lyra argo cartridge £795 (£676 ex vat)

TThe Argo

is the new entry-level model from Lyra, and replaces the discontinued Lydian Beta. [...] Technology-wise [...], the Argo shares practically nothing in common with the Lydian Beta. Rather than thinking of the Argo as an upgraded Lydian, it is more appropriate to consider the Argo as a simplified Helikon - with different physical geometry, different metallurgy and alternative voicing.

Lyra Argo £795           

Lyra Argo

Performance-wise, the Argo has made tremendous strides in sonic performance over its predecessor. Trackability has been much improved. In addition to having higher performance potential, the Argo has been designed for greater ease of setup. In other words, it will be easier for more audiophiles to extract a greater percentage of its performance potential.

Technology-wise, apart from the stylus guard, the Argo shares practically nothing in common with the Lydian Beta. Rather than thinking of the Argo as an upgraded Lydian, it is more appropriate to consider the Argo as a simplified Helikon - with different physical geometry, different metallurgy and alternative voicing.

The Argo doesn't have any polepieces. The only components that create the magnetic field are two symmetrical disc magnets. Therefore, the magnetic field is also completely symmetrical. This results in more accurate conversion of mechanical vibrations into electrical signals; in other words, lower distortion. This also allows the coils and cantilever to move more freely, leading to improved low level resolution and better tracking abilities, particularly at low vertical tracking forces.

The Argo's body has been machined from a single piece of aluminum alloy for superior rigidity, then hard-anodized.

The front magnet carrier of the Argo is non-magnetic and non-conductive. The shape of the Argo body has also been designed to minimize the presence of conductive materials in the vicinity of the magnetic gap and signal generator coils. This construction prevents the formation of variable eddy currents that would otherwise interfere with the primary magnetic field and distort the signal generation process.

The Argo's stylus is at the tip of a low-mass diamond block measuring 0.08 x 0.12 x 0.5mm. The stylus itself is a Lyra-designed line-contact, with a major radius of 70 micrometers and a minor radius of 3 micrometers. Good theoretical design combined with exhaustive interactive testing has created a stylus that is extremely good at tracking and detail retrieval, yet offers ultra-low levels of groove wear, has a very good signal-noise ratio, and reduces the audibility of groove damage.

The cantilever of the Argo is a solid boron rod with an extra metal reinforcement jacket. The low mass and high stiffness of the cantilever reduces overshoot, thereby helping to minimize the audibility of groove damage and improving the perceived signal-noise ratio, even on worn records.

The 4-ohm low-impedance signal coils are wound from high-purity copper over a chemically-refined high-purity iron core. The use of high-purity materials reduces both measured and audible distortions.

The Argo uses completely new damper compounds that provide superior tracking and detail retrieval, and help create an energetic and powerful, vibrant, yet transparent sound.

Both the cantilever assembly and interior body structures of the Argo have been designed so that the cantilever mounts directly to the cartridge body. Intermediate mounting methods such as polepieces or subcarriers have been completely eliminated. This direct mounting system minimizes the number of mechanical joints between the cantilever and tonearm, and maximizes mechanical energy transfer away from the stylus and generator area. The end result is far less reflected mechanical energy, and therefore significantly reduced levels of distortion.

The signal output pins of the Argo are plated with rhodium, a highly conductive material that is far more durable (and expensive) than gold.

The light weight of the Argo (around 6.5 grams) means a reduced moment of inertia for many tonearms, leading to improved tracking performance.

The Argo has been designed for ease of use. The body incorporates threaded M2.6 holes to make it easier to install the mounting screws. The total height of the Argo is just under 17.9mm, while the distance from the center of the mounting screws to the stylus tip is 3/8 inch (9.525mm). Henceforth, all Lyra cartridges will be standardized with these height and mounting-screw-to-stylus dimensions.

Despite that the Argo is a fully nude cartridge, the design of the stylus guard affords the stylus and cantilever full protection when the Argo is not being used and also during the installation process. The slide-on design of the stylus guard makes it easy to use and minimizes risk to the cantilever when the guard is being installed.

Argo specifications:

Type: Moving Coil, low-impedance, low-output, medium compliance

Frequency range: 10Hz ~ 50kHz

Channel separation: 30dB or better at 1kHz

Cantilever system: Solid boron rod with line-contact stylus (3 x 70 micrometers profile)

Internal impedance: 4ohms

Output voltage: 0.45mV (5.0cm/sec., zero to peak, 45 degrees at 1kHz)

Cartridge weight (without stylus cover): 6.5g

Compliance: Approx. 12 x 10-6 cm/dyne at 100Hz

Recommended tracking force: 1.7 ~ 1.8g

Recommended load:
Into non-inverting RIAA equalizer amplifier or head-amplifier: 10ohms ~ 47kohms
Into step-up transformer: 3 ~ 6ohms (not exceeding 10ohms)

Cautions: Because of the high body rigidity and direct cantilever mounting systems, the Argo pumps a significant amount of mechanical energy into the headshell and tonearm. If the arm doesn't have very high-quality bearings or a stiff, low-resonance armpipe, it may not be able to deal with this energy, and the resulting sound may be too forward and bright. Make sure that the mounting surfaces of the Argo and headshell are completely clean, bolt the Argo to the tonearm headshell very firmly, and make sure that everything in the headshell and tonearm structure that can possibly resonate is screwed-down securely. If that doesn't solve the problem, most likely the tonearm design is incompatible with high-energy cartridges.

The Argo should be set up in each tonearm so that the low-frequency resonance point comes between 8~12Hz. For optimal tracking, the low-frequency resonance should fall between 10~12Hz.

Due to the highly revealing stylus profile, the more carefully the Argo is set up in the tonearm, the better it will sound. If the Argo does not sound satisfactory in a given audio system, the most likely problem is improper setup.