Lyra Atlas experiences

@lewm yes, I am hearing differences. The 453Ω load doesn’t have the dynamics and treble extension of the 470Ω. I’ve actually abandoned the 453Ω load and am comparing 470Ω and 500Ω now. For sure, they are very close. For jazz and rock close enough to be a toss up. However, on classical there are differences in midrange texture, dynamics and treble extension. 470Ω is a bit warmer, and I might like that better for classical, but 500Ω is a tad more dynamic, and has slightly better ability to resolve inner details. In the end I’ll go with I like better for classical music.

I have a Naim Superline phono stage with the optional Supercap DR PSU and HiLine DIN IC cable.

The reason I care about evaluating this is that once I have landed on the resistive value I like, Chris West at AV Options will build me a custom loading plug, based on a Naim Airplug with cryo’d z-foil resistors. It’s rather expensive so I want to get the resistive value right, as changing it after the fact isn’t cheap either.

Dwette, you actually think you hear a difference between 453 and 470 ohms loading? I am either impressed with your auditory acuity or dubious. Or wondering about your phono stage.

Just a small update. My Atlas 2018 is still working well. No problems. I know I should wash my LPs but dry cleaning with the Mobile fidelity brush works ok for most of them, not much clicks or mistracking. Maybe it sounds a bit better with a bit of fluid in the SME V damping chamber - not  sure, testing. Platter mats - no. Extra damping on the  arm - no. Fozgometer azimuth adjustment, yes. 

@mijostyn Thanks for the suggestions, but I’ll pass on trying a different clamp. I’ve used what I have for years and it suites me well enough. It doesn’t have to be 100% effective or the best solution. 

@dwette , You are correct. I forgot about Clearaudio's magnetic bearing. However, even though you are happy with what you have, record weights and peripheral clamps do not do an adequate job of flattening a wayward record. The other problem with peripheral clamps is that they are large, heavy and in very close proximity to a tiny, very fragile, expensive and very open cantilever. You will not be the first person to knock their cantilever off with a peripheral clamp. The Michell Clamp is relatively inexpensive, try it. If you don't like it I'll buy it from you for whatever you paid. You can use the peripheral clamp for a frisbee :-)

A system I am extremely familiar has been demonstrated to me within the past week with a New Floor Standing Cabinet Speaker in use, or not in use🤔, the only way the Speaker could be identified with was from Sound and Visual, the Speaker Cabinet impact on a SQ, is something I am sensitive to. These Speakers Cabinets have no effect to what my ears perceived.

The Vinyl Chain due to these speakers is one I am unfamiliar with, and I still scratching my head about the demonstration, it has made such a good impression.

It certainly has reinforced a view I have carried for a long time, being every thing up stream of the Speaker is processing a electric signal, it is from the exit of the  Speaker Xover that the Sound is produced, and it is the Sound that we listeners Judge and Assess by.

Looks like the different Sub's fit into this theory/fact. 

@pindac Thank you. Trust me, the grin is very much ear to ear at the moment. I am closing in on 50 hrs. and I think it has already opened up and shown what it is capable of. That jives with what a friend who knows this cartridge (non-SL) and the mono version tells me (he uses both to evaluate test pressings professionally).

Interestingly, I also upgraded my subs from a pair of REL R-328 to a pair of S/510 earlier this month, and as they break in more I am enjoying the music that much more.

@dwette A very encouraging complimentary write up, on the early usage of the 'LAL-SL'.

I can only see the smile increasing and the enthusiasm topping out, as you go over the 100ish Hour of usage marker.

Happy Listening   

@mijostyn

Thank you for your feedback, You might want to read up on my turntable a bit more before getting too critical of how I use it. I might look dumb but I do kind of know what I’m doing. LOL

You are wrong about the risk of bearing wear regarding this TT and how I use it. The Clearaudio Ovation has a ceramic-magnetic bearing, and is designed to accommodate the weight of the clamp and outer ring with no consequence on wear, because the platter floats magnetically on the bearing spindle, making no contact at all from the top. It would take far more force to make the platter bottom out on the top of the ceramic bearing than the 2350 gr I am adding. In fact, Clearaudio makes a clamp of about the same mass, and the outer limit ring I use is theirs, and approved for use with my turntable. My use case is all within their design spec.

