advertisement


Lyra cartridges

How long is a piece of string?
I'll bet that if anyone here has worn one out from new, they'll struggle to even guess how many hours it will have done.

I can't see why they should be shorter-lived than any similar cart', and as I have never read of anything saying otherwise, I would go with that.
Possibly @Mike Reed may have as good an idea as anyone?
 
Not sure on that because the cantilever was gone on my Delos before I had a chance to wear it out. They can be rebuilt though and there is a decent program in place for that. I opted to wait for a Kleos SL instead which will probably take 6 months but it'll be worth the wait!
 
Aye, How long is a piece of string. Under ideal conditions I think I recall Lyra's guy on Audiogon saying you should get 3000h out of a Delos. He's also very vocal that they don't typically die of stylus wear, but that the suspension can stretch or the cantilever fail from repeatedly being lowered onto the record to quickly, and that using a tonearm lift that lowers slowly will greatly extend cartridge life.
 
Not sure on that because the cantilever was gone on my Delos before I had a chance to wear it out. They can be rebuilt though and there is a decent program in place for that. I opted to wait for a Kleos SL instead which will probably take 6 months but it'll be worth the wait!
Is that a normal wait time for the SL? It’s one of a couple carts I have shortlisted as my possible next change.
 
Thanks for the responses so far.
I have read that they can last 2500+ so long as they are well cared for.
Hopefully someone will chip in and say that the Lyra they owned did indeed last 2500+ hours.
A friend of mine has pointed me in the direction of a used Helikon with "Around 600 hours" it does look very clean. Even the paper underneath looks clean
 
That said, if it had been rebuilt (by anyone at all), the paper would have been replaced, and as it is a discontinued model, although I am not sure for how long.
 
Possibly @Mike Reed may have as good an idea as anyone?

Not really, Vinny. I had a Clavis D.C.(1995) followed by a Helikon quite a long time ago, and although I probably kept needle-time records, they've long disappeared. Don't think I put more that a few hundred hours on each. Must admit, I've not heard or read of Lyra styli wearing quickly or falling off, but I think 2500/3000 hours is a wee bit optimistic for any decent cart. (even Koetsu, where some boast of theoretically 4000 hours).

Of course, the longevity of any cart. depends upon factors like cleanliness and condition of records, quality and length of arm (12" = lower tracing error) and, not least, accurate set-up. The Delos, exc, though it is, lies very close to the bottom rung of the Lyra ladder, so stylus life is not sth to get worked up about, i.m.o.
 
Last edited:
That said, if it had been rebuilt (by anyone at all), the paper would have been replaced, and as it is a discontinued model, although I am not sure for how long.
I have been assured it is not a rebuild. I think they were discontinued when the Kleos was introduced
 
I used a lyra evolve for a long time and a Titan i for an even longer time until I damaged it, had it completely rebuilt in France ( expensive but superb) and still plays very well also use the excellent lyra atlas. I guess I have been using lyra's for twenty years on PT Annie, Wilson Benesch and TW Acoustic Raven AC.
With considerate use ( clean records and handling with cotton gloves) I would not be at all surprised if they gave in the order of 2500-3500hrs
 
I have had my Delos for 6 years, not sure how many hours but I cannot imagine it is more than about 1500 (5 hours a week) and is probably less than that. It is still good, but I am starting to think that it is coming towards the end. I had my Argo i for 8 years before I got the Delos and after that id did sound a bit off to me. I too have been thinking about a Kleos next time, but a long wait would put me off
 
If you keep your records and stylus clean, you should be good for ~3000 hours. This is not just for Lyra cartridges, but any high quality line-type contact cartridge used within its design parameters.
 
I used a lyra evolve for a long time and a Titan i for an even longer time until I damaged it, had it completely rebuilt in France ( expensive but superb) and still plays very well also use the excellent lyra atlas. I guess I have been using lyra's for twenty years on PT Annie, Wilson Benesch and TW Acoustic Raven AC.
With considerate use ( clean records and handling with cotton gloves) I would not be at all surprised if they gave in the order of 2500-3500hrs

May I ask who in France rebuilt your cartridge? I use and am very happy with a Delos, but I think it might need come attention.
Cheers.
 
I once wore out a Lyra Lydian Beta, but I couldn't tell how many hours it's had. I estimate at least 1,500.

I have since started to track the number of LPs played with my current needle (Hana ML).
 
I had an original Lydian for what seemed ages, played more records than ever before with it, gorgeous thing that showed no signs of wearing out.

It went complete with the Xerxes/HR100mcs combo it lived with and the new owner was delighted.
 
Had a Helikon a few years back and that lasted about three years- however it may well have lasted longer if l had my present cleaning process in operation.
 
TOTL MR/ML carts have many hundreds of hours available. Once you are in the thousands, you have to decide what you want to do.
 
I’ve had an Atlas for at least 6 years and whilst it’s only had about 700 hrs. on it, it still sounds as good as ever....
 
May I ask who in France rebuilt your cartridge? I use and am very happy with a Delos, but I think it might need come attention.
Cheers.
Anamightysound--Not cheap, plus vat now.

Reason I used them is because on other sites lots of users had good experiences.
I had a well known uk company work on my evolve 99 and frankly it did not approach the original sound. Ana MS use a specialist ( possibly Hungarian) on carts and you may have to wait for repairs.

You have to do the obvious calculation of repair cost against trade in value for brand new.
 


advertisement


Back
Top