Lyra Atlas SL Cartridge Magnet type??
@geoffkait The reason that I asked about Platinum magnets is that is what is utilized by Koetsu on their upper end models...and yet the question is..what exactly is a Platinum magnet? IMO, it is a marketing name given to a somarium cobalt magnet...which as we know is inferior in its gauss to a neodymium. @bukanona. The answer to your question is widely available on the web. |
daveyf Platinum magents are a thing and not some marketing gimmick. The Lyra Parnassus famously used this type of magnet and in order to get an Olympos beyond the original run of 10pc, a Parnassus donor was required for the magnet. dave |
I was just wondering; does a particular magnet, type or kind of magnet dictate the sound of the cartridge? I know that Different kind of magnet will sound different but should a person like myself if looking for a cart, should that be a factor in choosing which cart i should buy due to the type of magnet.? So if a magnet from a cartridge is made from Neo, Alnico, platinum or cobalt, what are some of the benefits and why? |
@daveyf Neodymium is king when it comes to flux per uinit density but i believe the strongest magnetic field ever created was via field coil. as to whether different magnets sound different or by definition the strongest magnet type is best I'll answer yes and no. I have yet to hear a neodumium based cartridge that was as musical as an alnico or samarium cobalt magnet based one. The best cartridge I have heard to date is field coil based. I am currently in the process of trying the exact same cartridge structure with Alnico 5, Samarium Cobalt and Neo to see what happens. dave |
Here in the US, one can buy small neodynium magnets at any good hardware store. I bought a pkg of 3. These are about the size of a dime. The magnetic field is so strong that one cannot easily get the magnets in the stack of 3 apart from one another; I had to use a sharp knife blade to do so. I am using one to repair the door to our toaster oven. It was spring-loaded to begin with, and the springs gave out. One of those dime-sized magnets now does the trick. My Ortofon MC2000 must have very few turns of wire on its coil, because the internal resistance is 2 ohms and the output is miniscule in terms of voltage. But it has an enormously powerful magnet structure that can lead to destruction of the suspension, if you bring any ferrous objects nearby, like a screwdriver you might use to install the cartridge, or like a platter with ferrous content, or the rotor of the coreless motor of my L07D. Such powerful magnets can exert a force on the weigh pan of certain digital scales we use for VTF, even though they are advertised to be "non-magnetic". Which of course can lead to inaccurate setting of VTF. |
I think the factor of magnet strength has more to do with the design aspect of the cartridge motor...and possibly how quickly the coils will react to the signal. Personally, I think the trend to ever lower output cartridges is a negative aspect when it comes to cartridge ability. While the lower output is connected to fewer turns of the coil, thereby theoretically reducing losses at this point, I believe that this is more than off-set with the issue of increased noise at the phono stage...due to the phono stage now having to work harder ( and sometimes a LOT harder) to amplify the smaller signal. While some ss phono stages are still relatively low noise as they increase their amplification, almost no ( maybe 100%) tube based phono stages can say the same thing. Even with the ss phono stage ( or the transformer stage) the increase in noise is most likely a factor as amplification increases. |
for a given coil movement, cartridge output is simply the combination of flux and length of wire in that flux. In order to change one you must change the other to get the same output. The third side of this "triangle" is the cartridge impedance which shows up in the form of mass. In order to reduce the mass of the coils you can either use fewer turns (less length of wire = less output) or the same number of turns of a thinner wire which increases impedance. There is a current trend of trying to drive the turns and impedance down and still maintain a substantial output which is where the strength of the N52 neo magnets come into the picture. dave |
Got an answer back from the manufacture: From Jonathan Carr, designer of all Lyra cartridges: All of our present cartridges use disc-shaped Neodymium 52 magnets. They are disc shaped because my goal is to create an axially symmetrical magnetic field. Rather than being molded (as is usually the case with neodymium magnets), our magnets are machined, because this gives us higher-quality magnets with more consistent flux density across their surface. The coil wire is 6-nine purity copper. The cantilever is a diamond-coated solid boron rod with short one-point wire suspension, directly mounted into cartridge body via high-pressure knife-edge system. kind regards, jonathan |
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davef.... can you advise on this matters? Looking to purchase a cart for my next project. 5 carts to pick from the list for my Forsell Ref 2 air tangent turntable. All will work; compliance & phono stage are not an issue. My phono stage can take a low mc. 1) Lyra Atlas sl 2) Koetsu Coral Platinum 3) Airtight opus 1 4) Jan Allaerts mc2 finished gold 5) xyz universal diamond Which carts do you like on this list. Please advise? |
@zipost keeping in mind that what I look for in a cartridge and what my preference is in music are probably totally different to what you prefer...I would say that all of those cartridges are good. The order is going to depend on what is your preference. Personally, I like a cartridge that is not veiled and therefore is highly resolving...which would lead me to place the Atlas SL at the top, followed by the Airtight ( which does everything well...and nothing exceptionally), then the Zyx (not xyz)Universal...with the new CF cantilever and lastly a draw...between the Koetsu and the Allaerts. If more warmth is desired, I would tip that towards the Koetsu in favor of the JA. While you say phono stage is no issue, that surprises me, as the Atlas SL is very low output and the Opus is not....leading to a different presentation based on your phono stage capabilities. |
@zipost Unfortunately, I think choosing a cartridge is the most difficult thing in this hobby, I started a thread somewhere on the web about exactly this....due to the inability of one to actually hear the design before purchase. Some folks really dislike Lyra’s...because they claim them to be lean...others really dislike Koetsu’s, too warm. I think if..a big if, you can hear the cartridge in your own system before committing, that will be a significant plus. Good luck with your acquisition. |
A diamond cantilever can be different too: 1) One piece cantilever/stylus like Sony did long time ago, on this cantilever no one can remove the stylus tip, stylus is a part of cantilever. However the whole piece of diamond attached to a long aluminum pipe anyway. I don't have a picture of SONY with diamond cantilever, but the joint pipe looks exactly like this one with sapphire cantilever. 2) One piece cantilever + stylus like Dynavector did, this is very short cantilever, the diamond stylus tip attached to diamond cantilever with minimum glue. But two pieces. P.S. Coating one material with another is also very old technique, Stanton did that on his best signature model SC-100 W.O.S. long time ago, there was an aluminum cantilever coated with Red Sapphire. |
Lukaschek the owner&designer by Benz uses ruby plates for the coils in order to use stronger magnets. The reason is ''iron core'' by the most MC cartridges with danger of ''saturation''. Iron core is used to increase output. Avoiding ''iron'' means also more wire for the coils resulting in higher impedance. By LP-S 40 Ohms. . |
