Lyra Atlas experiences


A few years ago, I invested in a Lyra Atlas cartridge / pickup. I have moved up, from Lyra Clavis in the early 2000s and Lyra Titan i later. The Atlas was expensive, but I have not looked back. Yet I wonder, can something more be done, to optimize the Atlas, in my system, and others. How can this remarkable pickup run its best. What are the best phono preamp and system matches. Should the system be rearranged. Have anyone done mods or DIYs to their systems to get the "reception" right? What happened? Comments welcome. You dont need to own a Lyra Atlas but you should have heard it, to join this discussion. Comments from the folks at Lyra are extra welcome - what is your experience.
Oystein
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I don't dispute what anyone on these posts says...everyone hears differently and everyone has different components.  I can only tell you what I hear.  To these ears, there is no better cartridge that I have experience with, than the Atlas.  I have had the SME V in my system, but although built like a tank, didn't have the alacrity I was looking for and replaced it with a VPI 3D.  Perhaps (I don't know for sure), the difference was in the ability for the VPI to very accurately provide for correct azimuth.  The difference in the presentation/performance of the cartridge having proper azimuth and being even a "smidge" off is enormous.. not just audible, but enormous... maybe the most important adjustment (for me).  Another point is the (seemingly) never ending dispute regarding the use (or not) of antiskate.  For these ears on My system, I hear an improvement with no antiskate...no matter which arm that I adjust.  I am at present trying to evaluate the sound with/without a/s for a dispute on another site....but for the here and now, its no a/s for me.  There is a very definite difference...its not in the increase of distortion on one side or another....my arm/cartridge tracks flawlessly with both methods....but its in presentation.....(still evaluating).
Stingreen, thanks, I agree, the Atlas is great, the best cartridge I've had in my system also. All the more reason to give it optimal conditions.
What you say about azimuth is interesting. I will check it out. Can you say a bit more, what you hear when it is right?
The SMEV is a great arm, but not for a cartridge like the Atlas. The compliance is ~ 12x10 cm/dyne bei 100 Hz
You need a heavier arm to get best results. I had a Kleos in an Origin Live Conqueror with 18gramm eff. mass and in a Reed 3P with the same mass.

The SMEV is a great combination with Van den Hull cartridges.

The simplest way to check the anti-skate is by ''tracking abiity''

test on the test records. The first distortion will appear in the

right channel. By increasing the anti-skate force the mentioned

distortion will disappear. So much about the causal relation.

However one should not try to get those 80-90 microns ''pure''

because to much anti-skate is worse than no skate at all.