Brand new Lyra Delos - skewed cantilever

On what part of the record does the stylus skip? If it skips towards the lead out groove, then I would try a slightly higher anti skate ( this was happening on my Kleos on a few pressings, the fix was to increase very slightly the anti-skate). Remember, the Lyra’s do not track at a high VTF, as such they are probably a tad prone to anti skate issues.

BTW, just because the stylus skipped on the record does not mean it has damaged the groove, it is possible, but not always. You should listen again once the anti-skate is dialed in correctly.

I am sorry you are having so many issues that are no doubt diminishing your enjoyment of analog playback, but a record player should not have to be set up with NASA-level precision to perform reasonably well. Something is wrong and I suggest you call your dealer and have them straighten it out for you. Records should be playable with any in-the-ballpark turntable setup.

Thanks a lot everybody. It is true that kind of thing can make you wish you'd never chosen vinyl in the first place... 

The thing that bothers me is the needle. Either it is really small, or it is damaged (which would explain the skips). I'll try and look at it under a microscope at work. 

@chayro   You are not dealing with a set it and forget it type of product when you are getting into upper end analog. There are plenty of out of the box set it and forget it solutions in analog, but all of them are not designed for ultimate performance. The Lyra cartridges are all expected to be utilized on a higher performance platform, if one wants a simple and easy set up, there are any number of MM cartridges ( most with replaceable styluses) that are a lot more in line with your points. The OP decided he wanted a higher level of performance, and is now going to have to learn a little about set up requirements, or have his dealer set up the cartridge for him…in a more accurate manner.

@anthos314  Your stylus is a very small diamond which along with the cantilever tracks barely above the record surface! This is always a little odd looking at first, but the Lyra models exhibit this behavior…which is part of their design.Remember, you bought a Lyra as it is a high performance cartridge, as such it is not going to look or behave like a typical mass produced MM cartridge with a aluminum cantilever.