I am aware of reflex clamps and vacuum clamping, but I am good to go with what I have. I’ve used it that way happily for years. The clamp and ring I have do an excellent job keeping my records flat and coupled to the POM platter. I see no reason to make any changes in that regard.

@dwette , Great. One comment. The only thing record weights do is wear out your bearing faster. Add the weight of the peripheral clamp and you increase the wear rate even more. The good reflex clamps obviate the need for a peripheral clamp and do a better job of flattening the record. They are used by SME, Kuzma, Dohmann and others. The only thing better is vacuum clamping. 

@mijostyn Thanks for the suggestions, but they have all been addressed. I have already adjusted azimuth, using an acrylic gauge and confirmed with my Fozgometer (which should always be run with a fresh battery for accurate results). Lyra suggests setting loading by listening with ear: they don’t specify a value for it, because that varies with tonearm cable and phonostage used. In any case, my Naim Superline phonostage is quite up to the task of what this catridge has to offer.

My turntable is on an isoAcoustics Delos, and I use both an HRS 850gr clamp and Clearaudio’s 1500 gr outer limit ring.

I’ve got it all covered, thanks. I’ve been around the block a few times. :)

@dwette , I ordered mine about 5 months ago and still do not have it. If you hang on I'll give you my impression because I am sure I will get it shortly as they make their models in short runs.

You want the top of the cartridge body exactly coplanar with the record surface. The best way to do this is with the Wally Reference tool. Use the loading Lyra suggests or even better get a current mode phono stage.  

You have an excellent turntable. It needs to be on an isolation platform like a MInusK (the best). If you do not have one already you should get a reflex clamp like the one Sota makes. Michell also makes one.  

I took delivery of a Lyra Atlas Lambda SL about a week ago. I have about 35 hrs on it now (I can’t be dragged away from it….LOL). I waited five months from the time I ordered.

I am using this with a Clearaudio Ovation and Universal arm, with a Naim Superline/SupercapDR phonostage into a Naim 252/SCDR/300DR with Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum speakers and a pair of REL S/510. 

At the moment I am tracking it at 1.65 gr, and I have been tossing back and forth between 453Ω and 470Ω for loading. I think anything much less than 453 will be dull and 500+ might be too lively (560 has been recommended to try). I mostly listen to jazz and classical and I tend to like 470Ω better so far for most jazz, but some classical sound better at 453Ω. I think the latter because some classical (especially late-70s and later DGs) were mastered too bright. Karajan’s awful influence maybe. 

I’ll think I’ll start adjusting VTF a little and see what that does, but at the moment I can live with it all the way it is. 

This cartridge is truly delicious and very special. I was using a Dynavector XV-1s before. The Lyra has everything good it had but takes everything to a new level of nirvana. What an amazing accomplishment.

I have not heard the Lambda versions of the Atlas (or other Lambda versions of the Lyra models). What I know, is that the standard Atlas that I got from Lyra in 2018, after an accident with the 2013 model I had before, sounds great, and works perfect, with zero problems so far. Just keep the stylus and records clean. Expensive? Yes, but for a daily joy for many years, it becomes worth it.

In an effort to rescue this thread and bringing it back to topic - any experiences to share with the Lambda versions of the Atlas, i.e. the Atlas Lambda and Lambda SL?

Considering moving back to a Lyra with the Atlas after some early experimentation years ago with Argo (i), Delos, Linn Kandid. 

Could we get this thread back on line please? The battery comment by lewm is off topic.

Recently I have been able to compare DSD recordings of the Lyra Atlas, to direct vinyl playback, using the Lyra Titan i (since the Atlas is broken). The Atlas recordings show that it is clearly a superior cart, although some of the difference may also reflect larger use of the Titan i - it is more worn. The Titan is certainly a very good cartridge, even if surpassed by the Atlas. The Atlas in more rounded, less "etched" and "hifi", compared to the Titan i, with a considerably greater "being there" effect. Lower noise from vinyl issues - less crack and pop - and more deep bass, giving a more realistic deeper embodied sound of vocals - are parts of the picture.

