LYRA DELOS CARTRIDGE TOO BRIGHT, THIN AND SHRILL SOUNDING

Did OP listen to a dem before buying?
It's understandable most dealers don't want to loan carts for audition like other equipment, but he could have had a dem.  If the sound is as slanted as he says, he would certainly have heard it.

Never buy blind!

well tt is like that.. the more high end the more work  skill, required to make it sounds optimum. also same with speakers. 

if can setup high end stuff and make it sound good.. then no problem setting up cheap stuff and make it sound good but not the other way round. 

@clearthinker

my buddy is also agent for a few big high end brands.. same thing can sound totally different with different venue and owner . I often tag along as a 2nd ear to setup.. distributor and customer relationship is important. what work or not discus with the distributor. buy a system not equipment.. synergy is very important.

the point is not just listen to demo and buy. build a good relationship.. be fair. and normally it ends well. 

tt81 is ok... 200 300 ish good condition. I just bought 2 for my friends

TT-81 is cheap, but reference class TT-101 is always broken and always listed as junk with no return. Repair of tt-101 cost nearly $2k and can tale a year in the USA (if you’re not in USA like myself it’s terrible). Not everyone is a skilled tech and very few have a tech who can handle TT-101.  

Denon DP-80 is better than cheap TT-81 (in my opinion) and always reasonably priced on ebay where buyer is protected and return is possible.

But import tax is different from country to country and it’s very high in Europe if you don’t know (can be 20-30% from the amount that must include shipping cost too).

This is why a brand new Technics SP-10R DD with warranty is better.

I think Luxman PD-444 is great because the owner don’t have to think about plinth (and it’s for 2 tonearms).

 Not everyone is a skilled tech and very few have a tech who can handle TT-101.  

Is your second TT 101 under repair or is it on standby?