My wait for the cartridge (here in the UK) was more than six months, with no information on eta from the importer ... so I think you'll just have to be patient. It will be worth it in the end!
Lyra Etna Lambda SL tracking force
On another thread @newtoncr posted a question about VTF for the Etna Lambda SL cartridge: he queried whether his preferred tracking force of 1.8 - 1.9 g (mounted on an SME Series V arm) was OK given this was outside Lyra's recommended range of 1.62 - 1.72 g.
The instructions that came with the Etna Lambda SL I've just had installed on a Linn Ekos SE arm state:
‘Note that Etna SL (Lambda) features a new high-performance asymmetrical damping system, designed to make the signal coils precisely parallel to the front and rear magnets during play. The angle between signal coils and magnets is affected by tracking force, and we strongly advise not to deviate beyond our 1.68-1.78g guidelines. Setting tracking force so that the cantilever is exactly perpendicular to the (yellow) front magnet carrier during play should result in the largest dynamic range and best sound.’
For me the sweet spot appears to be 1.75g, at which setting the cantilever is still not exactly perpendicular to the magnet carrier (see photo) – suggesting that there is scope for further increasing VTF.
As the cartridge is breaking in I'm reluctant to increase tracking force. I'm wondering if anyone on here with experience of Lyra cartridges has used the 'perpendicular alignment' method?
Showing 2 responses by p_vincent_jones
Thank you Jonathan for this very helpful information (btw, I could not open your PM response to my direct query – labelled as ‘Junk’ with no content in my AG inbox!). It’s taken a while breaking in, but I think my new Etna Lambda SL is now approaching optimum performance. I’m finding significant all-round improvements (in detail, weight, and musicality) compared to my previous Kleos SL. The Etna excels at revealing subtle nuances, such as the timbre of instruments and vocal inflections. Though it does not flatter poor/thin recordings, well-recorded rock music is rendered with power and conviction. I’ve experimented a bit with VTA, VTF and anti-skate, but have left things alone for a while, settling on a tracking force of 1.7 g. I think that the cartridge may have benefited from a slightly higher VTF during the running in period. There is no way of adjusting azimuth with the Linn Ekos SE tonearm – all I can say @o_holter is that everything seems perfectly located in a wide and deep soundstage. No surprise that I am thrilled with this upgrade. I don’t know @rauliruegas if you have yet received your new cartridge, but I think you will find it worth the wait. (BTW, I placed my order for the Etna Lambda SL without listening to one, having been unconvinced by the new Linn Ekstatik which I had on home-dem for a week. Though good in many respects, I was missing something with the Ekstatik which I enjoyed with the Kleos – a quality unsurprisingly retained/enhanced with the Etna). Here are some of my benchmarks, all of which (in different ways) showcase the strengths of the Etna Lambda SL: Grant Green: Born to be Blue (1962) – ‘Born to be Blue’; ‘Cool Blues’ Thelonious Monk Quartet: Monk’s Dream (1962) (2013 Waxtime reissue) – ‘Monk’s Dream’ Cream: Cream 2 (1969) – ‘Those Were the Days’; ‘World of Pain’; ‘Dance the Night Away’ John Martyn: One World (1977) – ‘Certain Surprise’ Ten Years After: Cricklewood Green (1970) – ‘Love Like a Man’; ‘Circles’ Earth Wind and Fire: Earth Wind and Fire (1971) – ‘This World Today’ Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin III (1970) (reissue) – ’Tangerine’; ‘Born-Y-Aur Stomp’ Traffic: When the Eagle Flies (1974) – ‘Walking in the Wind’ Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic (1974) – ‘Any Major Dude Will Tell You’ Jimmy Cliff: Island Reggae Greats (1975)(1985 compilation) – ‘Vietnam’; ‘The Harder They Come’; ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ Weather Report: Tailspinnin’ (1975) – ‘Indiscretions’; ‘Confiance’ Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (1977) (2009 re-issue) – ‘You Make Loving Fun’ Dire Straits: Dire Straits (1978) – ‘Water of Love’; ‘Six Blade Knife’; ‘Wild West End’ Dire Straits: Communiqué (1979) – ‘News’ Suzanne Vega: Solitude Standing (1987) ‘Wooden Horse (Caspar House’s Song)’ Crusaders: Rhapsody and Blues (1980) – ’Soul Shadows’; ‘Rhapsody and Blues’; ‘Sweet Gentle Love’ John Martyn: Grace and Danger (1980) (2016 reissue) – ’Sweet Little Mystery’; ’Some People are Crazy’ John Martyn: Piece by Piece (1986) – ‘Piece by Piece’ Hugh Masekela: Waiting for the Rain (1985) – ‘Run No More’; ‘Ritual Dancer’; Robert Cray Band: False Accusations (1985) – ‘Porch Light’ Bob Dylan: Oh Mercy (1989) – ’Where Teardrops Fall’; ‘Man in the Long Black Coat’; ‘What Was It You Wanted’ Eek-a-Mouse: Mouse and Man (1983) – ‘Terrorists in the City’ Van Morrison: No Guru No Method No Teacher (1986) – ‘Got To Go Back’ R.E.M. Murmur (1983) (2020 reissue) – ‘Catapult’; ‘West of the Fields’ Eels: Beautiful Freak (1996) – ’Novocaine for the Soul’; ‘Your Lucky Day in Hell’; ‘Not Ready Yet’ Calexico: Carried to Dust (2008) – ‘Slowness’; ‘Bend To The Road’ Leonard Cohen: Old Ideas (2012) – ‘Going Home’ Leonard Cohen: You Want It Darker (2016) – ‘You Want It Darker’; ‘Travelling Light’ Eric Church: Desperate Man (2018) – ‘The Snake’ Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand (2007) 'Fortune Teller'; 'Please Read the Letter'
System: Linn LP12 (Radikal, Karousel, Keel, Urika 2), Linn Ekos SE, Lyra Etna SL; Linn Klimax Next Generation DSM Hub, Exakt Akubariks.
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