I have never understood the "new battery" thing with the Foz.  Brand new 9V batteries are not uniform in their measurable voltage output, and they generally will be producing somewhat more than 9V when they are new, but the exact value varies between 9 and 10V.  (I once had to buy about 10 of them, and at that time, I measured each one right out of the box.) So, why would the Foz necessarily need a new battery, rather than a battery that makes nearly exactly 9V?  Used 9V batteries very often are producing 9V, exactly. Moreover, if used at a low current draw, they can go on producing 9V for a long time.  So there is something else going on here, in my opinion, unless the Foz draws a lot of current and just plain drags down a battery in a very short time.

OK, thanks folkfreak, sorry Raul! I remember it now. The Evolve model had a restriced run or small edition I believe? I upgraded my Clavis at the time. A friend had the Helicon but never got it quite optimal, he felt. For me, things really started to take off with Lyra when I bought a Titan, later upgraded to Titan i.

Varyat - is it sonically relevant - this is the core issue - very good question. Does the visual (subsonic) pumping cause damage? Not as far as I know. It may strain the woofers but they seem to tackle it. Does it have a negative impact on the music? I am not sure. I think that, yes, maybe, it imparts some more unruliness and listening fatigue in the long run, dynamic parts become more strained. On the other hand, LPs with subsonic pumping (in my system, with the cart-arm resonance down to 7hz or so) are also often very good-sounding albums.

Does woofer pumping cause any problems? Other than the visual display, does this cause any damage or is it sonically relevant?

@o_holter the Clavis Evolve was a limited model produced in 1999
https://www.vinylengine.com/library/lyra/clavis-evolve-99.shtml

Raul, where did you hear the "Lyra Evolve", as you claim in a post above? This is not a Lyra model I know of. Your idea that good cartridges will sound sub-optimal with tube electronics does not work out, according to my ears. Using the Lyra Atlas with the Aesthetix Io Eclipse dual power. Have you actually heard this combination? If not, please restrict your overall general judgements.

Bpoletti, from what I read, the Jelco 750D has more effective mass than my SME V - 13.48g vs ca 10.5g. So if there is rumble or subsonic pumping you should notice more.

Thank you bpoletti, very interesting. I still have my Clavis DC on the loft, and should probably take it down to test it for woofer pumping. I dont remember much pumping in the years when I used this now well worn cart, but that was with a different tonearm, the very difficult Souther / Triquarts parallel arm, skating around rather than giving a precise image of the groove (in my system at least), though the arm was so light that there was no resonance problem. The compliance of the Clavis, Titan and Atlas are the same I believe - as given from Lyra - 12 at 100hz.

I am no longer using the HW-19, but instead a Hanss T30 which I find superior in most (not all) respects.

Maybe we share an experience - with Lyra cartridges - even the Clavis, and even more, with the Titan, and the Atlas - changing the player and arm makes a difference.

@o_holter I have been using a long-in-the-tooth Clavis DC on and off for years.  I have not experienced any woofer pumping in my system.  If I may make a suggestion (I'm assuming you are using sorbothane pucks in your HW-19) you might consider using a different Duro rating, maybe softer.  Another potential culprit might be the bearing.  An "oil change" and cleaning may help.  Check the best to see if there is any obvious wear that could be getting into the platter assy.

I used the Clavis DC briefly in my VPI HW-19/III (spring sprung, not pucks) until changing to a modified TNT and then to an Aries Extended.  Arms used include Premier FT3 with Sumiko Analog Survival Kit arm wrap, Jelco 750D and JMW Memorial 12.  Never an issue.  

Have others experienced subsonic woofer pumping with the Atlas or other Lyra carts? If the answer is no, just a little, or yes - what tonearm do you use? Symptom: you see the woofer cone move in and out, even if you don’t hear anything, playing vinyl records - especially in-between tracks, and in the intro and outro grooves. You need to turn up the volume to do the test. You can also use your fingers to feel the cone movement. Example of test LP: Pink Floyd Meddle.

I am running my Lyra Atlas - it is maybe a total of 14 - 1500 hours by now.

