Hi Seldon,
I have just bought a very slightly used Kleos, to be used with either my Graham tonearm or a Bauer. This happend completely unrelated to your post, but the seller didn’t like the Kleos under his Brinkmann 12.1. He did consider changing to a shorter arm and keeping the cartridge.
Hi Mulberry,
Thanks for your input. I have a Brinkmann 10.5 tonearm, so perhaps the Kleos would be a better match on 10.5 vs the 12.1? Did he also own a Brinkmann turntable?
I made some research, by curiosity, as I find the Brinkman Balance stunning, specially on HRS platform.
They say that the 10.5 can accommodate any cartridge between 4 g and 16 g. Most seem to use EMT cart, Benz, Transfiguration. Some have Lyras.
I saw a Brinkman when I was auditioning “lower budget” options last year. They are lovely objects, and I expect they sound as good as they look too 8)
It sounds silly, but it was the delicacy of the tonearm wiring that really stunned me, and also made me glad I would be unlikely ever to have to tackle a cartridge replacement on one 
I heard a Bardo last year, with a friend who is likely to buy a turntable this year. With the ultra-expensive phono stage, in-house 10.5 arm and granite platform, I was really impressed. Trying to compare with a Stiletto LP12 (Keel, Skorpion, Ekos, Kleos, Radikal, Karousel, Superline powered from NAC52) suggested a fraction more even-handedness (not a gram of extra warmth), an iota more speed and punch, but less style difference than we expected. The cost though…
Yes, but the Bardo is the first entry level tt from Brinkman. The phono was probably the Edison.( 13 k euros).
The Balance( 3 times the cost of the Bardo)with something like a 5k cart and 5k phono would be an interesting comparison with the Lp12 Klimax, at similar price.
I have a Brinkmann Balance with 10.5 tonearm and Kleos SL on a HRS M3X2 platform. I think Lyra works very well with Brinkmann.
Hi Seldon,
the classified is no longer online. From memory I think the seller has one of the bigger Brinkmann tables, Balance or LaGrange and an RöNT psu. His impression was that the 12 inch tonearm was more happy with a heavier cartridge, like his Ortofon Windfeld. He liked the Kleos very much, even in the 12.1, but ultimately decided against selling the Ortofon and 12.1 arm and buying a new arm for the Kleos.
Just wanted to say thanks for everyone’s input and advice. Ended up snagging the Lyra Kleos for a really good price at my local dealer.
Your impressions? As I have it too. Curious.
My first impressions are positive. Although I’ve only played the cartridge for 6 hours, I have read from several different sources that it takes some time to fully showcase its potential. However after just a few records, I’ve noticed that the high and mid frequencies have started to open more up and the bass is both tight and responsive.
Beware of long loose sleeves, that cantilever is terrifyingly exposed.
There are many that give you that challenge and it does make the cantilever visible for aligning but I know how cackhanded I can be and there are many more MCs that at least make some pretence at shielding it. I think I can leave the Goldfingers of this game to braver folk. I draw the line somewhere between Rega and EMT.
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
