Lyra DELOS
The Lyra Delos brings vinyl to life with explosive dynamics, deep-detail retrieval and strikingly three-dimensional space. HiFi News found its neutral, supple balance exceptionally composed, while Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac praised its speed, taut bass and revealing insight. A superbly engineered moving-coil cartridge for vivid, precise, musically charged replay.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
94/100
Build Quality
90/100
Features Usability
90/100
Value for Money
95/100
Pros
Exceptional detail retrieval and clarity uncover fresh low-level information from familiar records.
Explosive dynamics, fast transients and taut bass give rhythm sections exceptional drive and impact.
Spacious, immersive imaging with convincing front-to-back depth and solidly focused instruments.
Tracks securely and remains composed on demanding material; installation was relatively straightforward in the reviewed setup.
Cons
Its highly revealing balance does not soften bright, harsh or poorly recorded material.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 94/100
Reviewers find the Delos exceptionally clear, fast and musically communicative, combining neutral tonal balance with strong rhythmic drive and finely resolved detail. Its presentation is spacious and solidly focused, though its honesty means it does not soften bright or poorly recorded material.
Overall Sound
94/100
HiFi News calls the Delos graceful, supple and lithe, with a fundamentally neutral balance and a little extra high-frequency energy that remains civilised rather than forward. Steve Guttenberg similarly praises its tonal realism, energy and dynamics, while cautioning that its high resolution exposes harsh recordings rather than sugarcoating them.
Tracking Retrieval
95/100
The Delos tracked rock-solidly at the recommended force in HiFi News' SME Series V setup, remaining composed through demanding, high-tempo material. Both reviewers praise its ability to uncover low-level information: HiFi News heard no splash or sibilance in cymbals, while Guttenberg repeatedly heard new details and more music emerging from familiar records.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
HiFi News heard an atmospheric, immersive acoustic that seemed to recede indefinitely on orchestral music, alongside precisely proportioned and solidly projected instruments. Guttenberg also reports notably good imaging and front-to-back depth, describing a convincing sense of being in the recorded space.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
Its medium weight, medium compliance and healthy-for-MC 0.6mV output make the Delos comparatively accommodating for a high-performance moving-coil design. Installation was straightforward in the reviewed SME arm, helped by a practical stylus guard.
Tonearm Compatibility
90/100
Lyra specifies medium to medium-high-mass tonearms, which covers much of the conventional tonearm market, and HiFi News describes the cartridge as tonearm- and phono-stage-friendly. The reviewer also found it relatively easy to install and stable at 1.75g, though it remains a low-impedance MC requiring an appropriate MC gain stage or correctly matched step-up transformer.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
90/100
The Delos uses a carefully machined, resonance-conscious anodized aluminium body, solid boron cantilever and Namiki microridge nude diamond stylus. Its open, skeletal construction and asymmetric single-point suspension reflect purposeful engineering, although the reviews offer little direct comment on long-term durability.
Value for Money
95/100
At roughly $1,395-$1,995 depending on market and period, the Delos is not inexpensive, but HiFi News says its abilities transcend its price point. That review goes further, suggesting it is sufficiently capable to make buyers question spending more on costlier Lyra models.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Designer
- Jonathan Carr
- Builder
- Yoshinori Mishima (final build, testing), Akiko Ishiyama (primary build)
- Type
- Medium weight, medium compliance, low-impedance moving coil cartridge
- Stylus
- Namiki microridge line-contact nude diamond stylus (2.5um x 75um), surface-mounted
- Cantilever system
- Solid boron rod with short one-point wire suspension, directly mounted into cartridge body
- Body
- Anodized aluminum
- Coils
- 3-layer deep, 6N high-purity copper, square-shaped permalloy former, 6.3ohm self-impedance, 9.5uH inductance
- Output voltage
- 0.6mV@5cm/sec., zero to peak, 45 degrees (CBS test record, other test records may alter results)
- Frequency range
- 10Hz ~ 50k Hz
- Channel separation
- Greater than 30dB at 1k Hz
- Compliance
- Approx. 12 x 10cm/dyne at 100Hz
- Cartridge mounting screws
- 2.6mm 0.45 pitch JIS standard
- Distance from mounting holes to stylus tip
- 9.5mm
- Cartridge weight (without stylus cover)
- 7.3g
- Tracking force
- 1.65g – 1.75g (1.72g recommended)
- Recommended load directly into MC phono input
- 97.6ohm ~ 806ohm (detailed guidelines in instruction manual, finalize by listening)
- Recommended load via step-up transformer
- Use a step-up transformer designed for 5 - 10 ohms cartridge impedance (step-up transformer’s output must be connected to 10kohm ~ 47kohm MM-level RIAA input, preferably via short, low-capacitance cable)
- Recommended tonearms
- Medium to Medium- High mass arms recommended, which is bulk of tonearm market
Manufacturer's Description — Lyra
An essential factor for proper operation of an MC cartridge is the angle between the magnetic circuit, signal coils and core. Performance is optimal when the angles are all aligned, but any significant difference in the angles will cause the formation of a strong and directional flux that will flow constantly from the magnetic circuit into the signal core. This directional magnetic flux will orient the core toward a specific direction and make it impossible for the core to move with equal ease in all directions, which is necessary for proper cartridge performance.
Unfortunately, conventional MC cartridges have been designed so that the angles between magnetic circuit, signal coils and core become aligned only when tracking force is not applied. The result is that during playback, the required tracking force causes the angle between magnetic circuit, signal coils and core to become misaligned. This limits the cartridge’s resolution, tracking ability and dynamic range.
The new Lyra Delos is designed to conquer this problem. Compared to conventional cartridges, the Delos has a new body structure with an unusually shallow angle, and this has been paired with a unique asymmetrical damping system. When no tracking force is applied, the shape of the asymmetrical dampers forces the signal coils and core into a more upright angle than the magnetic circuit.
However, no tracking force applied means that the cartridge is not operating, and therefore any angular discrepancies between magnetic circuit, signal coils and core will have no effect on performance. When tracking force is applied, however, the force of the stylus pushing on the LP causes the asymmetrical dampers to be deformed into a symmetrical shape, and when this happens the angular discrepancies between magnetic circuit, signal coils and core all disappear. Since tracking force applied means that the cartridge is now operating, it should be clear that the design of the Delos is able to keep the angles between the magnetic circuit, signal coils and core aligned during playback.
Keeping the proper angular alignment prevents the formation of any strong and directional flux that could otherwise flow constantly from the magnetic circuit into the signal core, and enables the Delos’ core to move with equal ease in all directions, for optimal performance.
The Delos also has a microridge stylus on a boron cantilever for outstanding tracking, a non-parallel solid machined metal body for low resonances, and 6-N high-purity copper coils and nude construction for greater clarity. The result is clearly improved sound quality, particularly resolution, tracking ability, dynamic range, transient impact and immediacy.
Feel free to audition the Lyra Delos, and hear how good a New Angle can make your LPs sound.
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Authorized dealers for Lyra DELOS
- 3mA Audio — online and in-store — Houston, Texas, United States (website)
- A/V Solutions — in-store — Pleasanton, California, United States (website)
- Accent On Music — in-store — Mount Kisco, New York, United States (website)
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Acoustica — online and in-store — Chester, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Ajasom — online and in-store — Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal (website)
- ALAIN CHOUKROUN — online and in-store — Paris, Île-de-France, France (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- American Sound — in-store — Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (website)
- Anagram Audio — online and in-store — Bury St Edmunds, England, United Kingdom (website)
and 86 more verified dealers