Brand new Lyra Delos - skewed cantilever

@lewm is correct. Any cartridge including the Lyra can be out a bit and most if not all of us would not notice it. I think the major determinant of how import proper set up is is the type of stylus. The effect of the set up being off would be loss of very high frequencies and smearing of the image. 

@anthos314, maybe it is just the records?

Mijo and davey, Just to be clear, I am not claiming that set-up is not important. I am just saying that the gross malfunctions experienced by the OP would usually not be due to small errors in geometry, regardless of the stylus shape.  Also, I forgot to mention groove tortuosity as another factor that affects the magnitude of the skating force, but that doesn't matter here.  I really think something is hanging up the tonearm, maybe the wiring, if not also a pivot bearing problem.  Sometimes these issues are easy to hear but hard to find.

@lewm : your message gave me an epiphany this morning and I checked the arm lift. It was set too high, so my raising the tonearm by one fraction of an inch the other day actually made things better because of that.

So I guess there is no mystery anymore!

However the two problematic records I have still skip, possibly because of a tiny groove wall rip which the hana sl could not go through (too big a needle).

I’d love to repair that but have no equipment. Shame though, everywhere else they’re fantastic records.

I am not sure I understand your hypothesis to explain the skipping of two LPs that apparently still exhibit skipping, but I am gratified to know you found a problem that certainly could cause skipping, and other unpleasant effects. If it makes you feel better that problem with the height of the queuing device is not uncommon. It occasionally happens to the best of us.

Hi @anthos314 : Thank you for your photos dated 06-21. In my opinion they show a worrisome level of dust; the heightened distribution of dust closer to the LP surface indicates that this dust comes from the LPs being played rather than a generally dusty environment.

If this is truly what your Delos looks like after a scant 20 hours, there is a chance that you may experience longer-term problems, including mistracking, shortened stylus life, and eventual constriction of the cantilever's motion as dust builds up inside the cartridge's inner workings (your photos show that dust is already accumulating inside the cantilever exit hole).

I therefore recommend that you strengthen your record cleaning regime, either with a liquid-based or ultrasonic record cleaning machine.

But the stylus should also be kept clean. Normally I would recommend a water-based stylus cleaner, but with the photographed level of dust deposition, there is a risk that water may cause some of the dust to solidify into a mud-like substance, which could be very challenging to remove without damaging the cantilever.

Regarding stylus cleaning in your particular circumstance, I therefore suggest dry-cleaning the front of the Delos' red magnet carrier and the rear section of the cantilever (close to the cantilever exit hole) gently with a small paint-brush with very soft bristles, trying to flick the dust away from the cantilever exit hole.
Once the red magnet carrier and rear section of the cantilever look clean, work your way forward on the cantilever until you reach the stylus (again dry cleaning only, very gentle motions with a small paint-brush that has very soft bristles).
Once the cantilever looks completely clean, only then would I suggest using a water-based stylus cleaner (such as Lyra SPT), but use it very sparingly so that only the stylus gets wet; try to avoid getting any liquid on the cantilever.

Unless something significant can be done about the dust deposition, you may find that your Delos needs a mid-life thorough cleaning. If it starts to sound like the performance is clearly "off", likewise for the tracking, send it back to us and we will do our best to restore it to proper working order.

If you suspect that something is not right, you could also email us updated photos of the front of the Delos (like your photos from 06-21) so that we can notify you if there are any warning signs.

kind regards, jonathan