Lyra

The analog LP continues to be the preferred choice of many audiophile connoisseurs all over the world even into this new millennium. However, at Lyra we feel that there are still major technical problems with phono cartridge design, which prevent the LP from realizing its full potential as a high-quality reproduction medium. We are therefore concentrating on designing MC phono cartridges that address those issues, and bring the sound of the LP one step closer to the master tape.

Lyra MC phono cartridges are designed and manufactured by Lyra of Tokyo, Japan.  Each Lyra model is designed by Jonathan Carr in collaboration with Yoshinori Mishima, the artisan who also hand-crafts each piece. The ultimate goal of all Lyra cartridge designs is to accurately reproduce the exact contents of the record grooves without adding any signature of the cartridge itself.

The Lyra range of cartridges are of advanced design, employ modern high-tech materials, and are built to stringent high-precision standards. At the same time, each sample is voiced like a fine musical instrument by its builder, Yoshinori Mishima - employing a voicing process which he develops specifically for each cartridge model.

Mishima's hand-voicing procedures also enable him to compensate for variations between individual cartridge units of the same type. The aim is to produce each sample as uniform to the reference performance and sound of each model as possible. Every cartridge is listened to by Mishima repeatedly during the final adjustment and voicing process.