Moving Coil Cartridge Retipping & Restoration
There may be much more music left in your cartridge.
We welcome cartridges from any maker in our atelier. Inspection is complimentary, and you approve the quotation before work begins.
Typical turnaround is 7 to 14 days after your approval, and the cartridge returns to your door with customs and duties paid, under a 12-month craftsmanship warranty.
We offer moving coil cartridge retipping with the care of a manufacturer. We restore precision, preserve musical character, and recommend broader restoration work only when truly needed.
Inspection is always complimentary, with no obligation.
A manufacturer’s approach to restoration
At Le Son, retipping is approached with the same philosophy that guides the creation of our own moving coil cartridges.
Because we design and build MC cartridges ourselves, we bring a deeper understanding of stylus geometry, cantilever behaviour, suspension dynamics, and generator integrity to every restoration. Each cartridge is treated as a precision instrument whose balance and musical voice deserve careful respect.
The aim is to return the cartridge with its mechanical integrity, musical balance and original intent carefully respected.
Cartridge retipping process
1. Complimentary inspection
Every restoration begins with a thorough evaluation at no cost and no obligation. We assess stylus wear, cantilever condition, suspension health, alignment, coil integrity, and overall cartridge condition before recommending any work. If a cartridge is beyond practical repair, we will tell you clearly.
2. Clear recommendation and quote
Based on inspection, we provide a detailed recommendation and transparent quote. This may involve stylus retipping alone or broader restoration depending on what the cartridge needs. No work is carried out without your approval.
3. Precision work
Once approved, the retipping or restoration is performed under high magnification using specialised tools and methods suited to moving coil cartridges, respecting the character and intent of the original design.
4. Final verification
Before return, the cartridge is checked for alignment, mechanical integrity, channel balance, and overall performance, then carefully prepared for shipment.
How pricing works
Every cartridge reaches us in its own condition, so your exact price follows the inspection. It depends on how much of the cartridge needs renewing. These are the starting points.
We hold a large range of stylus shapes, cut in our own atelier and imported from Japan: line contact and Gyger S profiles from our atelier, and line contact, Shibata and Micro Ridge styli from Japan. We propose the options that suit your cartridge and quote them after inspection.
Every price includes the parts, fitting and alignment, testing, a 12-month craftsmanship warranty and the return to your door with customs and duties paid. You pay once the work is complete. If you choose not to go ahead after the inspection, only the return postage is yours.
Tell us the model and send a photo or two with the form below. We reply with the price for your cartridge.
Cartridges we restore
Our atelier regularly performs retipping and restoration for cartridges from brands such as Denon, Lyra, Ortofon, Benz Micro, Dynavector, Audio-Technica, EMT, Supex, Shelter, Koetsu, Clearaudio, My Sonic Lab, Sumiko, SAEC, and many others.
Request a complimentary inspection
Sending your cartridge is simple. Fill in the form below, and we will reply with a personalised recommendation and detailed shipping instructions so your cartridge can travel safely.
If you do not see a confirmation message after submitting the form, please email your photos directly to info@leson.org.
FAQ – Moving coil cartridge retipping
- When should a cartridge be retipped?
- How long does cartridge retipping take?
- Can all moving coil cartridges be retipped?
- Does retipping change the sound of the cartridge?
- How many hours does a stylus last?
Stylus wear happens gradually and may not always be obvious.
However, several symptoms often indicate that retipping may be required:
• loss of high-frequency detail
• increased distortion or sibilance
• inner groove distortion
• reduced channel separation
• visible stylus wear under magnification
• accidental cantilever damage
Most moving coil stylus assemblies last approximately 800 to 1,500 hours of playback depending on stylus profile, record condition, and tracking force.
If you are unsure about the condition of your cartridge, we offer complimentary inspection before recommending any work.
Typical restoration time ranges from 7 to 14 days after your approval, depending on the complexity of the work required.
Many moving-coil cartridges can be retipped or restored, but feasibility depends on the generator, suspension, cantilever assembly, body condition and previous work.
Inspection comes first, then recommendation and quote.
Retipping can restore proper groove contact and tracking behaviour, but the final result depends on the stylus profile, cantilever, cartridge condition and original design.
Our aim is to preserve the cartridge’s musical character while recommending only work that makes sense after inspection.
Stylus lifespan depends on stylus shape and record condition but typically ranges between 800 and 1500 hours.