Skala or Kleos?

Snack, yes I do use the SPT. I got a bottle with my Skala. I would guess I use it every other record.

Every Audiophile will have his own kind of rating, what fits for one, doesn't
for the next. I go for performance, to get the most information out of the
groove, others look for a "sound" which fits probably best for their
taste or the System in general. The Kleos is imo not the Highlight in
Performance, instead it is silent in the grooves and a good match for very
analytical sounding Systems. Nice to listen to but hardly the right one when you
want to know what the magic is about with Mercury Living Stereos. It has a
healthy output which is a good match for Phonostages with limited gain or
channel separation. Definitely more silent with noisy reissues than other Lyra
cartridges. I think, it is based on the diamond they use for it.
The Skala is better in overall Performance, based on its Body it is also not so
critical to Tonearms (energy transfer). Today we live in an era, where every new
products gets raves (... best sounding unit ever made, better than 3x so
expensive ones which were the Standard .... endless work inside... and so on). I
know owners which are very happy with it (until the next change is ready to go,
only then you can read what 'problems' the former one had ...). Overall I think,
the Skala is a very good cartridge which works very good in a wide range of Set
Ups.

Hi Syntax:

>Every Audiophile will have his own kind of rating, what fits for one, doesn't for the next.

This is often true.

>I go for performance, to get the most information out of the groove,

So do I.

>Nice to listen to but hardly the right one when you want to know what the magic is about with Mercury Living Stereos.

Perhaps in your system. Not in mine. Nor in other high-quality systems that I have played the Kleos.

>It (Kleos) has a healthy output which is a good match for Phonostages with limited gain or channel separation.

Although the Kleos has a healthy output, it is bit less than the Delos, and benefits more from a higher-quality phono stage.

>Definitely more silent with noisy reissues than other Lyra cartridges. I think, it is based on the diamond they use for it.

The Kleos and Skala use the same stylus shape. The lower noise floor of the Kleos is primarily due to how the body is designed, and the different damping system.

>The Skala is better in overall Performance.

In my experiences, the Skala can be more impressive in certain areas such as transient attack and macro dynamics. OTOH, the Kleos has better timbre, and a wider dynamic range overall.

The Delos, Kleos and Skala can all work very well in many systems, but of the three, I would say that the Kleos is the most versatile. Some listeners may very well prefer the Delos or Skala, but IME this is due to system compatibility and personal preference - not quality.

>Today we live in an era, where every new products gets raves (... best sounding unit ever made, better than 3x so expensive ones which were the Standard .... endless work inside... and so on).

Cynicism may be occasionally justified, but not when pragmatic logic dictates otherwise. Sales of lower-priced products earn a company less than equivalent-volume sales of its higher-priced models. Why would the company promote a cheaper new product unless it honestly feels that the performance is as-good or superior to its higher-priced models?

But if your promotional efforts help sustain Skala sales at a higher volume than Kleos sales, I'm certainly not going to complain! (grin)

hth, jonathan carr

... your promotional efforts help sustain Skala sales at a
higher volume than Kleos sales, I'm certainly not going to complain!

Well, I do not make any profit with any products, so I don't promote anything.
There are others who do it. And, I don't need it for a living... :-)
Will wait for Kleos i

I agree with Syntax, the Delos sounds amazing with earlier recordings such as Mercurys and RCA thats for sure.