Kleos Sibilance

"A 0.05 gram difference in effective mass is insignificant."

A Helikon is 8 g and the Kleos is 8.8 g.

Just for clarity, I am not saying Bill is wrong about the arm being the issue. I just don't understand. My dealer had a Helikon on a 9 sig for probably years without an issue. In the past I would increase the tracking force but Mr. Carr is so adament about not going beyond 1.8.

How about a Sota Sapphire or Star with the 309? Still have my pace and transient speed?

Thanks

It's going to take 100 hours for the cartridge to break in. Intially with the Lyras, they'll sound thin, detailed but the extremes aren't going to be happening; then you're going to have a period say between 15-25 hours where the cartridge actually sounds like it's mistracking. Get through that period and then the extremes start to come in and then the cartridge suspension begins to relax. Then your dynamics will start to open up.

You're also going to have to play with SRA since like most modern cartridges, Lyras are particularly sensitive to set up.

OTOH, one does need to ask also if what you're hearing is actually on the LP and you're hearing the album as it was recorded. No one will ever accuse, even the newer Lyras of being romantic.

I've had 3 Kleos here in the past year and none of them took anywhere near 100 hours to settle in. Perhaps 30 at the most. Your ears are acclimating to the cartridge more than the cartridge is changing.

The VTA/SRA is really quite simple and not nearly as complex as other moving coils. Delos and Kleos are designed so that the top surface of the cartridge is parallel with the record. Very little adjustment beyond that is necessary.

The key parameter, as Robob indicated, is VTF. This is where the user needs to focus. There are noticeable differences in the 1.68 to 1.75 range.

IMO

Well as they say, YMMV.

I haven't found a cartridge that isn't sensitive to VTF,esp. near its optimal value. That is brought out even more by the Soundsmith Counter Intuitive where one can very easily adjust VTF in 1/100th of a gram in no time at all.

Myles, I will keep breaking it in. Need to add up the time on it. What do you folks do, say 40 min/lp times # of lps played? And yes, it really is actuating the sibilance. As an example the Featuring Norah Jones on a Dorian/JMW 9T did not have the sibilance. I am very familiar with most of the other stuff I have played on the Kleos. Some of it is stuff I have been playing for 35 years or so. Oh, I believe I am getting the extremes.

Tonight I have been playing with the VTA, it is sensitive to that, you can easily loose the magic. I will check it via Bill's method.

Nolitan: In some thread, someone said the Kleos has more goodness than the Delos. More detail, etc.

Enjoying the conversation.