Slightly used Titan i vs Kleos

[dafos]

Just wondering, between a very slightly used Lyra Titan i or the new Kleos, where would you put your money for roughly the same price?

 

[Syntax]

Depends on the Quality of your System, when it is thin, analytic and you are not mad for higher frequencies instead you like a kind of musical warmth (midrange pushing), the Kleos is hard to beat.

When your System is made for maximum Performance, you have a heavy tonearm and one of those rare Phonostages which are able to create a musical signal instead of a dead tone, the Titan can be a stellar Performer which can show why it is one of the best carts ever made.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Just wondering, between a very slightly used Lyra Titan i or the new Kleos, where would you put your money for roughly the same price?

I know that the boys at Lyra still feel that the Titan i is the better of the two. As Syntax, mentioned then it will depend on your table but the Lyra mates well with a variety of arms (and that's no accident).

 

[dafos]

Thanks for the feedback, Myles. I read your review of the Titan i likewise. As additional information, I've owned a Skala for 5 years and I'm satisfied with it's sonic character. Any additional comments on how the two contenders compare to the Skala. Btw, between out and out detail retrieval and musicality, I tend to favor the latter and this is reflected on how my system is voiced. I'm just intrigued about owning Lyra's previous flagship at a good price.

 

[MylesBAstor]

When your System is made for maximum Performance, you have a heavy tonearm and one of those rare Phonostages which are able to create a musical signal instead of a dead tone, the Titan can be a stellar Performer which can show why it is one of the best carts ever made.

I have heard at least four that phono stages that work extremely well with the Titan including cj, Allnic, Doshi and LAMM So it isn't exactly that rare.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

I don´t get the comment about a heavy arm to make the Titan "i" work?
It works flawlessly in my Airtangent Reference and it´s nothing thin about it either.......
I have an all out Thorsten Loesch/Gary Dews(Borderpatrol 46kg choke input psu) LCR phone stage and Lyra Erodion x-former
best
Leif
Norway

 

[JackD201]

I have heard at least four that phono stages that work extremely well with the Titan including cj, Allnic, Doshi and LAMM So it isn't exactly that rare.

I believe I could help Dafos out with one of these

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

I have heard at least four that phono stages that work extremely well with the Titan including cj, Allnic, Doshi and LAMM So it isn't exactly that rare.

not suprised:
the Allnic is a LCR based riaa and the Doshi has an inbuilt TVC
transformers work magic in the signal path imo
best
Leif

 

[curbfeeler]

This is a helpful thread. I was considering a Titan i that had been offered to me, and had emailed Jonathan Carr to ask if he would advise me to buy the lightly used Titan i or a new Kleos for the same money - no reply. We'll hear the Titan i through my Herron VTPH-2 on Sunday, and if all is well I'll probably buy it. It replaces a Dorian installed in 2009. I'll mount it in the VPI Classic arm wand initially here (should I buy the Titan i) and measure the resonant frequency to see if it falls in the region of 8 to 12 Hz as recommended by Lyra. I also have a more massive stainless steel armwand to try with the Titan i. I'll get an armwand of optimal mass but wired with Valhalla from VPI, and a Valhalla junction box. Then I'll burn in the Valhalla tonearm wiring with a Hagerman FryBaby. Setup will be made with the assistance of Feickert protractor, Adjust+ software and test LP.

 

[MylesBAstor]

This is a helpful thread. I was considering a Titan i that had been offered to me, and had emailed Jonathan Carr to ask if he would advise me to buy the lightly used Titan i or a new Kleos for the same money - no reply. We'll hear the Titan i through my Herron VTPH-2 on Sunday, and if all is well I'll probably buy it. It replaces a Dorian installed in 2009. I'll mount it in the VPI Classic arm wand initially here (should I buy the Titan i) and measure the resonant frequency to see if it falls in the region of 8 to 12 Hz as recommended by Lyra. I also have a more massive stainless steel armwand to try with the Titan i. I'll get an armwand of optimal mass but wired with Valhalla from VPI, and a Valhalla junction box. Then I'll burn in the Valhalla tonearm wiring with a Hagerman FryBaby. Setup will be made with the assistance of Feickert protractor, Adjust+ software and test LP.

Sometimes emails get lost in Jonathan's spam folder. He peruses WBF so maybe he'll get your MSG.

I don't think you'll need the more massive arm given the Titan's compliance.

 

[curbfeeler]

@ Myles, I did receive an interesting response from Jonathan. After reading it and thinking about it I may buy the Kleos. You are probably right about the use of the Titan i on the more massive arm. It's interesting that Lyra advises prospective purchasers to use a tonearm with rigid bearings or a tangent tonearm. Many are getting great results with Graham and VPI unipivots.

 

[Syntax]

Many are getting great results with Graham and VPI unipivots.

Well, the VPI is hardly a Arm which can show what the Titan can do, Graham is a bit better (more stable). It is normal that every owner of anything raves about his purchase. You find very seldom owner comments who are critical about their $$$ units. I mean, at the time when they own it, not when they replaced it with something more expensive...

 

[curbfeeler]

Well, the VPI is hardly a Arm which can show what the Titan can do, Graham is a bit better (more stable). It is normal that every owner of anything raves about his purchase. You find very seldom owner comments who are critical about their $$$ units. I mean, at the time when they own it, not when they replaced it with something more expensive...

@ Syntax, Didn't realize I was raving. You should probably disregard my posts in future.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Well, the VPI is hardly a Arm which can show what the Titan can do, Graham is a bit better (more stable). It is normal that every owner of anything raves about his purchase. You find very seldom owner comments who are critical about their $$$ units. I mean, at the time when they own it, not when they replaced it with something more expensive...

Well I beg to differ. As a matter of fact the US importer has the Atlas (formerly the Titan) in a VPI arm. And as a reviewer I'm hardly a cheerleader and have used the Graham (certainly a fine arm) and other arms too.

 

[ALF]

Well I beg to differ. As a matter of fact the US importer has the Atlas (formerly the Titan) in a VPI arm. And as a reviewer I'm hardly a cheerleader and have used the Graham (certainly a fine arm) and other arms too.

Just imagine...how happy and pleasantly surprised you both could be by letting the Atlas spend some time riding simply on the end of a Fidelity Research 66s/64s tonearm...maybe, even you too, could become a cheerleader, Super!

Cheers!
ALF

Loving the Lyra's...Olympos and Olympos SL both riding the FR-66s tonearms.

 

[mep]

I owned the 64s tonearm and an Orsonic headshell and I didn't *get* it.

 

[curbfeeler]

Spent some time yesterday listening to a used Lyra Titan and a Titan i with about 200 hours of use. These were installed in nearly identical Artemiz turntables & arms, but the phono preamps were different. The sound was comparable, neither cart surpassing the sound of the other. Spent most of the time listening to the older Titan and Keith Herron's VTPH-2 at infinite loading. Spectacular result. Tried 100 ohm load but felt dynamics were not so good there. Heard some tasty Jeff Beck, Emotion & Commotion and compared a Canadian pressing of Rickie Lee Jones, Flying Cowboys to a US pressing --- the US was much more involving.