Lyra Delos A truth teller or what?

I am going back and forth between my Benz Ref s and the Delos.  Both are great cartridges in their own right.  Let me know how the SME works out for you.  Did you listen to the 15?  If so, what did you think was the difference?  I still like that michell table.  What arm are you using on it?

In my mind, the Benz cartridges and most any Lyra cartridge are polar opposites, in terms of the words I might use to characterize the two brands.  This is not to say that you can't like both.  I find both to be too "biased" (for want of a better word) on the opposite sides of the spectrum,  in the way in which they play music; one can be a bit "clinical" (Lyra) and the other tends to the euphonic (Benz).  Although I have heard the Benz LPS on a very fine system (underwhelming IMO), I must admit that I have not heard the latest, greatest Lyra TOTL cartridges. My neighbor, who sold the Benz LPS in order originally to buy ZYX UNIverse(s) (he had 3 in rapid succession), now has a Lyra Etna.  I must go listen to it, not that I would ever spend that much.

@tzh21y I did not listen to the 10 nor to the 15. Just blind ordered the 10. What do I have to lose? I'll compare it to my Gyro SE.

I did listen to the Model 20 some time ago and it was the best turntable I've ever heard.

I'm using SME 309 tonearm. 

I'll post some thoughts when I have it up and running.

@lewm I couldn't agree more.  I was using a Benz Wood SL and bought a Delos while the Benz was in for service.  The Benz was a bit too soft for 80s Thrash Metal but the Delos was a bit too hard.  My current Kiseki Blue NS is a very good balance of both those cartridges.

It's difficult finding a cartridge with the right balance of virtues for your tastes.

I have owned a Lyra Delos, Kleos and most recently an Etna SL. I sold all of them within a relatively brief time. The Etna SL was obviously the best and it did not have the exaggerated top end of the less expensive Lyras, but it was still (IMO) over-priced and overrated.

I have also owned a Benz LPS, Ruby Z, Glider, L2 and L0.4. I have kept the Glider and the L0.4. The LPS and Ruby Z were nice cartridges but always sounded a bit too dark and closed in for my tastes - as someone noted above, the polar opposite of Lyra. But I do like the lower priced Benz cartridges, such as the Ace, Glider and the entry level wood cartridges, which I think are the best value in the Benz line up. Not quite the resolution of the Ruby Z or LPS, but they sound great on their own terms and sound a bit more neutral than the higher level cartridges, though still with the characteristic Benz warmth.

Currently I am enjoying a Van den Hul Black Beauty, which I think has the speed and dynamics of a Lyra without the shrill top end, and some of the warmth and richness of a Benz. It has become my favourite cartridge, and it is a bonus that they have a long life of 2500 hours and are inexpensive to retip. At a lower price the Frog is also an excellent and well balanced cartridge, so I highly recommend checking out the Van den Hul cartridges.