Lyra Argo

alexs2

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Thanks to those of you here and elsewhere for the help,advice and suggestions that have helped me decide to break the budget I'd set,and buy a Lyra Argo as an upgrade to my old Supex cartridge.

Even straight out of the box,and without much attention to setup,it's superb,and so far ahead of the Supex,that even my son,who isn't a great lover of hifi etc sat down and listened to a good deal of 80s and 90s vinyl last night.

All of the attributes of the Supex,such as it's warmth and detail,are there,but in far greater quantities,so much so that listening to each record is like listening to it for the first time,which is not something that I'd have thought I'd be saying.

It's also allowed me to re-assess my feelings about LP and CD,for whilst I've always had the feeling that LP has the edge if done properly,this combination is so far ahead in terms of pace,rythm etc that it leaves even a fairly expensive upsampled CD system behind.

Thanks again!
 
alexs2 said:
Even straight out of the box,and without much attention to setup,it's superb,and so far ahead of the Supex,that even my son,who isn't a great lover of hifi etc sat down and listened to a good deal of 80s and 90s vinyl last night.

All of the attributes of the Supex,such as it's warmth and detail,are there,but in far greater quantities,so much so that listening to each record is like listening to it for the first time,which is not something that I'd have thought I'd be saying.

Thanks again!

Great news you like your new cartridge and surley the above is exactly how you should feel when investing in such a cartridge. In its day the Supex was a great cartridge - but how old are the materials & technology that went into to it. :thumbsup:

One day I'll have to bite the bullet and get something along these lines, but I have this inbuilt dislike of paying for things that wear out within a few years, so my limit is £200 (and has been since 1980 :rotfl:). Quite happy to spend the cash on the TT & arm though.

All that aside, how does it integrate with the rest of the system? Does it have that Decca like emediacy that Lyra fans state they can exhibit? If it does, combined with your 300B's & ESL's should mean you have vocals that I'd love to hear - just thinking about it, I'm going to have to play some Joni Mitchell this evening ;)

Paul
 
Paul Williams said:
Great news you like your new cartridge and surley the above is exactly how you should feel when investing in such a cartridge. In its day the Supex was a great cartridge - but how old are the materials & technology that went into to it. :thumbsup:

One day I'll have to bite the bullet and get something along these lines, but I have this inbuilt dislike of paying for things that wear out within a few years, so my limit is £200 (and has been since 1980 :rotfl:). Quite happy to spend the cash on the TT & arm though.

All that aside, how does it integrate with the rest of the system? Does it have that Decca like emediacy that Lyra fans state they can exhibit? If it does, combined with your 300B's & ESL's should mean you have vocals that I'd love to hear - just thinking about it, I'm going to have to play some Joni Mitchell this evening ;)

Paul

Thanks Paul...it works very well with the Quads and 300Bs but also with the TAG/Krell/B&Ws,but doesnt sound as I remember a Decca(although that was a LONG time ago)....it's not forward or toppy,but does have immense pace and drive,plus a decent bass,and excellent separation/definition of vocals and instruments.

I really was surprised by just how good it is,even given the price,as I've heard some good things recently whilst looking.
 
alexs2 said:
doesnt sound as I remember a Decca(although that was a LONG time ago)....it's not forward or toppy,but does have immense pace and drive,plus a decent bass,and excellent separation/definition of vocals and instruments.

Decca speed & pace without the negative bits :smashin: Which was what I was told the higher priced Lyra's delivered, perhaps I ought to up my cartridge allowance after all :rolleyes:

Paul
 
Paul Williams said:
Decca speed & pace without the negative bits :smashin: Which was what I was told the higher priced Lyra's delivered, perhaps I ought to up my cartridge allowance after all :rolleyes:

Paul

I hadn't really thought of it that way,but it's actually a very good way of putting it,especially coming from someone else.

I hadn't intended to spend that much,but after considering all of the alternatives,and the only other choice I would have made being a Koetsu Black in the end,which was even more costly new(having seen a few rough used ones),I'm understandable delighted with this,especially given the price from Heatherdale.

The other thing I forgot whilst getting carried away by the sound,was that it works very well with the phono stage also,and hasnt made me feel I need to change that either....thankfully!
 
alexs2 said:
I'm understandable delighted with this,especially given the price from Heatherdale.
QUOTE]

Gradually all my high value supply sources are being exposed, just can't help opening my mouth (think this just means I spend too much time online, because they're all there for others to find) - oh well, as long as people get the goods that's the main thing - must check out how those guys were doing with VPI turntables!

Paul
 
Paul Williams said:
Gradually all my high value supply sources are being exposed, just can't help opening my mouth (think this just means I spend too much time online, because they're all there for others to find) - oh well, as long as people get the goods that's the main thing - must check out how those guys were doing with VPI turntables!

Paul

LOL...I know what you mean,and there are so few of them left!

I tend to go for ex-dem or used high cost stuff,and so far haven't been disappointed,as most of it seems very reliable,and it's usually repairable if the maker is still in business.

Turntables and arms are another story again....I bought my Linn fairly recently,after doing a bit of research to make sure I knew what a duffer looked like,and upgrading it so far has been a doddle,but I may stop short of the bearing/subchassis mods on sound grounds if nothing else.
 

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