Lyra Delos vs EMT TSD 15

I know it has not been suggested but I think one of the most under-rated, under-discussed and under-valued cartridge is the ART9 from Audio Technica. I have used the Delos, Skala, XX2 mk2, Kontrapunkt and Miyabi in the past. At the moment I use the ART9 and this is super class! I hear the same energy and neutrality in the ART9 as the Miyabi 47 cart but the ART9 is more transparent, it has even better soundstage articulation. The Delos sounds relatively coloured (a bit sweeter) and doesnt have the flow of the ART9. I just do not understand why this cart is never even discussed, is it because it is the cheapest of the all ?

Pani,

I think it is because it is an AT. Nothing wrong with AT. I own many of them from the 150 ANV to the ML180 ooc and many in between. They have produced so many excellent cartridges that it is no longer one of the latest and greatest providers. Sad, but that is how this hobby of our is!
Enjoy it. To hell with all the other BS!
Regards,

Griffithds, I would love to hear a 150 ANV or the ART7 but they are very low output MC carts and I do not have the phonostage for them. I heard the AT33-PTG and it sounded promising. I straight away jumped to their reference ART series cart and chose the one which would go with my phono. The ART9 is one of those carts which doesnt ever make you feel that there are better things out there that needs to be tried! Basically no upgraditis. Tone, timbre, Dynamics, timing and very accurate soundstage, all of them in the proportion that makes music sound musical and exciting and at the same time feels like you are hearing a direct cut from the studio. Not easy to find such a mix, let alone for $1.2k. It is a pity that people have not tried it yet.

I am not speaking from experience - however, the EMT TSD15 works in heavier arms due to their low compliance. The lyras I have heard do have a kind of house sound and have an air and slight treble lift - I personally think they are very good although I have a softer spot for Transfiguration and Shelter Cartridges.
I don't know much about EMT voicing - although I am gonna get one for my EMT 950.

Here is a comparison between Zu-103R, AT33PTG & Delos on a VPI Classic turntable. No doubt that the Audio Technica has a very high cost-performance ratio.

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=vinyl&m=880112

>The lyras I have heard do have a kind of house sound

We aren't trying for a consistent house sound (other than always prioritizing dynamics, resolution and musical flow), and there are quite significant differences in the style of sound between different Lyra cartridges. For example, the Delos is a more youthful-sounding cartridge than the Kleos, and the Atlas is a more masculine-sounding cartridge than the Etna.

The Lyras have medium-high compliance (17~18mN around 8-10Hz), but also benefit from somewhat heavier tonearms. As long as the turntable suspension is stable and the tonearm has vertical bearings in the same plane as the LP (so that VTF doesn't change when the record moves the cartridge up and down), I prefer to keep the cartridge-tonearm low-frequency resonance at least in the lower 8Hz range, even lower if possible.

kind regards, jonathan carr