No major problems. The bad spots in my vinyl collection are like before (mistracking, sibilance).

It has become more "slack" than in the beginning, as is to be expected. Mainly it works to the best, sonically (a bit more more rounded, mellow, ambience-tuned, dimensional).

Michael Fremer got problems with the Atlas after four years - his copy was bought in 2013, like mine. But he described "heavy usage". I suspect this means 2500 - 3000 hours or even more. At that point he heard clear signs of wear, especially, more sibilance. So far, this is not a problem on my cartridge.

Generally, yes, the Atlas is a big investment. But I have never looked back.

The Atlas goes so deep that the woofers can pump (subsonic movement), at least in some arm combinations with low resonance, like my SME V. Yet this usually means good sound, it is not very serious, in my judgement so far. See
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/why-are-my-woofers-pumping

Dear @downunder : The A90 as almost all top Ortofon models in the past  are not " expensive " as you said against other top cartridges as Lyra, Clearaudio, Air Tigth and the like.

This is the first time that I read a compliant in the treplicant Ortofon stylus tip regarding its playing time that you said " only " 1000 hours vs 3K hours against Lyra.

I own and owned Ortofon cartridges with replicant and non-replicant stylus tip shapes and never gave me any trouble, maybe because not over 1K hours but if I remember a scientific research by Ortofn people found out that over 500 hours the quality level performance of any cartridge ( Ortofon or non-Ortofon. ) begin  to fall down due to the playing hours where stylus tip starts to shows signs of that terrible and hard cartridge job over the LP grooves. If we want to mantain the " same " quality level performance on top cartridges I think that between 500-750 but no more than 1K hours needs for a a retipp.
Problem is that because we are listen it day by day we really don't take in count that lower and lower quality performance levels but exist that way.

Now, the 100th anniversary is a total Ortofon departure in their cartridge designs because for the very first time they use diamond as cantilever build material when Ortofon never showed to use more " sophisticated and expensive " cartridge materials but more focus in its design and excecution very high quality to that cartridge design.


Please do it me a favor and buy one an after 500 hours I will buy it from you. That cartridge is a must to have.

Btw, the Atlas SL has more "  pure and forgiven " sound because it has lower output that means less coild wire.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @tommyboy65 : I started to own LYra cartridge from the Evolve model passing for almost all models and as I said in that post I heard the Atlas too.

problem is not the Atlas, .poblem is that all tube I/O model.

Yes the Lyra and the specific Atlas " is terrific " performer even that you listen it through tubes that's the wrong electronics ( and yes, I owned and listened top tube electronics including the OP model and that's why I said what I said it. First hand experiences. ) to any LOMC cartridge. Tha's all.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

That is 50% off a new Atlas. You get a brand new Atlas as Lyra do a complete rebuild - the only thing reused is the body.
Sounds like a good deal to me for one of the best cartridges one can buy.

Rebuild costs are similar % in Australia.

How much did it cost to rebuild your Atlas. I’m facing a possible rebuild and may cost $5995

@rauliruegas    personally after owning the A90, I would never touch an expensive Ortofon cartridge with replicant 100 stylus again. @ around 1000 hours playtime, it does not last long enough.

  Lyra and Dyna cartridges last at least 2500 to 3000 hours easily.

  I owned an Atlas since 2012 and the last 2 months the Atlas SL after Lyra rebuilt my worn Atlas.
  Atlas has incredible life, dynamics and attack - but in certain systems can be a double edged sword.  Atlas SL is a little different where is it seems to be even more pure sounding so a little more forgiving.  

  I prefer both Atlas models to the Etna SL which is excellent but a little too forward in the vocal range and misses out on low bass but has excellent tone.

@rauliruegas gave bad advice at beginning of thread. I have an Atlas with an all tube system on an VPI Extended Aries I, with the 3D tonearm and it is freaking terrific! It is by far the best MC that I’ve ever owned. Just absolutely rotten advice. If you never owned a cartridge then how can you comment on the sound??? 

