Lyra Etna Versus Kleos

I had a Delos for a short while and upgraded to the Kleos and love it. However the system you describe would be a perfect fit for the Etna, if you have the means, and if your asking I presume you do. I have heard the Etna on a few different tables at a dealer and I feel it is a great stride apart from the Kleos. I have a Rega RP10 and I don't feel, nor can afford, that the Etna would reveal its potential on my table. But your table and arm would allow the Etna to perform as intended. All opinion of course, but honest opinion.

I have 3 carts all Lyra. An Atlas, Etna and a mono Kleos. My fav, not necessarily the best, is the Etna. Between the Etna and the Kleos there is, IMHO, no comparison. The Etna is miles ahead provided the rest of the gear is in the same league. I believe the Etna will be an excellent choice in your system
Pradeep

Thank you for your input.

If anyone else has any thoughts it would be much appreciated. Any other Etna users out there? Anyone else that has heard it ?

Any others cartridges that reach its performance at a more reasonable price?

I listen primarily to classical piano,string quartets, and various chamber music. Some opera and jazz.

What I am after is a cartridge that will provide the best resolution, allowing me to follow the interplay of each individual instrument with life like imaging and tone.

Thanks Again,

P. Smith

Have among others an Atlas and an Etna.  If your goal is resolution then the Atlas should be your choice it really gets every note out of the grooves.  The Etna I would clarify as extremely easy to listen to it has a great musical flow.

Realize the is quite a bit more, but given what your after it may be worth the extra expense.

Good Listening


Peter

Dear sunnyboy1956: I own the Kleos and heard bis a bis the Etna and agree with you the Etna is a better cartridge, where I disagree with you is when you say: " there is no comparison in between " because through my experiences are not so faraway one of the other.  My Kleos ia the stereo version I don't own the mono one like you.

Now, any one that has the money and analog rig for these cartridges the choice as you say is the Etna.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Continuing the discussion, any comments on what is better at detail retrieval? 

Is the Etna better at detail retrieval than the Kleos?

Peter suggested the Atlas, but that is above my budget. I am being offered a new Kleos for $3000 or the Etna for $7000.

I am seriously considering buying the Etna now at $7000. I figure I will want to upgrade from the $3000 Kleos in two or three years, when who knows what the price will be for the Etna will be then.

Thanks,

P. Smith

I have a friend at a major audio manufacturing plant who has contact with a lot of the company's customers. He's told me that customers who use Lyra cartridges tell  him that the Etna is the best overall cartridge in the Lyra line. 

Dear pdsmith957: """  I am seriously considering buying the Etna now at $7000. I figure I will want to upgrade from the $3000 Kleos in two or three years, when who knows what the price will be for the Etna... """

sounds good that alternative but probably in those 2-3 years Lyra will has new models.

In the other side even than Lyra is a good choice there are other good cartridge alternative, one of them could be the Colibri by VdH: great performer too that is a challenge even for the Atlas.
The audio market is " full " of very good cartridge options.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

I'm curious why no one has mentioned the Transfiguration Proteus when recommending the Aetna cartridge. I think they are priced similarly and present a somewhat different but equally excellent sound. Unless of course the 2.0mv output is in question for the Proteus. I'm not certain of the Etna's output.

I know it sounds very ambitious but seldom will you hear such a recommendation, get an Audio Technica ART9, compare the Lyras to it and then decide if any of them is worth their money. I have heard the Lyras and owned the Skala for a good period of time. The ART9 is at least 3 levels better than the Skala. The only problem with ART9 is it is so cheap that you may be discouraged. 

I owned the Etna for about a year and loved its natural and full bodied sound, lots of meat on the bones if you will. Another cartridge you might consider is the ZYX Universe II, it strong suits are clarity, and separation of sounds in it's soundstage. Hopefully you will be able to audition some of these cartridges in your set up. Best of Luck

I recently demoed the Etna against the Kleos and I was blown away by the difference.  The Etna by comparison just revealed so much more information off the vinyl than the Kleos that it made the Kleos sound almost one dimensional.  And I know the Kleos is a great cartridge, it's just the Etna is an incredible experience.  Wide, dynamic and immersive.  I had just had the Kleos installed on my tonearm and asked if I could still have the Etna switched out.  Expensive yes, but if you are hardcore about your system it's a must have.  Go listen to it if you can.

Etna....no doubt

I own Delos, Etna SL and Atlas. I have owned the Kleos in the past, which to my ears is Lyra's weakest cartridge.

  Stick with Delos until you can afford the Etna.

I had now a couple of chances to hear a direct shoot out
(performed by the German Lyra importer) of the Kleos, Etna and Atlas.
Last time it were the 3 SL versions.

All cartridges were mounted in the same tonearms and worked
with the same phono stage.

With all music examples the Atlas was the best and the Kleos had
to settle for position three. The Etna sometimes was closer to the
Kleos and sometimes closer to the Atlas.

Dear @racedoc: Those 3 models has the same type of design that is different from the other lYRA MODELS AS THE tITAN OR ANY OTHER IN THE lYRA CATALOG.

We have to remember that the Kleos appeared in the market way before the Atlas and the Etna, both are a refinement cartridges from the Kleos that's why you said that the Etna sometimes performs nearer to the Kleos and sometimes nearer to the Atlas.

Very good cartridges.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

The Etna was designed to be similar in terms of overall competence to the Atlas, but have a different set of strengths. As a result, some systems and listeners may prefer the Atlas, while others may prefer the Etna.

At least to my ears, Roy Gregory got it right in his recent Etna review on Audio Beat.
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/lyra_etna.htm

Dear @jcarr : If I remember when MF made it the Stereophile review on the Etna his comments were similar on the RG ones. He said that overall the Etna was your best effort ( or something like that. ).

Even than the Kleos is not an " Etna " by quality performance and price tag it's very good too.

I imagine that you are thinking or working in a cartridge that could in the future outperform these top performers. Cartridges in the Lyra price range are very competitive market in between where is dificult to say for sure which is the best one. At this quality level performance quality in cartridges is at the top and what exist are differences but maybe no outperform one to the other. Exactly as both reviews and your comment on strengths to each model.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

any thoughts on the new Kleos Lambda version ? i would be upgrading from a Delos…

thx

Jim