Quote Originally Posted by Shovel_Knight View Post
A phono cartridge is such a delicate thing that any alteration can change its sound drastically, and not always for the better.

For example, stock Denon DL-103 has a nude diamond, if it was replaced with a bonded elliptical, I personally would consider it a downgrade rather than an upgrade because bonded styli wear down faster and are heavier thus increasing tip mass.

The cantilever looks kinda thick in the photos — significantly thicker than the original Denon cantilever, how was it installed? Was it slid over the stub of the original cantilever? Was the original cantilever removed from the holder assembly and the new one installed instead? Was the suspension messed with? The listing doesn't provide any answers to these questions

In my opinion, buying a retipped/recantilevered MC cartridge is somewhat of a Russian roulette. It might sound fine, or it might be completely ruined compared to the stock configuration. Very often owners send their cartridges for retipping, and when the cartridge comes back, they don't like the sound and advertise the retipped cartridge on eBay claiming that it sounds perfectly fine -- hoping, of course, that the buyer wouldn't know the difference...

Obviously, there are retippers who enjoy excellent reputation, such as Expert Stylus in the UK or Soundsmith in the US. I wouldn't hesitate to buy an ES-retipped cartridge if that the seller can provide the receipt, but I'd be wary of any homemade job.
I agree with all the above and would never consider buying any s/hand cartridge, as you have no idea how it has been treated, wear and tear and how well the re-tip has been done.

Just fitting an elliptical tip is no guarantee of better sound as there are so many variables such as the quality of the tip, if bonded or naked, is it perfectly aligned etc.