Atlas SL arrived

Kcin

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I am waiting the new SUT from Lyra for my Atlas SL
Now i use in current with CH P1,will be interesting if will be better with his new SUT and CH in MM
For my previous and friend experience i think could be little better with more dynamic and body,but until you don't try you don't know.

My friend has Atlas with Lyra SUT Erosion and phono Fosgate and he tell with SUT is much better

Let us know . I heard the CH P1 with Lyra Etna SL recently- Lyra does not post anything about a SUT availability on their site. Somehow , I believe Lyra's SUT was never widely imported to North America and more local to Europe or Asia.
 

gian60

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Italian distributor of Lyra since 20 years told me will arrive new SUT and new phono preamp,first sut
Already order
As soon as arrive I will try
I had Erodion but not when I had Lyra
 

Tango

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Yesterday, I send this video clip to Gian who has and is familiar with the Atlas SL. He identified right away after listening that this kind of vocal is unlike AtlasSL. I put the Atlas on this rewired Ortofon 297. At first it sounded a bit round and not every energetic. Now the wire is breaking in and sound quite surprising.

http://youtu.be/HYwuXDX5Lns

Tang
 

Ron Resnick

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I have never cared for any Lyra cartridge because I find them too bright.

But I heard 1) the Etna SL mounted to an SAT on an Air Force One Premium with VTL 7.5 preamp and it did not sound too bright, and 2) the Etna on a Kuzma 4 Point on a Kuzma turntable with ARC Ref phono stage and line stage and it did not sound too bright.

I think the Etna is a departure from the Lyra "house" sound.
 

BruceD

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I have never cared for any Lyra cartridge because I find them too bright.

But I heard 1) the Etna SL mounted to an SAT on an Air Force One Premium with VTL 7.5 preamp and it did not sound too bright, and 2) the Etna on a Kuzma 4 Point on a Kuzma turntable with ARC Ref phono stage and line stage and it did not sound too bright.

I think the Etna is a departure from the Lyra "house" sound.

Ron do you think your previous experience of the Lyras was due to the incorrect loading--possibly allowing the rising hi end/ringing sometimes associated with MC's not properly constrained?

and the two you mentioned sufficiently "smoothed'?

BruceD
 

Audiocrack

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I have never cared for any Lyra cartridge because I find them too bright.

But I heard 1) the Etna SL mounted to an SAT on an Air Force One Premium with VTL 7.5 preamp and it did not sound too bright, and 2) the Etna on a Kuzma 4 Point on a Kuzma turntable with ARC Ref phono stage and line stage and it did not sound too bright.

I think the Etna is a departure from the Lyra "house" sound.

Maybe you fotgot but you listened to the Lyra Olympos combined with the Walker turntable at my place. Thought you liked this vinyl set up. Agree with Christian ... the Olympos is a not bright sounding cartridge at all. On the contrary, is sounds imho lovely and is at the same time quite revealing.
 
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Tango

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I have never cared for any Lyra cartridge because I find them too bright.

But I heard 1) the Etna SL mounted to an SAT on an Air Force One Premium with VTL 7.5 preamp and it did not sound too bright, and 2) the Etna on a Kuzma 4 Point on a Kuzma turntable with ARC Ref phono stage and line stage and it did not sound too bright.

I think the Etna is a departure from the Lyra "house" sound.

Dear Ron,

The Atlas SL when on SAT is definitely not any "brighter" than the Studer going directly into the preamp in my system. I switched between them many times to see which cart sounds most like tape. It could sound very very detail with the body of a catwalk model. May be because it has no warmth, very detail, less body, fast with highs extension, you feel it is "bright." I find the Atlas SL so neutral. Now I have it on the vintage Ortofon and I am hearing great influence of the arm. With the Ortofon, the Atlas SL uncharacteristically sound just the right body with even a hint of warmth. Could be because of the new copper tonearm wire too. Normally I use silver in my arms.

