Lyra Delos or Transfiguration Axia or ?

Actusreus....I do not have a cartridge as of yet. I ordered a Denon 103 and sold it a week later. I still have not received my TT. I am stuck in between starting with a enty level cart. vs a mid-level that is a better match with my setup.

Ooops, I read Theo's response as the original post. My apologies to the OP.

Yes, the Delos is a fantastic cart and if the numbers look right (resonant frequency for your tonearm/Delos combo), it's a no brainer. I have the Delos on my VPI Classic and listen almost exclusively to jazz and I cannot get over how good this cart is every time I lower the stylus onto the record. Simply amazing.

I agree wholeheartedly about the delos..I have been running mine in for about a week..it's stunning-good. Light years ahead of the dynavector 17D3 I was using. I wonder how much better the kleos is - must...fight...upgrade...bug..
cheers,
byron

Thank's for all the advice, (you too Bill) I bought the Delos....but my TT does not arrive till Sept. 22. Lots of time to contemplate my next upgrade...I mean buy more lps.... lucky I'm going backpacking for 2 weeks, I'll save a ton of money!

Gandme,

I haven't heard the Delos, but, I am pretty confident you will like what you purchased. I've owned a Lyra Lydian and a Helikon, and I currently have a Titan. All were/are great cartridges, all are very long lasting (the Helikon is in a friend's system and it has been going strong for close to 2,500 hours of use), and built to close tolerances (cantilever/stylus straight and true, very close channel balance).

My other cartridge is the Transfiguration Orpheus L. This too is a terrific cartridge. This is the first Transfiguration cartridge that I've owned; so far, it has been terrific. I have heard the lower cost Phoenix and really liked its performance -- very lively, with the kind of midrange presence and clarity that particularly suited jazz recordings. That might be a candidate for the next step up.