High End cartridges and the built quality

Hi Whatthe,

i had problems with the Kleos, because it tracks only 40-50my lateral and playing loud sibilants.

So my dealer send it in the warranty time to Japan and after it tracks about 70-80my. Certainly the compliance was to high for my 12" Reed 3P.

At this time i got a Skala from a friend and looked it under the microscope, because he had problems with it. After i saw the crooked diamond i had a look at my Kleos and was horrified.

I wrote an email to my dealer and Lyra Japan, but got no answer of both.

The problem is that the diamond is glued askew on the small plate you can see here
https://www.dropbox.com/s/skw82l9yohw3pna/VTA%20Kleos.jpg?dl=0
Apparently Lyra does not look at the diamond when building it.

Now i have a perfect built EMT JSD 6. All is perfectly aligned.

I think every manufacturer of those highend cartridges has to make a measurement report for it like EMT.

I do not want to make Lyra bad. The have very well produced cartridges. See here
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xjefbfzre777ub7/Azimut%20Reed%20Kleos.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a60aalpzajtyd4b/Delos%20Azimut.jpg?dl=0

Thanks for the info 99, it is disturbing to me. To Markpao and Whatthe's point, how much do we really know about anything unless it is magnified? And how much do we want to know? I now feel like I have been lucky with my 2 cartridges since both play with no "known or detected errors."

I know cart are built by hand by craftsmen and as such there has to be a margin of error. But once complete how does he/she inspect and determine that it is ready for consumer use and enjoyment?

I am in the market for a cart and it is already a daunting decision because of the numerous options, things like this give me great pause....

To the cartridge designers and builders I say "Come On Man!"

Whatthe, you have it backwards. Cartridges are assembled under very powerful microscopes, with far higher magnification than that shown in these photos. The higher magnification should make more accurate stylus alignment not just possible, but easier and more consistent.

I think it is not so difficult to align a diamond within 1 degree. The problem is, nobody of us users was interested in this case and we have payed the money. I earn my money with milling miniature pieces for aeronautic. If i have such tolerances, i really would have a problem.