Dear Dhcod:
We (Lyra) could sell you a new Helikon in exchange for your present one (probably at around 60% of retail), you could yourself trade in the Helikon for a new one (which amounts to the same thing), or we could do a complete tearing down and rebuilding up of your existing cartridge, a process that will replace every wearable part with a new one, and will result in a functionally brand-new cartridge. Due to the extra time involved, however, I wouldn't recommend the third option unless you have a sentimental attachment to your particular Helikon body.
If you are financially constrained, you could have someone else do a retip, However, I will note that the dampers and suspension of the Helikon are designed for a boron cantilever rather than ruby/sapphire. Ruby/sapphire has a transmission velocity of 9400m/sec. and a specific gravity of 3.98, while boron has a transmission velocity of 13500m/sec. and a specific gravity of only 2.34. Rather different characteristics, demanding a different damper/suspension composition, IME.
Therefore, if you ask someone else to do the retip, I would recommend that you keep the cantilever as boron, and fit as good of a stylus as you can. The earlier Helikons had a stylus with a side radius of 3um and a major radius of 30um, while the later ones had a stylus with a side radius of 3um but a major radius of 70um. The over 2 times larger side radius definitely resulted in improved tracking ability and sonic performance (at the cost of being somewhat more sensitive to azimuth setup).
BTW, if you allow us to do the Helikon rebuild, it will get the better stylus, and also an improved suspension/damper system (corresponding to the "i" evolutions of the Argo and Titan).
However, today both the Delos and the Kleos offer clearly better sonics than the Helikon. In particular, the dynamic range and timbral differentiation have increased significantly. The Kleos offers better dynamic, spatial and timbral resolution than the Delos and is quieter. However, the Kleos is more restrained in the upper frequencies, and some listeners seem to prefer the Delos because of that.
In general I'd say that the Kleos performs at a level somewhere between that of the Skala and Titan, and the Delos' performance level is similar to that of the Skala. This doesn't mean that the Kleos sounds like the Skala or Titan, or that the Delos sounds like the Skala. I am only talking about the general performance levels.
If I were you, I'd pick up a Delos, and if I were feeling particularly flush, I'd extend my reach to the Kleos.
kind regards, jonathan
