Anyone using a Lyra Delos yet?

Hello all,
I'm considering the Delos for my VPI Classic that is on backorder. My question concerns the loading for the Delos: which setting do those who own the cartridge find works best with it? Mr. Carr doesn't like to specify a loading for Lyra cartridges so I'm curious what the general sense is. Thank you.

Syntax, Great photo. But your SRA looks a bit off, based on Fremer's latest column in S'phile. 92 degrees, he says.

Not necessarily. Fremer defines the SRA as "the angle between the record surface and the vertical axis of the stylus's CONTACT AREA area..." He then goes on to say that "to properly set SRA you need to know the stylus profile contact patch of your catridge." If a cartridge has an "extreme-angle contact patch" (like the Ortofon A90), it would require that the shank of the stylus "be actually pitched far forward for the contact area's SRA to be at 92 [degrees]." He also warns against using the shank of the stylus as a reference for setting the SRA.

I believe the Delos has a line-contact stylus, just like my Soundsmith Aida, and the shank of the stylus might have to be "pitched" forward to get 92 degreees, like Fremer says. The angle of the shank of my cart's stylus looks very much like Syntax's Delos'.

I won't deny that I find it rather confusing and have no idea how to verify it is in fact 92 degrees at this point. It seems you have to use a microscope and software like Fremer did. Perhaps Mr. Carr can express his opinion on the subject.

Clabe,

Why do you need to know this? Seems like a rather odd piece of information to be asking about.

Clabe,

To the best of my knowledge, the Mint Tractor is made for a specific tonearm, not cartridge. If all you have changed is the cartridge, any variations between the Delos and Air Tight are irrelevant. That's the whole point of having the Mint--it lets you align any cartridge mounted on the tonearm the Mint was made for.

Sounds like we made your weekend Clabe :)

Physical characteristics of a cartridge have no bearing on making a Mint (or any other for that matter) protractor for a particular tonearm. As long as your tonearm/turntable parameters stay the same (i.e., mounting distance and effective length), you can swap carts to your heart's content and align them using the very same Mint. Enjoy!

The Delos must be in very high demand as I've been waiting for mine for about a month now and still no sight of it. I understand it's unusual for Lyra to have this problem. Is it a supply problem or a manufacturing problem? Any dealers here who could shed some light on the issue?

Jon,
Thank you very much for your thorough and candid response to my post. I absolutely agree with you; I'd rather wait for the cartridge longer than see Lyra trade quality for numbers. It's very reassuring to know that Lyra continues to make quality and standards its top priorities.

The Delos finally arrived and has been mounted on the VPI Classic, which was also backordered for over 2 months. Wow, a beautiful looking cartridge made with the highest attention to detail. The built is simply immaculate. The combo sounds great right out of the box; considering the cart and table are not broken in yet, I'm very impressed with both. Well worth the wait.

Cmalak...Of course, no problem. I'd be happy to provide feedback. I'm also currently using a phono preamp loaner as my Camelot Tech Lancelot is back with the manufacturer to customize it a little more. So the system is not complete yet.

As far as additional tweaks, I did get the Valhalla wiring, which looks spectacular with the black oak finish and certainly contributes to the detail and transparency of the sound. I'm thinking of adding the clamp or the SDS possibly in the future.

Perhaps remind me in a little while should I forget to come back to this thread to provide a report.

I have a question about low riders. What exactly a low rider makes? My Delos sounds superb, but I noticed that it rides a little lower than it did when I first bought it (or at least it appears so to me, but I wouldn't stake my life on it :) It's possible that the suspension settled after about half a year of weekend use. There is about a millimeter, or close to it, of clearance between the record surface and the lowest part of the cartridge. Would this be classified as a low rider? Is this a problem that should be addressed with the dealer?

Thanks Moonglum. The cantilever looks to be perfectly perpendicular to the red front magnet carrier so I guess it's not a low rider and just as it's supposed to be. The sound certainly seems to be confirming it, haha!

Pani,
I'd suggest you give the cart a bit longer to break in, even though mine sounded great right out of the box, but even better after it broke in. I'm not familiar with the other cartridges you listed, but the Delos sounds very well balanced to me, which perhaps could be perceived as "bony" perhaps? I had sibilance issues with male vocals with my previous Soundsmith Aida so I can say with confidence the Delos does not exhibit sibilance issues, at least to my ear.

Btw, I'm also considering the Sensor Prelude so I'm a bit concerned now after reading your post. How long have you had it and what do you think of it? I don't mean to hijack the thread, but since it's now impossible to contact members directly, this seems to be the only way to ask for input.

Good to hear, Pani. Always a tricky thing with pieces of gear you can't readily audition in your system.
Keep us posted on the Delos.