LYRA DELOS CARTRIDGE TOO BRIGHT, THIN AND SHRILL SOUNDING

The assessment as being publically made known as being 'horrible' is about a MC Cartridge owned for One Month.
There is not a reference made to the Cartridges 'hours of usage' within the Month of being owned.

A Cartridge that has had limited Hours of usage, does not create the best time to assess the overall performance, the Cartridge is going through a settling in period.
In general the view is that a Cartridge will start to present at its best with approx' 100 Hours of usage.
My own experience when using this as a Guide, is that the perception of a improvement will become noticeable.
Additionally the Balance across the frequency range will become Cohesive, and not perceived as a Certain Frequency being overly present.

In the early Days of using a Newly Rebuilt MC Cartridge on my System,
using a Valve MM Phonostage and Hashimoto SUT
the Bass was noticeably concealed and the Mid's were Projected and the Highs were Dominant.
A Silver Wired DIN Plug Tonearm Cable, made the Highs quite noticeable and dominant, I won't use the term SHRILL, as this is very Subjective as a description.
According to my notes taken,
the Copper Wired Phono Cable was used for much of the Settling In Period, which was attractive as it was offering a perception of adding a richness and little extra authority and weight.

The Rebuilt MC Cartridge was used in a friends System with the Same
TT and Tonearm, on a few occasions to be compared to other MC 's throughout the first few hundred hours of usage.

The Rebuilt Cartridge showed noticeable changes during the demonstrations, and all were for the perceived as being Better during each of the occasions where the usage was increasing in Hours.
The Rebuilt MC is a much Valued Cartridge and one that is to be maintained, and another MC from the same Brand is to be produced with a similar design.

The Silver Wired DIN Plug Tonearm Cable was also put back into use after approx' 100 Hours of the Cartridges usage as it was seen to be the Better cable, over the Copper Wire and was now able to deliver a very attractive sound quality.

A New Cartridge with very limited usage can not offer a True Insight to the Cartridge's Capabilities as a performer,  a Run In Time is vital to be allowed for. 

From my own experience and from those experiences made known from Friends with similar interests in Vinyl.
Only after allowing for about 100 Hours of Usage, can it be decided if the Cartridge is able to offer a performance that is attractive and satisfying.
Also at around this time of usage will the Cartridge best show how it can interface with other Ancillaries

In my case the MC was a Rebuild carried out to a unique Spec, If the end product was not meeting my preferences then Hey Ho, at least I had a new experience under my hat.
Not a lot could be said by others as the general contributors to a Forum  would not know of a Product done to the Spec I had commissioned.

In the Case of the Lyra Delos, this is a Well Known Cartridge and has been experienced by others in there own Systems or in a System used to demonstrate it.

From the information being supplied within this thread, it seems there is a lack of information being made available to show the set up the MC is in use at present, apart from the info that there was a Demo of the MC on a Valve Device.

One thing is very evident, there are posts that are a valuable support being offered to help understand the cause of the condition that has  raised a concern.      

     

IME, there is no component (nothing) that sounds "bad", "horrible", "wrong" out of the box, and turns into a good, great, fantastic after x hours. The real character is audible within the first hour. After that it is only about smoothening out and opening up overall. If you don't like the fundamental sound of Lyra in the first hour, it is going to be the same even after 200 hours. 

If any individuals really thinks the use of "Words" for a description such as,   "bad", "horrible", "wrong" is the best way to refer to their findings during a evaluation/assessment of a Product, especially about a product that has not got any easy to discover 'user reviews' that relate to the choice of ''Words" being selected.
In all the posts on this Thread, there is one Post that refers to a Perception of the MC have a High Frequency Emphasis when used in their System, but again, there is not any other information to inform on the Downstream Devices in the Vinyl Chain.

I can myself put on certain Vinyl Pressings from the 80's through a SUT and Valve Phon' and experience very over emphasised High Frequencies that are not attractive.
Such a experience is not a reason to condemn a Cartridge, it is about learning how to allow a Cartridge to perform at its best.

Taking a further look for something  Downstream in the Vinyl Chain, might show a contributing factor to the cause of the concern raised in this report.
As it looks like the Hana Interfaced with the Downstream in a manner that was attractive and satisfying.
When making  a choice for a different MC with the intention of the MC being able to punch above the weight of the capabilities of the Hana.
The improved design of the Lyra MC, may as a result of the improved Design element,  be able to expose the Devices that are Downstream in the Vinyl Chain with a more noticeable and increased perception.

The Lyra Delos not seem to have the capability to offer a Presentation that reflects the need to use the "Words" that have been chosen to describe the MC's Interface into the used System.
A search will show that there are  user reviews, that vary in the commentary, there is a reference that is not a condemnation of the MC,
but refers to the MC as revealing in the Upper Frequencies.
That description is in keeping with one Post made in this Thread, and
that post was also not condemning the MC.
Others users of the Lyra Delos are more complimentary, referring to the overall Balance across the frequencies and the good impressions it has made when used in their Vinyl Chain.

When assessing a Item to be purchased, it is best to gather a broad spectrum of the user reports.
Trying to identify the Systems Types that the users had entered the Item into.
This as a preparation can give a more educated evaluation than pre conceived thoughts, followed by the realisation, that expectations were not as great as one thoughts had projected. 

Being offered a Opportunity to experience a Item in advance is a diminishing offer and when made, is a opportunity to gather as much Information as possible.
If a Vendor or Friend was willing to allow me to experience a Cartridge that I have had expressed an Interest in, ( which has happened on a few occasions in the 00's).
I have asked almost immediately,  to be able to take my own Phonostage along to the Demonstration, to learn how the Resident Phon' compares to my own one, when in use with the Cartridge.
A lot can be learned in a Short Space of time and with a minimum outlay.
If one chooses their Words carefully during these experiences, a long term Friendship can develop, as has in my own experiences. 

The OP informs that the initial experience of the Lyra Delos was on a 
Valve Phon' and it is a assumption on my part, that the experience was capable to produce a good impression, one that was enough to encourage them to Pull the Trigger on a Purchase.

It is possibly a result of this limited experience of the MC that has created the Interface within their own System that is not as Satisfying as the one that was being imagined.  

IME, there is no component (nothing) that sounds "bad", "horrible", "wrong" out of the box, and turns into a good, great, fantastic after x hours. The real character is audible within the first hour. After that it is only about smoothening out and opening up overall. If you don't like the fundamental sound of Lyra in the first hour, it is going to be the same even after 200 hours.

Totally agree, never owned Lyra, but it's about any cartridge.
And a tiny VTF/VTA adjustment, azimuth or overhang will not do the magic! 

under the right setup.. it's very balanced  very high resolution separation dynamic excellent bass. not tilt up in any way. 

It's very big image and high energy sounding. not very warm towards the nuetral. but texture timber etc is there. 

I have to give this a very fair review. as I listen to them with various setup for almost 5 yrs edition 1 and edition 2.  it's  picky though with system cause of the high resolution and the burn in is quite long. it's one of the carts that I could. hear 3 layers of stage. like a high end cd. if your a high resolution freak this is the right one. 


no such thing as bad really. matter of system synergy. it's better to think what your system needs.. that's is the personal best one.