Lyra Delos A truth teller or what?

I understand the urge to find the one perfect cartridge for your system.  Then you stop listening to the cartridge and enjoy the music.  If the Delos distracts you with its high frequency energy then it is probably not the right cart for you.  I have given up on finding the one right cart because I have found that my moods change too much.  I love the Lyra house sound when I’m in the mood for high energy music.  I recently sold my Delos for a used Atlas and found the later to have a more balanced but still high energy sound across the frequency spectrum.  It gets all the information out of the groove. Also the image solidity and 3D soundstage improved dramatically, especially on the Mørch DP-8.  On the other hand, when I’m in a different mood I turn to my other favorite cartridge, the Koetsu RSP on an FR-64S.  That combination extracts a beautiful groove with PRaT!  Both combos are amazing at what they do but do not sound the same. I like having the options. I would assume that this is why many of us have tables with more than one tonearm or in my case, easily swapable arms.
-Karl

@tzh21y  I hear ya.  I sold my Delos with 80 hours on it for only $950.  The boosted treble just didn't do it for me.  And I'm running OCC copper ICs.

I have a great dealer that I purchased the table from.  He said he would let me hear a ortofon cadenza bronze on my system to see if it has better synergy.  He thinks its not totally run in yet.  well how long...... lol.  The lyra makes me want to back my chair up.  somewhat shouty.  on older records, not at all.  Go figure

It sounds like the Delos is definitely not working for you, so time to move it on. While lots of people love it, it's not for everyone.

The Cadenza Bronze should be a much more neutral cartridge than the Delos. I had a Cadenza Black and preferred it to the Delos, and it was the best tracking cartridge I have ever used. It can, however, be a little bland on some arms. The Bronze is said to be a bit warmer so may work well.

Another cartridge to consider around the same price is the Shelter 501 Mk III. This is a very balanced and musical cartridge. I preferred this to the Cadenza Black and some much more expensive cartridges, and could easily live with this as my only cartridge.

I am finding that there is a learning curve with this table. The VTA increments have thrown me off somewhat. The Delos seems to be very fussy with VTA. Even a minute increase or decrease effects sound a lot. It is sounding pretty good right now. i know, I go back and forth, learning this table and cartridge.