Thanks!
Karl - happy you enjoy the Atlas, I do too, it is in a very high league. My cantilever is maybe not quite optimal but I have never sent it in for a check.
Whatthe - I would probably think so too, with the Atlas SL. But my phono stage needs a stronger output from the cart, to do its magic.
Raul - yes the Atlas has run maybe 1500 hours, but according to the reputation of Lyra carts, it should be good for more, maybe 2500. Wear of the cart suspension is a possible cause of pumping - not sure. I think it has behaved this way more or less since I got it.

Dear @o_holter  @whatthe  @karl_desch : Masybe this is the best time to  buy a totally new LOMC cartridge ( o_holter, your Atlas has 1.k hours. ) that I have no doubt can set as a new reference or at least the more serious challenges to all other top today cartridges:

https://www.ortofon.com/mc-century-p-863?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HiFi%20NL%20May%202018&am...


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

I have owned a lot of cartridges. Goldfinger, Anna, dynavector XV-1s, ikeda Kai, earlier atlas among others. At present I am spinning Lyra atlas sl. All I need to say, after decades, I am done! If I had to pick my second option. If I could not have the atlas sl. It would be the Kai. I love the low out put cartridges. Much more enjoyable to my older ears. Just my view.
✌️🖖

@o_holter Several months ago, I took the plunge and acquired a lightly used Atlas. I noticed that the cantilever was off center when playing and at rest. Sounded fine but I sent it to Lyra for cleaning and adjustment.

Back from Lyra it looked to be in perfect straight alignment.  I use a MintLP or an Accutrak arc protractor as well as a USB microscope and a Foz for setting up cartridges. 

Compared to to my previous Delos, the Atlas is more dynamic, more information gathering and has much deeper and better defined bass.  This is especially apparent in my stereo when mounted on a Mørch DP-8.  This cartridges sounds great on simple acoustic and jazz as well as more complicated rock and electronic.  I tend to use my Koetsu when I feel that rhythmic information is more important but I really love how music explodes off the recording with the Atlas.  I learn a lot about the intrinsic nature of a cartridge when I can compare it to others in my system.

I find that my Pass XP-15 is not that sensitive to loading but I settled on 500 ohms. I hope to listen to it through an Atma-sphere MP-1 in the future.

-Karl

mmakshak gave a good comment, above:
"Reading all this, you can see how intellectual arguments can lead anywhere(especially if you get one thing wrong).  I use parameters as an outside guiding force-not the be all and end all of all things.  You need to get in the ballpark(with these), and then use your ears to actually hear what anti-skate does.  I think, once again, focusing on one aspect of the sound, is a mistake.  You can make a minute adjustment-let's say one where the channels seem correctly balanced-but find, after sleeping on it, that your desire to listen has diminished.  This method introduces your subconscious, which holds many more parameters than your conscious, or intellectual mind. "

Hi there - an update on my Atlas experience.
It has now run - maybe - 1500 hours. My model was made in 2013. I try to use it sparingly.
I have no clear signs of cartridge wear, so far. It has changed tone, seems a bit more mellow now, not sure, cannot A-B-test
Michael Fremer noted "sibilance" as sign of wear, after some years of heavy duty use of the Atlas. So far, no problem for me. Also, mistracking is very rare.  
In sum - the Atlas continues to do a marvellous job.

The Atlas should have no tracking problems with any commercially made LP.

ferrari250, agree, my experience is the same. Working with loading and adjustment is very important. Although the Atlas is so good that it is in a sense also a problem - it still sounds good, even with suboptimal adjustments (to an extent) and loading.

I am sure there are golden ears out there who would dispute this, but this is what I have found, with my average ears, living with Lyra cartridges for many years. I can get them into a very good setup. With each new generation of Lyra (for me: Clavis  - Titan - Atlas), this zone has been widened. If you cannot setup this cartridge to sound good, something is seriously wrong.

This is all very fine. But the challenge starts from there - how to make the cartridge play not just very good, but optimal.

Tracking - I had some early versions of the Clavis with tracking problems. I moved up to the Titan, with less, and then the Titan i, with even less problems. After I got the Atlas, there is even less mistracking. Tracking problems are mainly non-present, appearing very seldom.

