The cartridge most like the Kandid is the Lyra Kleos.
When I got my Kandid the difference between them was pins on cart other than fly leads and the linn had the three point mount.
And a difference of about £800 at the time.
I went for Kandid because of less connections and the three point mount.
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Good one Skeptikal agree with your decision
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Think you might be right there, happy to be corrected.
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@Mario, I think @Skeptikal has probably made it easier to see which one was used.
It’s even using the same colour plastic body parts, which is probably the biggest clue as to which elements they’ve used for the bulk of its design. It technically has better, higher grade parts such as the Ogura cantilever/stylus instead of the Namiki on the Delos. I think all Lyra carts utilise the ‘new angle’ design, so it’s a family design from Delos upwards.
I did read somewhere that the Kandid looks very similar to the internal parts of the Linn Akiva once the outer Linn casing was removed. This was also made by Lyra, so it could well be a hybrid design of Kleos and Akiva together??
Either way, the sound that comes out of them is fantastic! I had a Lyra on my first LP12 many years ago and I was always happy with that. So, that did influence my choice in some ways. To me, they just seem to do everything right. You’ll not go wrong choosing any, whether it’s the Kandid, Kleos or the Delos. They’re all going to be great!
The Krystal you have sounded very similar to the Delos when I compared. They were the most similar to each other in the 4 that I tried. If you’re already at that level with your Krystal, which is excellent, then I’d suggest looking at the higher tier (Kleos and Kandid) to see if they offer you more of what you’re looking for.
What a great problem to have, eh! 
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That’s good that you tried the Dynavector XX2a and Krystal as well.
The Kandid does look the same as the Lyra Kleos in terms of the bottom half and the price gap has widened further. There is also a Kleos SL which is meant to be better again.
.
Could it be that the Kleos SL is better than the Kandid? Certainly is a lot cheaper.
Having had the Dynavector XX2Mk11 and now Kandid, the Kandid is better but not worth 3 times the price.
The Lyra carts and Dynavector carts seem like very good value in comparison with some of the more expensive Linn carts.
Look, I really like the Kandid. It’s just a big cost to replace !
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To be candid, you mean 
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Personally speaking I think the Kandid is the very best cartridge Linn have ever had their name on. 
The Troika is next. 
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Yeah, the XX2a is very very good… No doubt about it!
I went in completely open minded and happy with the cost of any of them. The XX2a is very bold and very refined, but it just didn’t sound any better to say it was an extra £3-400 over the other two. Plus, I was more led by what would work with my system. They just seemed a better fit. Lyra also have a good upgrade/buy-back path, too… so everything conspired for it.
Yeah, I’ve heard the Kleos SL is the one to go for if you go with a Kleos. Just that it’s quite a low output so you need to make sure you have a higher gain phono stage.
Yeah, this is exactly it @Dan_M. Once you get to a certain point, even though things can sound better, it gets very subtle beyond a certain price point. 3 times the cost is worth it if you’ve done everything else in your system and those subtleties are meaningful to you. If I was in your shoes, with your system, I’d 100% go for the Kandid, too! If you’ve got other major changes to make (like I do), the funds are probably better used elsewhere.
Why don’t you have a look at the Lyra Atlas next time, Dan! 
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The reason why I got the Kandid was that I was upgrading my LP12 last May 2024 to Klimax spec. I was going to keep the tonearm I had (Ekos 2), and Dynavector XX2 Mk11, and just do a Radikal 1 upgrade. In the end I changed the lot and saw a Kandid on ebay with 50 hours use. The seller had bought an Ekstatik and was looking for more money than the Linn trade in. So I picked it up for £1400.
I then sold my Dynavector which maybe had 300 hours on jt (had it for about 6 months use).
So when changing from Kandid which now has 800 hours use, I would be looking at maybe middle price point of Lyra Kleos or Dynavector TKR level. Or possibly downgrade to Delos price point.
If a deal comes up used, which they do from time to time, then I maybe swayed for something else.
Anyway, hopefully the Kandid will last another year or two or more if I’m lucky.
An Atlas would not be on the cards for me. I would be very worried about using it.
Yeah, you sure did grab a bargain when you bought that Kandid @Dan_M!
Yeah, definitely try the TKR and Kleos SL against another Kandid. You could save yourself a grand and not really lose anything in sound quality. It depends how wedded you’ve become to the sound you’re getting now. I doubt I could go backwards, as good as the Delos is. Or, you could go the other way and look at upgrading to an XV-1t or Etna λ Lambda SL?
Yeah, I 100% agree on the Atlas. I’d also be afraid of going anywhere near my kit. I’m already conscious of it with my Delos, never mind one that costs £10k! It also probably works out at around £5 for every song you listen to! 
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I haven’t seen another Kandid deal like it. Have seen high end carts with 30 to 40% off lightly used. Then it’s a case of asking nicely if the dealer will fit it for you.
I think once you reach a certain level it’s difficult to go back down. But it’s certainly possible and you get used to the new sound soon enough.
Then of course if you stick with same brand you get £1000 off or so with Kandid. So they get you that way!
Brands find ways to get you to stay with them.
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Yeah, I haven’t either. You got a very good deal on that one.
It’s tricky with carts too, as there’s no real way of knowing the hours of usage on a used cartridge, only trust of the seller, I guess.
Yeah, it’s certainly possible and it’s not like you’d be getting something duff if you heard the Delos @Dan_M. It’d just be hard to ignore the memories of what your Kandid sounds like once you’ve heard it.
Saves a huge wedge of cash if you could manage the downgrade aspect. Anyway, there’s a good 1000hrs of beautiful sounding songs still to come in your Kandid!
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@Dan_M
You could be very lucky Dan I know of a Kandid with setup time plus a few sides for sale.
Mint and like new.
Cymbiosis has someone’s spare one with no hours.
On it.
Just say Skeptikal told you.
I bet there will be a list of callers now.
It’s a once in a lifetime no risk.
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Bump.
DS Audio Grandmaster for rock music
Koetsu Blue Azule on Avid Acustus for bright albums or singles
My Sonic Lab Platinum is the daily driver
Phasemation PP5000 - transferred to Australia
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Weekend driver - Koetsu Blue Lace
Transferred to Australia - Koetsu Tiger Eye
Living room - Ortofon Quintet Orange
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Nice choice. My Kleos SL took at least 50 hours to settle and show its true colours.
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