Lyra Delos or Helicon versus Soundsmith Zephyr

I have both the Lyra Delos and SS Aida. I would recommend going with the Lyra. The Lyra is warm, detailed and exhibits very good retrieval of low level details. SS Aida is very analytical detailed and has poor low level details. The best way to explain would be to to say SS sounds like good digital source. I have owned or tried a range of SS cartridges. Barring the SS modified Denon 103s, all other SS cartridges have the same house sound, that is like a very good digital source. Some may like the sound, after all digital has a lot of fans, it's up to you to decide. I however recommend going used because the new ones are no where worth the current prices (almost doubled in last 2 years), you can do better for the money.

Cheers

Svenjosh - I find your comments about Soundsmith carts being "like a good digital source" to be 180 degrees off target - no offense intended. I have used the SS Zephyr and am currently using the SS Ebony Voice and found both to be delightfully musical, engaging, detailed, and ( dare I say) smooth. In direct comparison on a VPI table/arm, the Zephyr is far more involving and musical than the Lyra Delos and has more weight in the lower mids and better channel separation as well. As good as the Delos is ( and it is a very good cartridge), in the setup the OP uses, the Zephyr is going to be sonically superior. I would advise the OP to go for the Voice from SS if he wants to make a significant upgrade to his vinyl playback.

Jwpstayman no offense taken.

I do not have a VPI turntable, but have 3 tables in different rooms. I remain firm that SS cartridges have a Digital sound. The opinion is not mine alone, several friends who are critical listeners concluded the same. There is nothing wrong with liking digital sound. I am pretty sure you like that kind of a sound, hence your preference for SS, as I said nothing wrong with preferences. But I would advise the OP to carefully listen before buying. He already has SS so unless he tries something different he will not know the difference and what he is missing.

No one says it loud but this is what forums are for, SS cartridges sound good but are not accurate, they have a house sound and do sound different that I cannot put my finger on.

Happy listening,
Svenjosh

I moved from the Zephyr to a Kleos about a month ago.
I was happy very happy with the Zephyr. My perception of modern hi-fi is that it too often sacrifices the pleasure of listing to music for the clarity of analyzing the quality of recordings. The Zephyr was a pleasure. It soothed the system's high-end edginess that I had never been able to tame.
But I'm an addict. If a $1K cartridge is good then a $3K cartridge must be better.
The Kleos is better at the "hi-fi" stuff: better definition, better clarity, etc. But the edginess has returned and the musical magic is gone.
I'm going to let the Kleos break-in for longer before deciding what to do.

Happy to revive this thread...

I have a VPI Super Scoutmaster and have had a Lyra (Argo) and a Soundsmith Aida, among others (Clearaudio, Benz-Micro) I find the SoundSmith to be amazing. It's the first cartridge I've ever heard that seems to be truly resolving. (I find the comment that it is like "good digital" to be bizarre and completely the opposite of what I hear). The Lyra never sounded right on my turntable - always a bit harsh. The Soundsmith is similar to Grado, sort of old-school "ultra-analog," but much more refined, and extremely natural sounding. It's the last cartridge I may ever buy!