Lyra Lambda Atlas/Etna

@rauliruegas @jcarr , the thing that bothers me about the Allaerts cartridges is that they are all made by hand and hand adjusted. What happens when tolerances loosen. The Lyras are manufactured with tight tolerances to achieve reasonably uniform performance with perhaps a little touch up at the end. It seems to me that a cartridge made this way is more likely to maintain it's performance levels as it ages. Is this a reasonable conclusion? 

The other thing that bothers me about the Allaerts is the specs. They are so far in excess of any other cartridge that they are hard to believe. THD < 0.01%? First of all at what frequency? I have never seen a cartridge < 5% at 15 kHz. Most are up at 10%. Some are almost at 20%.  What can the average user with the average tools expect to get out of the cartridge? I trust Ortofon and Lyra because there cartridges always perform better than there specs. Like Porsche they publish the worst case scenario. It appears to me Allaerts publishes the absolute best case scenario or better.

Dear @mijostyn ​@jcarr  : Jonathan, you already know that for many years I really have a big respect for you, your products and your knowledge levels.

Now, what you said on Allaerts is true with the MC2 Finish Gold but not with the F!. The " problem " with the F1 first than all is its very low output but it's extremely sensitive to impedance and VTF set up. It's not a plug and play cartridge as could be Lyra or Ortofon.

Even that Allaerts does not recomended i tested for the first time my MC2 FG in nude fashion and against what the designer recomend I listened a different kind of sound for the better, same with my F!.

I have not the opportunity to listen the Lambda version of the Atlas but only the Etna.

I think that when we are talking of these very high quality whole performance levels in reality could be no true differences ( this is better than the other ) in between but first which cartridge mates the better with our each one MUSIC/sound targets and second the each one room/system levels.

As I said, I almost own all the Lyra models and the Ortofon too and still I give a confidence vote for the lower out put Colibri samples.

Now, no one cartridge is perfect.

mijo, you need to experience the Allaerts F1.

R.

@mijostyn , as long as the "loosened tolerances" are not due to damage, they should remain within the range of adjustment by the cartridge builder, and it therefore it should be possible to rectify the issues if the manufacturer accepts cartridge being returned for inspection / readjustment.

Some cartridge designs (certain Sonys come to mind) are not built in a manner that facilitates post-adjustment, but these are the exception rather than the rule.

Regarding Allearts' published specs, they may be beyond what one would expect to see in normal production; but presumably those specs were measured by using a test LP(s), and it is clear that there are substantial variations in test LPs from various labels.

The same cartridge will spec quite differently simply by changing the test LP. Occasionally cartridges are returned to us because the owner measured them with their test LPs and found issues, while we measured those returned cartridges with our test LPs and found nothing wanting.

As one publicly documented example, please read the following thread on Audio Asylum.
https://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/t.mpl?f=vinyl&m=974176

Same cartridge, different test LPs, different specs.

Therefore, if a cartridge manufacturer finds a test LP that fits their designs like a glove, I suppose that it is not impossible that fabulous specs may be obtainable (smile).

PS. I also recall recent reviews of the same cartridge by a British publication and a German one, and the frequency response was different in those two reviews, but this could be caused by the location of the test tracks (due to the pinch effect).

@rauliruegas , I am aware of the VTF and impedance sensitivity of the F1. I was given 845 ohms as the impedance target, so that is what I used (Vishay metal-foil resistors). Overall I didn't find it unusually sensitive to setup, simply that it had quite specific requirements.

FWIW, the Atlas and Etna are even more sensitive to VTF changes than the F1.

I didn't try to play the F1 nude, as the coil impedance is high enough that taking the shielded case off may be a disadvantage in some urban environments.

Note that the F1 has an unusually wide body, which may cause compatibility issues with headshells that have drop-down sides (which are usually done as reinforcements to increase stiffness).

I like the F1, and had a lot of fun with it (smile).

@loving this thread…. While i have the Kleos - Lambda on my crayon letter to Santa….i am casting a wider ear and eye. I also greatly appreciate @jcarr weighing in on this thread. He has directly helped me achieve better performance of my Delos in Triplaner Mk7.

best to all, love this thread, civil challenge and ideas !

I am a robot with a line contact stylus in a curved groove…