Cant put a stereotype on a cart these days that I found. With Coralstone I also hear somethings untypical to most do and they are good attributes.

Kind regards,
Tang
 

Ron Resnick

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Ron do you think your previous experience of the Lyras was due to the incorrect loading--possibly allowing the rising hi end/ringing sometimes associated with MC's not properly constrained?

and the two you mentioned sufficiently "smoothed'?

BruceD

Dear Bruce,

I have no idea. I am reporting only totally subjective impressions, but the impressions encompass those two positive and surprising experiences with the Etna SL versus, I think, three data points with the Atlas.

Dear Christian, I don't think I have ever heard the Olympus. But I have always assumed (without knowing) that you prefer a slightly more detailed sound than I prefer. This is why I will be fascinated to learn what you think of the LP-S MR!
 

Ron Resnick

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Dear Ron,

The Atlas SL when on SAT . . . could sound very very detail with the body of a catwalk model. May be because it has no warmth, very detail, less body, fast with highs extension, you feel it is "bright." I find the Atlas SL so neutral. . . .

Dear Tang,

You are absolutely correct. You state very well the dichotomy of preferences we often find in this hobby.

One audiophile's "neutral" is another audiophile's "bright." :)

PS: Just for the record I have heard the Atlas three times but I think I never have heard the Atlas SL.
 

Pb Blimp

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I have never cared for any Lyra cartridge because I find them too bright.

But I heard 1) the Etna SL mounted to an SAT on an Air Force One Premium with VTL 7.5 preamp and it did not sound too bright, and 2) the Etna on a Kuzma 4 Point on a Kuzma turntable with ARC Ref phono stage and line stage and it did not sound too bright.

I think the Etna is a departure from the Lyra "house" sound.

Ron, I think I get your point. I find my Atlas to be exceptionally revealing and on high frequencies it hides no scars. This is part of what makes it simply outstanding on instrumentals but.......I do find on some recordings, for example, where vocals can have just a tad of sibilance. I have often written this off to the recording being laid bare possibly by the combination of the Atlas and my Nordost V2 cables which are also very revealing. (Too much of a good thing.) I will say that I would never get rid of the Atlas for this characteristic because it gives you something on most recordings that is simply stunning and should be experienced. My goal is to add a second arm with something more tailored to these types of recordings. Also, I am very interested in making a comparison to my new MSB Reference Dac coming later this month just as a benchmark.
 

Ron Resnick

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Ron, I think I get your point. I find my Atlas to be exceptionally revealing and on high frequencies it hides no scars. This is part of what makes it simply outstanding on instrumentals but.......I do find on some recordings, for example, where vocals can have just a tad of sibilance. I have often written this off to the recording being laid bare possibly by the combination of the Atlas and my Nordost V2 cables which are also very revealing. (Too much of a good thing.) I will say that I would never get rid of the Atlas for this characteristic because it gives you something on most recordings that is simply stunning and should be experienced. My goal is to add a second arm with something more tailored to these types of recordings. A

. . .

This all makes sense to me!

You are hearing what I hear. I hear that sibilance on vocals also. (Whether the sibilance is "accurate" or not, I don't care -- I don't want to hear it.)

We simply are assigning different values to the sound we both are hearing. :)
 

DaveyF

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This all makes sense to me!

You are hearing what I hear. I hear that sibilance on vocals also. (Whether the sibilance is "accurate" or not, I don't care -- I don't want to hear it.)

We simply are assigning different values to the sound we both are hearing. :)

Ron, as you know, many times if we are hearing sibilance with vinyl playback and it is excessive, that is due to mistracking. i think the sound of any cartridge has to be judged by how well it has been set-up and with the compatibility with the arm/table and the phono stage. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard low output MC's that are clearly stressing the phono stage---and yet the owner's for some reason either a) cannot hear this strain ( which BTW, can result in artificial sibilance) or b) Do hear the mismatch, but are willing to live with it in order to own that particular cartridge!
 