@  o_holter, Check your loading and sra, of course vta as well.  Your system may react differently than others with loading and gain. Do not expect the Atlas to be the "end all be all", nothing is perfect everything depends upon preferences, equipment synergy ~ critical and listening tastes.   All of my past Lyra's have been tracking champions and their customer service top notch.  

Stingreen - sorry, did not see your post before - i use the Aesthetix Benz MC Demagnetizer. The Lyra Atlas manual says periodic fluxbusting is ok provided one follows the instructions (I do). 

0_hotter....when you say demag every second month....you only use the Cardas (or similar) disc???    I certainly would check with Lyra if it is wise to do this.  Some high end cartridges have internal wiring that could be melted with some demag treatments.

My Atlas plays very well. Recently I have bought a Spin clean washer, because I want to listen to music when I clean my records (my noisy vacuum record cleaner is in the basement, for now). Not surprisingly, the record washing results in better-sounding records. Also, for Atlas best sound and maintenance, I use the Zerodust, a light carbon brush now and then, each week, and the Lyra stylus treatment once a month or so. Demag ca every second month.

Rereading the thread:

Thanks Stingreen - I very much appreciate your contributions, and will do a new check. So far, however, the azimuth seems ok. Like Mmakshak commented above, it can be hard to judge, what is the cartridge, what is the speaker positioning, and so on - you need to sleep on it, and use your subconscious to get the whole system fully tuned to the room. This is an endless task. Happily it is also filled with joy - just listen to the music!
 
Ninetynine - the SME arm should be heavier, to be optimal for the Atlas. I am not sure. I tried some damping/heavier stuff but went back to the original. As often happens when I try to tweak the SME V.

Nandric - stylus shape is important - I did not get how this would translate to anti-skate and weight.

Some of the debate turned to mistracking - although not the main issue in my case. It seems that most users, including me, thinks the Atlas sounds great and seldom mistracks. As stated before, this thread is about getting optimal sound.

Raul has argued that the Atlas needs a solid state (or hybrid) phono preamp / riaa solution to sound its best. Too many tubes will not do. The debate - here as elsewhere - has turned to solid state vs. tubes. I agree that phono preamps are not the main subject of this thread, but a little discussion will not hurt. After all, the phono is a main part of making the cartridge sound good. But we should restrict this to phono stages actually listened to using the Atlas. Raul, have you heard solid state phono stages that serve the Atlas in a superior way?

All in all, with 3851 views on Audiogon and 98 posts so far (one of them calling our discussion "erudite"), I think the thread has been succesful. The group of Atlas owners / users is fairly small, but our discoveries and debates have a more general interest. Each of us are likely to be sometimes wrong, but together, we may be right.  So I look forward to more comments.

O-holter.....just reading the thread again.   I got rid of my SME V because it didn't have the ability to adjust for azimuth.  Sure you can shim the cartridge, but that is really unworkable.  When azimuth is set correctly, the soundstage widens, yet the instruments become smaller...life like and in their proper space in the sound envelope.  Depth is increased as is dynamic shadings.  These attributes are much too valuable to give away on an arm that can not accomadate for it.  These are the exact abilities that make the Lyra Atlas so special. I've head the Atlas on a few arms, and on mine - a VPI 3D.  All the top arms sound a bit different, but to my ears, none was better than on my VPI 3D.  I understand Harry is working on the addition of another pivot to make the arm even better....the mod is easily incorporated into all 3D arms, and has a modest price tag.

Platter mats - well, maybe too off topic....no reaction so far.

So, back to a main issue raised earlier in the debate. The Atlas needs a solid state Riaa to sound its best. Or at least, not too many tubes (Rauliregas). He may be right. I hope to be able to audition some s-state riaas in the near future, and will report back.

Dctom - Thanks for interesting information. I also enjoy the Atlas. For me, each step up in the Lyra line over the last twenty years - Clavis, Clavis DC, Titan, Titan i, Atlas - has been worth it. The Atlas shines through even when some components aren't optimal.

