Lyra Delos 'belly cover'


For a lack of a better description or name the 'U' shaped piece of material? / plastic? on the underside of my Lyra Delos cartridge is starting to fray. This cover is behind the boron whisker cantilever and covers the area where the 4 wires pass from the cart to the tonearm connector interface. So, the question is....I am debating removing this cover because it is starting to drag on my LP's. (other nude cartridges don't utilize the 'belly cover'.) Bad idea? Any thoughts on how to proceed in its removal? Thank You in Advance!!
quincy

Showing 8 responses by quincy

Cyclopse, interesting..I think we call that a glue stick here in the USA. That is a clever idea and I'll keep it in mind when the fibers loosen again, which I am sure they will. Thanks for the post.
Thank you for your replies. I have sent an email to the Lyra web site on record. [email protected] Hopefully I will receive an answer and will post their reply accordingly. (I'm sure I am not the only one with this question or issue).
Hello fellow audio enthusiasts. I did purchase the cartridge brand new from the Needle Doctor. The box and other instructions are packed away in the basement. I did receive a reply from Lyra, and yes it is Washi paper used as a dust cover for the underside of the cartridge. It is NOT to be removed. And yes, it seems to pick up dust on its own due to (my best guess) static charges between the LP. (this is a low riding cartridge by design.) If I elect, Lyra will send the cartridge back to Japan and have new paper installed. I am going to take a much closer look under magnification and with a mirror later. Moonglum may be on to something. I'll post back with any new discoveries. I may also try some tweezers.....still debating this approach.
Update on Friday evening the 12th. I took a Q-tip and 'back rolled' some Scotch Invisible Tape around the tip. Then I used the tape like a lint roller (under magnification) and rolled the Washi paper from the front to the rear. This helped with some of the larger 'threads'. Thanks Moonglum! Then I dampened the Q-Tip with a tad of steam distilled water. I gently wiped the Washi paper, again, front to rear (no jokes please). Seems to have done the trick. When the paper dries I'll provide an update. And Yes Moonglum I clipped off the Boron whisker cantilever from my first Benz Glider cartridge when a ferrous metal square I was using was aggressively attracted by the coil magnets. This was a Very expensive lesson, plus I almost had a stroke.
Update on Sunday the 14th. I examined the Washi paper under magnification this morning. I do not see any errant threads or fuzzy appearance, as was the prior case. So, the little experiment seems to have worked, for the time being at least. I will see how long this home remedy works and post again if necessary. If all these shade tree efforts fail, I'll unmount the cart and send it back to Lyra. In the meantime if your experiencing the same type of issue you may want to try my process. Thank you for the comments and advise.
Infection, the only thing I can say is the Lyra sounded better than a worn out Benz Micro. And that's not even close to apples and oranges. It's so hard to do side by side comparisons unless you have a lot of $$ and the patience of JOB on your hands. Others make what are known as nude cartridges and do not utilize a cover over the bottom. I can't say the Lyra suspension is that unique that a little air from a can could or would not clean it if dust accumulated inside. I like the sound and its output (mV) and price ($$) were in my demographics.
Should be end of discussion.... Sunday July 12th 2015. I examined the underside of the Washi paper mounted to the bottom of the cartridge with high power magnification. Still clean, no threads, smooth like a babies behind. I believe the steam distilled water method worked! If your have a similar issue I would give this method a try before you disassemble your system.