I haven't owned a Glider in over 10 years, so it's quite a while for me to go on memory. Also, I have never heard the Delos, but I have owned a Helikon. The Helikon is probably the fastest, tightest cartridge I ever owned, though I would say it was a bit too lean for my tastes. You say that you are looking for "a little more" detail and extension, I would think the Lyra would give you a LOT more.....though this may or may not suit your tastes.
Another cartridge to consider is a Dynavector XX mk II. |
Lyra Helikon is a great cartridge. Some think, newer is always better, but that one was (is) really good. It has a superb overall tonal Balance. Delos is good, Zyx are also very interesting, they are uncritical to Arms and the Fuji RS is really hard to beat for the money... |
I use a Delos with a VPI Traveler and all other components are the same as yours for the electronics and the result is very satisfying with much detail,depth and warmth. |
I've been using a Lyra Delos on my VPI Classic 1 for the past several months and I couldn't be happier, I can't believe how much more life the music has. I was previously using a Dynavector 17d3, I fine cart itself, but the Lyra Delos just takes everything to another level altogether. Records that I previously found dull and uninvolving are now much more listenable and musical. The Delos just seems to liberate the music from the grooves and reveals what's really in the recording. |
Thanks for the feedback from all; I decided to go ahead and purchase the Delos; I will post my impressions after I have some hours on it and provide some comparison to the Benz Glider S. |
Congrats! Check back in and let us know how you are enjoying the Delos. |
Without any kind of doubt Delos is a much better mc cartridge against Glider.
New Lyras have same analytic sonic character as old one (eg Helikon) BUT from the warmth side.
Anyway imho Glider sound is only good in mids (very good), the far from mids the worst sound |
Hi,
A question on the piece of "Japanese paper(?)" under the Lyra cartridge. What is it for?
When my Lyra Delos was new, the paper had about 1mm clearance from the record surface. But now the paper is riding very close, almost touching the record surface and it is fraying a bit.
Is this of any concern? Thanks |
The paper's purpose is to keep dirt and grunge out of the coils. Check your VTF, if it is too high, lower the VTF. If you are still in the allotted range, then it sounds like your suspension may be breaking down. It could be time for a re-build. How old is the cartridge, how many hours? |
I just sprung for the Delos as well, let us know what you think!! |
Hi Jmc,
My Delos has been sitting in its box for about a year before I mounted it about 4 months ago. It is relatively new. Less than 300 hours of play, I suppose. |
Are you tracking between 1.7-1.8 grams? Is the VTA set properly? Lyra recommends 20 degree. I don't think that the paper touching the record will do any damage, but to me, it is a concern that either the cartridge is not set up properly or is not functioning properly. Have you tried to contact Lyra? |
I think your paper issue is of great concern. I would definitely contact Jonathan Carr at Lyra. He's one of the champions of customer service and will for sure be attentive to your issue. |
After my original posting in in February, I decided to go with the Delos. After listening to it for over 60 hours, I am extremely pleased; it gives me the detail and air I was looking for and the control on the bottom end; excellent complement to my VPI/Manley front end. It is somewhat more forward and detailed than the Benz Glider which is what I needed in my system. However, my plan is to still keep the Benz as it is still in my opinion an excellent cartridge, and mount it on a 2nd arm and use it on my vinyl recordings that sound a little too hot in my system. Lastly, I did not find the difficulty of mounting the Delos to be of any more significance compared to other cartridges. |
Glad you're enjoying this fine cartridge! |
Just recently purchased a VPI Classic 1 installed with the Delos and im extremely happy with it. Only a few hours into it and i know it will only get better. |
