Lyra Helikon and Phd owners please

Hi Mark/All,
Many thanks for all your advice/suggestions. Immediately after installing the Helikon, there was a big drop in gain. I had to crank the gain settings on the Phd to max, ie 60db. Currently(sic!) and I don't have any issues with loudness or gain. The best that I have managed to do with the Helikon is to reduce the wake up time to around 23/30 seconds or so.If I tweak the sensitivity further the yellow light stays on which I assume is not good news for the power management system in the Phd.
As I said earlier this is bothersome but only for the first lp.The cart loading is set at 47k ohms as recommended in the Lyra manual.
As an aside the the Helikon sounds heavenly.
Wow this is a great feeling sitting halfway across the globe knowing someone somewhere is concened and willing to invest the time and effort to help find a solution.
Cheers and bye for now.

My friend,
I have written to you privately, and as I mentioned, I will try contacting Chad at Acoustic Sounds for you ASAP, and try getting accurate information, if Gain plays any significance-coorelation to the Sentry's Sensitivity.

Since you a 1/2 world away in New Delhi, it will be much easier, and less expensive for me to make the callto him, and I will inform you of the findings-opinions from Chad.

It is hard for me, or anyone else to determine if 60db through the Sutherland is properly adequate for the Lyra Helikon? perhaps other Helikon owners can comment of what gain settings they seem to be typical for the Helikon.

I could drop my friend Tom Back a letter, as he's using his Sutherland PhD with a Clearaudio Master Reference Table, and a Lyra Titan, which I "think" has the same output as the Helikon? (Seems darn tough getting proper spec info on these Lyras!)

Perhaps he can remember what gain settings he's using with the Titan, and if he had to resort to the High Gain Boards? Mark

Hi Mark,
Many thanks for all your help and advise. As I mentioned in an email, I not sure how a higher gain board will help given that the output of the Lyra is fixed at 0.5v(I checked the manual).A higher gain setting on the Phd will only make life easier for the main preamp(CJ CT5).
Cheers

Hello my friend, I have privately emailed you, and the advice-suggestions which were given to me by Chad at Acoustic Sounds.

To just give a brief rundown here, so that it may benefit future PhD owners in the Archive, Chad recommended to check that all batteries are properly installed on thier respective Battery Holders. As you know, these Battery Holders have to clamping force of a Pit Bull's Jaws, and thier could be the possibility of one, or more not being properly positioned on the Holder.

As I added in my letter to you,the other possibility of tired Batteries. Remember that previously, you had issues with the Unit staying on for very long periods, you mentioned for periods of 24 hours straight on occasion.

This could have possibly exhausted your Batteries somewhat, even though Sutherland claims a 700-800 hour Battery Play Life on average.

The other variables, are what brand-quality of Batteries you used, high enviornment temperatures where you live, age of Batteries, etc.

I recommend again trying another 16 fresh Batteries.

Lastly, I am unsure if Gain at the boards Plays any influence of increasing-decreasing the Sentry's sensitivity. Apparently Chad indicates that Battery quality-voltage does.

Again my friend, I hope this helps you, Mark

While we are on the topic of the Sutherland phd, does anyone know were to buy the blank cartridge loading cards? The places I've checked don't seem to carry them.