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Thread: Accuphase Cartridge

  1. #1
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

    Default Accuphase Cartridge

    Anyone know anything about the Accuphase AC2 cartridge?

    There's one on Ebay at the moment in need of a retip, which, I guess, might go for not too much.

    I'm not in the market for a new cartridge as I have a spare Koetsu Black, but it might interest someone. I'd certainly like to know a little more about it - I've never heard or seen a bit of Accuphase kit that didn't impress me on some level, so I suspect it might be a bit of a peach.

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Accuphase-Movi...d=p3911.c0.m14

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jul 2009

    Location: Singapore

    Posts: 22
    I'm Kee.

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    In the mid 80s I had one mounted from a Syrinx PU3 and fed through Mitch Cotter step-ups. It rendered an enormous soundstage, a solid low end with heft and verve. The midrange was just a little short of the beguiling Koetsu Rosewood's, no surprise there, and all through the upper treble, it was similarly blissful as an Ortofon MC2000. It was miles superior to nearly everybody's darling today, the Denon 103. I would buy it without reservation if it was made available again.

    I have hang-ups about re-tipping. This one from a reputed re-tipper illustrates how little we, the consumers, know about the process, and the level of redress, if any. Granted this may be an isolated case. I would request those who have used the Expert Stylus Co to fill in with full pics of the their re-builds.





    PS: I couldn't get the larger pic to load. The old cantilever was severed and the new glued on its upper surface, not through its hollow.
    Last edited by TKK; 31-07-2009 at 07:59.
    Kee

  3. #3
    Join Date: Jul 2009

    Location: Singapore

    Posts: 22
    I'm Kee.

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    The bigger and therefore clearer pic has come through.
    Kee

  4. #4
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

    Default

    Kee,
    Thanks for the information

    In the mid 80s I had one mounted from a Syrinx PU3 and fed through Mitch Cotter step-ups. It rendered an enormous soundstage, a solid low end with heft and verve. The midrange was just a little short of the beguiling Koetsu Rosewood's, no surprise there, and all through the upper treble, it was similarly blissful as an Ortofon MC2000. It was miles superior to nearly everybody's darling today, the Denon 103. I would buy it without reservation if it was made available again.
    Based on that assessment, my interest has stepped up a gear - well, several gears, actually!

    I have hang-ups about re-tipping. This one from a reputed re-tipper illustrates how little we, the consumers, know about the process, and the level of redress, if any.
    Re. the picture - yeuch!

    Granted this may be an isolated case. I would request those who have used the Expert Stylus Co to fill in with full pics of the their re-builds.
    My spare Koetsu Black is an original with a Van den Hul retip - It sounds great, but has lost a little of the Koetsu magic. However, the balance is redressed somewhat in that it now has some qualities that were never there before - such as more treble detail & a little more emphasis on the midrange - which some could argue is a bit recessed in the Black.

  5. #5
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Sheffield

    Posts: 2,026
    I'm Confused.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by The Grand Wazoo View Post
    Anyone know anything about the Accuphase AC2 cartridge?

    There's one on Ebay at the moment in need of a retip, which, I guess, might go for not too much.
    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Accuphase-Movi...d=p3911.c0.m14
    Hi Chris (or anyone else with an opinion),
    In 'ball park' terms, how much is a retip of this cartridge likely to cost - any ideas?
    Thanks for any opinions.
    Cheers,
    DaveK.

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  6. #6
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex

    Posts: 7,087
    I'm Dave.

    Default

    It's a personal thing but I wouldn't have a cartridge worked on by anyone other than the manufacturer of the cartridge. I'm sure there are re-tippers out there who can do a decent job but they don't have the parts or the knowledge of the original designer/manufacturer. The results might be very good but they won't be as the designer intended.

    In the case of the Accuphase, you probably have little choice but to resort to a re-tipper.

    By the way, I have an Accuphase cartridge in my 'Museum' box. I believe it is an earlier model an AC1 I believe and it is bland - as bland as a bland thing from blandtown.

  7. #7
    Join Date: May 2009

    Posts: 347

    Default

    Benz Micro also offer a re-tipping service. I can not comment on Re-tippers in general but please see what Stylus Expert's real business is- Precision diamond cutting and they are in demand from big organizations. Have a look at the company profile. The question is if people who make CD players and electronics are up to the same task? I had a long chat with the owner of the company some years ago and he was saying that when it comes to the diamond tip-many big names fall way short.

    Chris, re-tip costs around 300 GBP.

    Varun
    Last edited by Varun; 31-07-2009 at 20:40. Reason: Apologies - meant DAVE-C
    Varun

  8. #8
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: North East UK

    Posts: 6,358
    I'm InSpace.

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    I'll give a thumbs up to Expert Stylus too. I've used them before.

    Excellent work and let you know in advance exactly whats needed, they'll inspect it first and tell you if it's a non starter. That'll cost you about £25.
    Shian7
    --------------------------------------------------------

    Kudakutemo
    kudakutemo

    ari mizu-no tsuki

    Though it be be broken -
    broken again - still it's there:
    the moon on the water.

    - Choshu.

  9. #9
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

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    I've had dealings with Len Gregory in the past (not with respect to cartridges, though) & he seems like a real gent who knows his business well. He comes with a good reputation too. I think I'd trust him with a retipping job.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Jul 2009

    Location: Singapore

    Posts: 22
    I'm Kee.

    Default

    As far as I know for certain, Ortofon, Dynavector and Denon (only in Japan) grant a rebate through their distributors to the user to buy another from their stable, to ensure brand loyalty. They mostly toss away the traded-in items as we can reasonably deduce they find it cost ineffective to refurbish like new the small shells that cartridges come in once they break into them. This brings me to the heart of the matter of re-tipping.

    To assess the condition of the suspension or remove entirely the cantilever system in a moving coil cartridge, the re-tipper needs to break out the shell. Not all of them could be taken apart while others, once separated, would not fit whole again. The Denon 103 shell, on the surface, seems the easiest of the lot to do, yet the re-tipper in the pic I posted chose not to as he couldn't risk a process that was not fail-safe.

    I doubt manufacturers use identical suspension materials. I doubt they equip re-tippers with spares or allow them to be bought by others. I doubt re-tippers have anywhere near complete know-how on the tuning of each and every make out there, or are even equipped to do so.

    The Accuphase is a quarter of a century old design. As far as I recall, once we break it open, it's unlikely we can put it together again without some kind of stress fracture. So, what's the re-tipper to do?

    I have seen a pic of a Len Gregory re-fitted AC2, which had been put up for sale but not heard it, nor spoken with the user. It had a new cantilever with a new stylus joined through the hollow of the old. I doubt he did anything else except casually listen to it before dispatch.
    Kee

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