I used the SME V on a (modded) VPI-HW19 player for several years, and although it worked ok, the arm matches better with the Hanss T30 player I use now. It gives the arm a more rigid platform, more in line with the philosophy behind the SME V. I can compare since I have DSD recordings from vinyl using the two players with the same arm and Lyra cart. There is no doubt that the Hanss benefits the music (although the tonality is good in the HW19, pitch and stability is better in the Hanss, music seems to get a higher resolution with a greater level of detail). So, getting the Hanss player in a sense was the biggest "tweak" I did to the Atlas (and is much recommended if one can get it for a reasonable price). The T30 has two motors, six thin drive belts, heavy sandwich construction, magnetic bearing, 10 kg aluminium platter - and I think all of these contribute to the result.

Some people don't like the sound in this type of heavy platter, including Paul Seydor in the Absolute sound (2012), reviewing the T-60, a bigger version of the T-30. Seydor had a lot of nice things to say, and only one critique - he heard a certain metallic coloration or glare, and preferred using the player with a platter mat on top. He used a Graham Phantom II arm with an Ortofon Windfield. (Review here: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/hanss-t-60-turntable-and-graham-phantom-ii-supreme-tonearm/ )

I understand what Seymour was writing about. I can hear a bit of this glare too. Yet I mainly prefer the T-30 (with the SME V and Atlas) without a mat.

Since this may of be interest to others, and to be sure, I did a new test, over a week, trying out the best platter mats I have tried so far, the Japanese fo.Q rs-912 (recommended by Seymour - a set of two mats, thin and thick).

However, my conclusion is: I like the sound better without a mat - even with some "glare". This goes for most of my records. Sometimes, however, the LP is so hard-sounding (and engaging platter resonances, I imagine) that the music sounds better with one of the rs-912 mats.

Like Seymour, I find that the thin mat (with holes) works best; the thick (or the two combined) is too much.  So for example, when I want to play my worn mono copy of Dave Clark 5 In Session, the mat makes it more bearable. It functions a bit like a filter, and also goes some way into refining the sound. However, listening more closely, I find that I lose information. This is a no-no for me. So - even with a bit of glare, I prefer the "full" sound from the record directly on the platter.

I use a heavy (1kg) TT brass record weight rather than the light-weight clamp that came with the Hanss. This, also, is a bit of plus and minus (I miss the screw-down clamp design on the VPI), but mainly, it gives the music more body, it sounds fuller, and also reduces the glare a bit.

For a period, I tried damping the platter on the bottom, using Gladen Aero-Butyl, but the Hanss distributor warned me against this, since even if I applied the damping material evenly, it would still interfere with optimal balancing of the platter. So I took it off, again (quite some work). It did help the metallic resonance, but not so much - I don't hear a big difference without it. Maybe a sandwhich or composite construction would cure it better. With the VPI, I had the heavy (HW-19 version 3 or so) lead platter, but even if it was stable and gave deeper bass than the ones before it, I liked the sound better in the (hw-19 v 4) Black Knight platter.

It seems typical for the Atlas that kind of problem is less prominent than with earlier Lyra's like the Titan. At least, this is my experience. The Clavis was much "harder" than the Titan, and the Titan was harder than the Atlas. Hard in both senses - sounding hard, and hard to get right, to adjust to optimal sound. It feels like the Atlas is more "forgiving" of resonances, sibilances, etc. along with almost no mistracking - even as it is extracting more information from the groove. This is impressive. Even when using a "lowly" phono stage like I do now, the cartridge gives me clear informattion, what sounds best.

 

I use a kuzma 4pt for my Atlas. Have had a range of carts in the Kuzma, Benz, airtight, vdh etc. The Atlas is the best sounding, excellent dynamics, tonality and tracking.

I did have a sme 20 with the the smeV arm, but this was previous to me obtaining the Lyra. Obivously I found the  Kuzma TT (and ref313 arm I had initially) preferable  to the sme,  the 313 also tracked better than the sme with the same cartridge.

I use a mini oscilloscope with the set up to adjust azimuth. 

Have tried various phono stages with the Lyra, eg. Dartzeel, Thoress - I use the Ypsilon with Lyra's Erodition MC step up. I found the Erodition suits the Lyra better than the Ypsilon MC20 step up.