Andy Kim - Needle Clinic

When a Lyra cartridge that doesn't play or sound right is returned to us, and it can be brought back to appropriate performance levels without replacing components (other than the washi paper dust cover), we typically don't charge anything.

This includes suspension readjustments, trackabiity adjustments, low-rider adjustments, replacement of the washi paper, stylus / cantilever / magnet cleaning, etc.

Such work is a routine occurance, and I believe that this would have covered Bruce's Kleos, had he returned it to us.

OTOH, Lyra does not retip its phono cartridges - we only do rebuilds (and adjustments as mentioned in the first paragraph). If a Lyra cartridge is worn to an extensive degree and/or damaged, it will be fully rebuilt to the latest (most advanced) production specification for that particular model, or replaced with a brand-new cartridge.

Regarding Sound-Smith, the styli that they use are several times larger (heavier) than what Lyra uses, and Sound-Smith's preferred ruby/sapphire cantilevers also have nearly two times the mass of the boron that Lyra uses, also Sound-Smith uses a different, simpler bonding method to secure the stylus to the cantilever (that requires the cantilever to be prepared differently).

To provide some numbers that you can compare to, the Kleos uses a diamond stylus that measures 0.08w x 0.12l x 0.5h (mm), with the playing surface comprised of a minor radius of 3um and a major radius of 70um. The Delos stylus is smaller (shorter), but has similarly-dimensioned playing surfaces (2.5um x 75um).

hth, jonathan carr

Thanks for chiming in Jonathan. You posted that "Lyra does not retip its phono cartridges - we only do rebuilds (and adjustments as mentioned in the first paragraph). If a Lyra cartridge is worn to an extensive degree and/or damaged, it will be fully rebuilt to the latest (most advanced) production specification for that particular model, or replaced with a brand-new cartridge."

Three questions. (1) Please clarify what is meant by Lyra does not retip, but will do a rebuild. That is, if as part of rebuilding a Lyra cartridge, the stylus is worn, will it be replaced? (2) Where does Lyra post the cost for a rebuild? (3) How long does it take to turn around a cartridge if (I) it requires just a simply cleaning, or (ii) a rebuild?

Thanks.

Cheers,

P.S. Jonathan -- I was without my Kleos for about 2 and a half weeks. Most of the time delay related to the mails. While the cartridge was offline, I used my backup cartridge. The difference between the two was quite stark. However, after my Kleos came back spit and polished, it sings. If I can keep it maintained for a reasonable cost, it's a keeper.

Btw, does it sound reasonable that the stylus showed only 10-percent wear after 1500+ hours of use? Frankly, that seems very, very light.

My Kleos sounded a little off lately, so I thought it should be checked out. I sent it to Andy Kim. It turns out all that was needed was the stylus required a cleaning and polishing.

Glad you got it looked at by an honest guy and kudos to Andy Kim (whom I hadn't heard of before this thread).

I can no longer count how many times I've had cartridges shipped to me for inspection, supposedly because (according to the owner) they were wearing out or defective, only to find that a simple but thorough stylus/cantilever cleaning brought them fully back to life. It's always the first thing I check, and usually the last that I have to. :-)

Stylus cleaning after every side is mandatory to maintain performance, especially with cartridges having advanced stylus profiles like the Kleos. Modern styli rely on very small contact radii for their clarity, HF extension and low level detail retrieval. The tiniest amount of smudge interfers with that.

This is true even if your LPs are very well cleaned. As JC taught me years ago, a perfectly clean groove will shed vinyl particles. The heat and pressure at the stylus/groove interface bond these to the stylus. Cleaning after every side is the surest way to avoid incremental buildup of smudge.

Routine use of a Magic Eraser (followed by a soft brush or a dunk in Xtreme Phono type goo) will maintain a stylus in as-new condition.

Doug, does it sound reasonable that my Kleos stylus only shows about 10-percent wear after 1500+ hours of use. Frankly, I'm quite surprised. I always thought 2000 hours was pretty much the best one could usually expect.