Lyra Delos Owners 2024

Hi Tommy,

What are you using for a tonearm? Is it a VPI unpivot arm?

@mijostyn 

Long story but I have my UniPivot ready to be traded in for a Fatboy Gimbal if I want at VPI ...

Fabulous! Go for it. Unipivot arms should not exist. I do not even care for the stabilized ones like the Graham and Basis arms. It is harder and more expensive to make a tonearm with proper bearings, the tolerances have to be so tight. A cartridge has to be held rigidly in orientation to the record and move only in two directions, vertical and horizontal. It can not have any torsional laxity/instability.

In this case the Lyra will make a big improvement over the Hana. I think you should also look carefully at the Soundsmith Zephyr. It is the same price as the Delos and IMHO an even better cartridge with support and service that is second to none. I am also not crazy about cantilevers hanging out in the breeze, which brings up the fact that the Soundsmith is way less expensive to rebuild. The Delos around $1000 and the Zephyr $350. 

@mijostyn 

Buying a new Gimbal tonearm that is actually close to double what I payed for the actual TT , it's a thinker 🤔 Even w the trade in potential it's steep! 

The Delos is the best sounding cartridge i have heard, handily beats the Ortofon Cadenza Blue I had before, cleaner, smoother, clearer and more dynamic.  

Shreds to bits the Soundsmith zephyr mimc star es and also better than the at ART9 series XA, XI.  

my end game cartridge and i am a demanding mofo.  

If I had to compromise I would go for the more capable tonearm and cartridge rather than the turntable. They can be shifted to a better turntable in the future if you find the old one not acceptable. I would like to stress that the goal with turntables, cartridges and tonearms is that they should have no sound of their own. They should broadcast what is in the groove at the exact right and stable speed w/o any distortion. It always bothers me when someone quips that his turntable sounds warm, dynamic, with great timing, yada yada yada. Music has timing, turntables do not or are not supposed to. Any timing other than what the music calls for is distortion.

You will not be disappointed with the Lyra.  I've had mine for 10 years now and still loving it!!