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Cartridges
Hand-build moving-coil phono cartridges in Japan on a design program running since the early 1990s.
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about lyra
Lyra's analog work traces back to the mid-1980s Scan-Tech era, with the Lyra cartridge brand established in 1991. The company is led by Stig Bjørge, who has been its public face for over three decades, with American engineer Jonathan Carr as chief designer. The cartridges themselves are hand-built in Japan by master craftsman Yoshinori Mishima and his team — a small, artisanal operation rather than a volume manufacturer. The current line is a clear ladder of moving-coil designs: the Delos at the entry, the Kleos in the middle, and the Etna and flagship Atlas at the top, with SL low-output variants of the upper models for systems with the gain to use them. Each step up reflects refinements in the cantilever, magnet system, and body construction rather than cosmetic changes. Lyra competes at the top of the moving-coil market against Ortofon's flagship MCs, Koetsu, and My Sonic Lab. Its US and Canadian distribution runs through MIBS Distro, and the cartridges are carried by Music Direct, Upscale Audio, and Audio Connection. The Atlas Lambda and Atlas SL both appear on Stereophile's 2025 Recommended Components, reinforcing the brand's standing among reviewers. Every Lyra cartridge is built from the ground up in Japan.