Ron Resnick

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All true -- but Paul was not writing about "excessive" sibilance.
 

DaveyF

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All true -- but Paul was not writing about "excessive" sibilance.

Here's the thing of it...if you are hearing sibilance, and this is not on the record, then mistracking is the most likely culprit. Naturally, it is also possible that the LP is damaged. I have on many occasions listened to LP's that were damaged by someone in the past due to their use of a worn stylus. Sibilance is typically an issue with these damaged grooves. So, IMO, it is unusual that a good cartridge would be displaying this issue 'if' it has been set up correctly and is not reproducing a damaged groove.
 

Pb Blimp

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Ron, as you know, many times if we are hearing sibilance with vinyl playback and it is excessive, that is due to mistracking. i think the sound of any cartridge has to be judged by how well it has been set-up and with the compatibility with the arm/table and the phono stage. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard low output MC's that are clearly stressing the phono stage---and yet the owner's for some reason either a) cannot hear this strain ( which BTW, can result in artificial sibilance) or b) Do hear the mismatch, but are willing to live with it in order to own that particular cartridge!

Davey, Thanks for you comments. My Atlas was set up by Gunther on his table in my room. My sense is he knows what he is doing. As I said, what I was describing is only present on limited recordings, ergo my comment that imo it was likely caused by the extremely revealing nature of the Atlas (which is what makes it so special in most cases) but can be a bit much for me on my system on some pieces. That all said, based on your thoughts maybe I will have someone out to take another look at my set-up.
 

DaveyF

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Guys, set-up can and does go out of alignment---expecting a set-up to remain accurate through time is not always correct. IME, the more esoteric the stylus shape,the more likely that the set-up will drift a little through time. Wear on the stylus is always present, and as I once discussed with HP, we really do not know where on the wear cycle we are at with any cartridge. If you are hearing something amiss in the presentation, a good look at the set-up and the possible age of the cartridge is warranted. Plus, unfortunately, it is always possible to damage a cartridge stylus by playing a very dirty record. We are also not saying anything about the other problems associated with aging of the suspension and wear related to that.
 

Ron Resnick

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Yesterday, I send this video clip to Gian who has and is familiar with the Atlas SL. He identified right away after listening that this kind of vocal is unlike AtlasSL. I put the Atlas on this rewired Ortofon 297. At first it sounded a bit round and not every energetic. Now the wire is breaking in and sound quite surprising.


Hello Tang,

Why do you think the Ortofon tonearm is warming up or smoothing out or making in some way more natural the Atlas SL (compared to the Atlas SL on the SAT)?

(My theory is that the vintage tonearm is less well damped and less inert than the SAT, and that the resonance of the vintage tonearm is somehow warming up or smoothing out the Atlas SL.)
 

Tango

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Hello Tang,

Why do you think the Ortofon tonearm is warming up or smoothing out or making in some way more natural the Atlas SL (compared to the Atlas SL on the SAT)?

(My theory is that the vintage tonearm is less well damped and less inert than the SAT, and that the resonance of the vintage tonearm is somehow warming up or smoothing out the Atlas SL.)

That's easy answer Ron. The Ortofon happens to give just about the right amount of distortion at the right frequencies. Distortions and vibration are not all bad. We tend to think they are the enemy. I believe in life balance. It is just very difficult to find the right balance to make it natural and real to our ears.

Tang
 

Ron Resnick

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That makes sense to me, Tang!

I heard on Sunday the Lyra Atlas on a Kusma 4 Point on a Kuzma Reference turntable with all Einstein electronics driving Wilson Audio Alexx speakers.

I thought the Atlas had a little bit of excess sibilance. But when we compared it to the Transfiguration Protease there was no difference in sibilance.

I think the Atlas is a very "fast-sounding" (a good thing) and energetic cartridge! I think I mistook that speed and energy for a bit of excess sibilance.
 

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