FS: Brand new Sealed in Box Lyra Delos.
2010 Stereophile Analog Source Component Runner-Up Award Winner!
2011 TAS Editor's Choice Awards
It took me 4 months to get this cart & I only got 1 Delos from Stig of Lyra.
I use one personally & I superbly enjoy this cart. The one am selling is a brand new sealed unit.
The next unit that is arriving is still unknown... they are very much in demand.
SRP P68,000.00
Please PM or text me for final pricing.
Wiredstate rules as this is the only Delos for now.
Thanks for looking.
Ferdie
http://www.needledoctor.com/Lyra-Delos-Phono-CartridgeAbsolute Sound Review:
The new $1500 Delos cartridge from Lyra aims—and claims—to solve an issue critical to optimizing a moving-coil’s performance: the proper orientation of the cartridge’s magnetic circuits, signal coils, and core.
As Stirling Trayle of U.S. importer Immedia explained it, “MC cartridge performance is optimal when the angles are all aligned. Any significant difference in those angles will cause the formation of a strong and directional flux that will flow constantly from the magnetic circuit into the signal core. This directional magnetic flux will orient the core toward a specific direction and make it impossible for the core to move with equal ease in all directions, which is necessary for proper cartridge performance. Think of it as a kind of electromagnetic damping that hinders the free movement of the stylus in the groove.”
The problem, according to Lyra and Immedia, with “conventional” moving-coil designs is that optimal alignment occurs only with the cartridge at rest, i.e., not playing. As soon as a record hits the groove, and its tracking force is applied, that delicate balance is thrown off, compromising resolution, tracking ability, and dynamic range.
To solve this issue, Lyra designed the body of the Delos—as well as that of the upcoming Kleos ($2750)—to have an unusually shallow angle, as well as asymmetrically cut dampers on the cartridge’s suspension system. “With the cartridge at rest and no tracking force applied, the shape of the asymmetrical dampers puts the signal coils and core into a more upright angle than the magnetic circuit,” Trayle continued. “When the proper tracking force is applied, however, the force of the stylus pushing on the LP causes the asymmetrical dampers to become symmetrical in shape.”
The resulting uniformity of operation during playback is said to not only improve dynamics, tracking ability, and resolution, but also to remove much of the guesswork, such as proper VTF and VTA, from the set-up process. As Stirling instructed, “If you find you end up using a tracking force below 1.7 or above 1.8, something is wrong. The Delos is dialed-in by the builder, Yoshinori Mishima, to center the coil in the flux field and provide the correct VTA for a level arm at 1.75 grams. For some reason I found 1.77 grams nailed it for this sample.” The way I would know if this was correct with my setup, Trayle told me, was that, when everything was just-so, the record would sound quieter and the music louder.
Minimal tuning, and a bit of deliberate off-tuning, confirmed his prediction. An exceptionally quite background is indeed the most immediately striking aspect of this design. It is also very well balanced and notably coherent across the spectrum, tonally natural, texturally rich, and very quick of response.
Sinatra’s “Blues In The Night” opened with excellent focus, a firmly rooted bass line with well-defined pluck, and a fine sense of the Capitol recording studio’s ambience and the reverb employed. The Delos also has a lovely dynamic ebb and flow, which highlights Sinatra’s unparalleled way with a lyric phrase, especially evident on the lovesick, “Tears Out To Dry.”
“Hell Is Chrome” displayed a fine feeling of instrumental complexity and warmth with the thickly textured electric guitars and keyboards, as well as outstanding pace and timing. Drummer Glenn Kotche’s cymbals and snare were very natural, and I was again struck by the Delos’ silent background, which revealed Tweedy’s vocal articulation, while the harmonic layering of the electric guitar break, with its peeling highs, never turned harsh.
The 19th century hymn “Abide With Me” kicks off Monk’s Music as a brief horns-only intro, and the Delos shows its ability to portray the richness, body, and individual beauty of each instrument. With “Well You Needn’t,” the Delos was very transparent, portraying a life-size soundstage and oodles of air in the recording and also around the instruments. Monk’s piano seems as nimble as a cat leaping a fence, and when Coltrane is awakened from his slumber with shouts of “Coltrane! Coltrane!” his solo unleashed his gorgeous palette of tonal possibilities. Ray Copeland’s trumpet was taut and focused, naturally drier tonally, and his solo shows the Delos’ upper registers to be both bright and sweet (meaning, true to the instrument), while Art Blakey and bassist Wilbur Ware’s break was a model of clarity, precision timing, and musicality. And during Blakey’s solo, the Delos filled the wall of my listening room with such a strong presence of his kit that it rivaled that audiophile warhorse, the Sheffield Drum Record.
Stravinsky’s Petrushka only confirmed what the rest of my listening had told me. The Delos displays a wonderfully lively dynamic response, sounds consistently fast and responsive, with a rich thicket of tones and textures. From bass drum wallops to light cymbal pats, growling bowed strings, and moments of dynamic hush to explosive outbursts, the Delos also conjured an impressive illusion of three-dimensionality.
While I won’t claim to have heard every contender in this price range, it seems to me that Lyra’s design work with the Delos has yielded something quite special: a beautiful performer that sets a new standard in its class.
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