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Is there a problem with my Lyra Delos cartridge?

Last March I upgraded from a Grado Platinum to a Lyra Delos cartridge which was installed by Analogique in Manhattan.My turntable is a VPI HW-19 MK-3 with an Audioquest PT-6 tonearm.After about 120 hours of use I have been getting distortion on certain lps.For example:Last night I wanted to hear Moment's Notice from Coltrane's Blue Train lp(180 gram).This is the second track on side one.So I drop the needle on track two and sound starts distorting at about the 7 minute mark(track is 9:09 minutes),I lift up the needle then lower it onto the lp again and it plays fine.This is not happening on every lp but it is happening quite often.I am tracking at 1.8 which is the Lyra recommendation.I switched phonostages but that does not seem to be the problem.I also put on a new belt but problem persists. Help!!!
montgomery
manitunc
795 posts
 
I just started having this same issue with my Delos yesterday. bursts of what sounds like mistracking, randomly through an album side, very intermittent and lasting a couple of seconds, then fine, then on again. I checked all my connections and they are fine. Played the record on another table and it was fine. I am using a Sota Cosmos IV with SME 309 arm. VTF is at 1.8g.
Love the cartridge, but these bursts of noise are annoying, almost like a tweeter breaking up. Doesnt happen with CD or my other table though.
moonglum
605 posts
 
Manitunc....sorry to hear about your alarming experience.
One possibility is that given your max VTF, if the VTA is "tail down" the Washi paper could be skimming the warps on the disc(?)
Carts with an "undercarriage" tend to register disc contacts as loud thuds but the Lyra, whose stylus is mounted through the front panel, might instead just hash the high frequencies and sound mis-tracked whenever it touches down? Once friction gets going you might find an accumulation there too?
Just out of curiosity are you loading the cart "fully open" or with a fairly low resistance?
manitunc
795 posts
 
running with low resistance. I have reduced VTF to 1.7g and recleaned the stylus but havent had the chance to listen for a while.
tzh21y
1,377 posts
 
manitunc, I am having the same problem with a brand new Delos,  sounds like terrible mistracking and then its gone.  sometimes it is so loud that it startles me.  How did you make out?
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