Clearaudio virtuoso retip redux

sabocat · « **on:** 3 Feb 2018, 12:26 pm »

Hello all,

I have a virtuoso with a bent cantilever that has been sitting around for ages and I'm trying to figure out what to with it. I have a thorens td125mk2 with a denon 301mk2 plugged into an audible illusions modulus 3 via a lounge audio copla head amp. I'm thinking the copla is possibly a weak link and a retipped virtuoso would sound good through the Curl MM phono stage. Would a ruby soundsmith retip be the way to go, or the diy at95he route? Or any other suggestion.

jsm71 · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Feb 2018, 10:49 pm »

I have a Clearaudio Virtuoso in my stable of carts, and when it came time for a retip I engaged Soundsmith for the Ruby Cantilever / Nude Contact Line Diamond option. I was super impressed and felt their work made the cartridge better than new. Highly recommended.

sabocat · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Feb 2018, 09:27 am »

Thanks for the response. The only thing holding me back are a few suggestions that the virtuoso sounds thin in the upper register. How would you describe it?

Mr Peabody · « **Reply #3 on:** 6 Feb 2018, 03:51 am »

I second the Soundsmith work. I heard a friend's Maestro that was worked on by them, excellent.

I never heard anything to criticize on the Virtuoso top end. Set up and associated equipment would play a part in the response as well. Soundsmith will improve on sound too.

Bob Stark · « **Reply #4 on:** 6 Feb 2018, 12:02 pm »

I had a Virtuoso I used with a Maplenoll Ariadne air bearing TT/arm and it sounded very nice with no noticeable sound lacking at all. I also had an Audible Illusions 2D at the time--and later on, a 3A w/John Curl MC phono in it.
I've had 2 cartridges with the Soundsmith rebuild: Shelter 501 mk II w/a level 2 rebuild, and a Benz Micro Ruby 3 w/a level 3 rebuild that I'm still using. Both were done expertly and sounded fantastic--I would say at least as good as the original or better. Now using a heavily modified Lenco TT with a Trans-Fi Terminator linear tracking arm.

Bob

jsm71 · « **Reply #5 on:** 6 Feb 2018, 04:08 pm »

The Virtuoso was the best of my carts at the time I had the Soundsmith work done. Since it came back sounding better than new I had no complaints. I wanted to dive into MC carts since then, and I now have a couple of those feeding into a SUT, still using a MM phono stage, but that has been upgraded as well. I really like the sound of MC --> SUT --> MM phono stage. It requires the extra phono cable as the only downside.