-Eyed Southern Boys
Bad Company - Run With The Pack
Nazareth - Hair of the Dog
John Mayer - Room for Squares
Gerry Rafferty - City to City
Ted Nugent - Ted Nugent

If your cartridge has over 2,500 hours, I'd strongly suggest you get it checked before spending any other money on your system.

Cheers,
John

[This message was edited by John Gilleran on SUNDAY 23 March 2003 at 04:20.]

I can only reiterate the good things written on this thread about Expert Stylus. Mr Hodgson had my beloved Koetsu 80th Anniversary for almost nine months, but returned it sounding indistinguishable from when it was brand new, and for a fifth of the price that Absolute Sounds would charge for the equivalent service. Naturally, I was reticent when first sending it off; as it turned out the whole thing needed rebuilding, but my fears were totally unjustified!

Considering the low advertising profile of this firm, they obviously are swamped with work and deservedly so. One of the many nice things about this forum is the way we can share valuable information about firms that otherwise many of us wouldn't get to hear about. I learned of ESCo from this forum, apart from helping me make my decision to buy an Aro, it's the best thing the forum's done for me.

Now all I need is a little more encouragement to buy that Armageddon!

"...support your local independent dealer!"

Turnaround time from Expert Stylus must have improved significantly, my Troika was returned refurbished in just over two weeks which included the Easter holidays. Results are excellent, cartridge sounds great and is tracking well.

I sent my Lyra Lydian,and a cheque for £20 off for initial examination a couple of weeks back.Don't even know if they have received it ok....Best phone them I think.

Cheers,
Paul

Guys,
am i right to say the only way to contact Expert Stylus is through fax or a phone call, ie no emails?