Lyra Delos - Dirt Build up on the cantilever


Hi folks, hoping that someone (Jonathan ? :-) may be able to shed some lights on my problem. I am a long time user of Lyra cartridges and love their sound. I bought my first Argo i back in 2008 from Acoustic Sounds. that cartridge has served me well to this date. Then on Oct 2014 I decided to buy the Delos since I read excellent reviews of it and its comparison to the Argo i. I bought my Delos from HiFi Heaven. for the first couple of years the sound was excellent and all that I expected. then around 3 mounters ago i noticed mistracking  on some of the records. I have to mention that with both the Argo i & the Delos I re-check the settings once a year (these cartridges are very sensitive to correct settings). Also its worth a mention that I am extremely finicky with cleanliness of my records, the treatable set up and care of the cartridges. I never play a side before throughly cleaning the record and alway clean the stylus with the SPT liquid and brush only.
Then around a month go one day the arm just slide right across the record.
I immediately contacted HiFi Heaven and they said that they are no longer a Lyra dealer and suggested i contact the distributor, Audioquest. I did this and they offered to send my cartridge back to Lyra for examination and review. This they did. In the meantime I put back my Argo i and started enjoying music again. before doing that I examined the stylus and cantilever of the Argoi by a X60 magnifying glass and everything was perfect. this cartridge is currently installed on my Clearaudio Performance turntable.

The yesterday I received the result of Lyra examining my Delos which was:
 "Lyra have informed us that this cartridge is not eligible for service under warranty. Due to a build up of dirt, the cantilever is unable to move. An attempt to repair this would result in damage to the cartridge"

......and here is my frustration and confusion.  I have no doubt that Lyra have done a through job in the examination of my cartridge. However, I know that it is impossible for the dirt build up to be caused by me and my use. The Argo i after 9 years of service in my system, playing my records and being cared for by myself at all times is still performing well and the stylus and the cantilever are shinny and clean.

The Delos has had the same treatment and been in the same system and played the same records for much lesser of time (less than 500 hours in under 3 years).

To be honest I feel like I am being accused of something that I have not done. How could I cause such a level of dirt build up to prevent the movement of the cantilever on one cartridge and not the other one.

Any thoughts on this or similar circumstances will be appreciated.
 
    
128x128mgolpoor
When I first dove into TT ownership 10 years ago, it was all so daunting but the local dealer "Pete" was a great guy (if a bit exhausted with running the shop, and all the changes occurring in the once popular 2ch hobby) -- a lifelong analog guru, and extremely knowledgable/helpful to me as a young but loyal customer.

I vividly remember him showing me to use a long-bristle brush to also brush all the way up the cantilever (not just on the stylus), to where it goes through the hole in the front plate. He specifically mentioned that he’d seen cases of dust accumulation there, over time, affecting the cantilever’s ability to move properly. I was surprised with how relatively forceful & fast his brush movement was (on an old cart he had lying around), and at the small puff cloud of dust clearing out.

I see guys post pictures all the time of their carts with a grungy beard of dust and filth on that front plate -- it makes me cringe a bit! And in most of their cases, I'm sure the rest of their vinyl/stylus cleaning regimen is impeccable.
Whst about those electronic cleaners would they be an alternative to prevent build up
As a Delos owner, I have only the highest of praise for Lyra and AQ. They serviced my Delos after I identified a possible issue and it was returned to me in better condition than new.
As long as I have a TT, I will use Lyra carts.......
Love my Delos and am not in the least surprised how well you were accommodated by Lyra. Class act!!! Lovely sounding carts.
I have high regard for Lyra cartridges having owned several over the years, and did use the Lyra liquid because Lyra provided it and obviously condoned its use. But, is it possible that in applying it, it migrated up the cantilever and dried, causing a build up?
Herr Fremer posted a pic of his Lyra - think it was an Atlas- several years ago, in a confessional that said, in effect, that having examined the cartridge under a digital microscope-(I think this is when Michael was fooling around with SRA settings using a digital microscope), his stylus, and as recall, cantilever, looked like it had been dunked in crystalized liquid that hardened. He didn’t expressly state that he used a liquid cleaner but did state that one should be careful in its application.

Here’s the piece: [url]https://www.analogplanet.com/content/dont-let-happen-you[/url]
My reaction at the time was that he was probably using a liquid cleaner, and it picked up little bits of lint, dust, stuff that is floating around in your room (and landing on your spinning record) that you ordinarily wouldn’t notice (take a small powerful flashlight and look at your turntable in a dark room and you’ll see what I mean).

I’m not saying you did anything wrong-- I avoid liquid stylus cleaners generally, dry brush after each side; occasionally a dunk in ME- even that makes me paranoid given the little loops in the melamine foam- and on the few occasions where my stylus got gunked from a cleaned record- I put a small amount of 99% alcohol on a stiff cleaning brush and was very careful. Clean records are essential, so it sounds like the OP is doing everything right. I am not currently a Lyra owner- been using Airtights, which gel well with my system, but have heard the Atlas in other people’s system and it is impressive.
I’m sure Jonathan will do what he can to help--he seems like one of the few designer/manufacturers that can participate in a forum discussion about questions or issues with his product without rancor or self-promotion.