Lyra and OMA


My first endeavor into moving coil. I’m thinking of a Lyra Kleos MC Cart and OMA SUT. Anyone want to speak to that. Please?

Bent

128x128michaellent

@michaellent , Your tonearm will work fine with the Kleos. The beauty of a light arm is that you can always add mass. With a heavy arm it is difficult to take it away. Soundsmith makes a lovely set of graded cartridge screws in four different weights. By the way your Voice is a fine cartridge. If you are looking for a large improvement is sound you might be disappointed and I say this as a Lyra Owner. The Lyra Atlas Lambda SL may be the finest cartridge I have ever owned. The Voice is a hugely better value and not that far off. For someone who is a rock and loud jazz fan The Voice may even be better. 

There are a few things you can do that will definitely improve your sound. The first is a reflex record clamp. My two favorites are the JA Michell for value and the Basis for absolute best. There is also The Sota Reflex clamp. DO NOT buy the Nobsound it is absolute JUNK! The internal collet is cheap aluminum and will crack and break after so many cycles. What you will notice is better pitch stability as these clamps flex the record into the platter and remove minor warps. Only vacuum clamping is better. Next is get a better isolation platform. The one that comes with your turntable has opposing magnet feet which might help isolate from high frequency noise but never from environmental rumble. A isolation suspension has to have a resonance frequency of between 1 and 3 hertz. The MinusK is the best. There are a few less expensive platforms that might work but I have no experience with them. The Suspension has to be tuned to the weight of the turntable. If the manufacturer does not issue different units matching the turntables weight, stay away. This will give you blacker backgrounds and isolate you from such things as foot fall skipping. Lastly is have a dust cover made you can use during play. A dust cover is only a problem if it is connected directly to the turntable chassis. If it is not it is actually a benefit as it further isolates the cartridge from airborne vibration, the stuff you are listening to! It also keeps things cleaner. Turntables and tonearms do not like dust.

Thanks to jcarr of Lyra for interesting information.

He wrote: "The Lyras will work OK in tonearms of 10~12g eff. mass (for example SME Type V, Technics SL-1200G), but will sound progressively better as the effective mass increases. Normally I’d suggest 16~18g as the sweet spot"

I run a Lyra Atlas (standard high output version) on a SME V arm. Should I add mass - even 6 g - to the arm?

Thanks for info!

 

Michael, I think you were questioning JCarr's implication that a higher effective mass tonearm will produce more robust bass from your cartridge, even when the calculated resonant frequency is already within the generally accepted range of 8 to 12Hz (or lower than 8Hz, if you follow Kuzma's line of reasoning).  Far be it from me to put words in JCarr's mouth, but I suspect the reasoning to back up his advice on increasing effective mass is related to the fact that the cartridge/tonearm/headshell are resonating at all frequencies in relation to the program material and that low bass frequencies induce the most energy and hence resonance into the upstream system.  The equation we use is for the resonant peak, but there is resonance at higher frequencies, probably always inversely proportional in magnitude to the frequency.  Hence bass frequencies produce more resonant energy than treble frequencies.  Therefore, it may be that a higher effective mass than what is absolutely minimally necessary to place the peak below 12Hz helps the cartridge to control itself while trying to traverse grooves encoding low bass music.  At least this makes perfect sense to me, and is in keeping with my own direct experience.  Typically, the added effective mass will not be deleterious, i.e., will not drag the resonant peak down much below 8Hz so as to render the system sensitive to footfalls, or other environmental sources of disturbance.

Thank you all. I've learned a lot!  

HA, shame on me? I took too long to move on the Lyra and someone else bought it!  It was an 'open box'- I can't do a $3,600 cart. right now.

Plus... I was very much on the fence with adding mass to the arm as the solution to the lack of symbiosis described by @jcarr.  A few years ago I had only the F9e, and was buying a new stylus, Peter Green at SS, said I might try to add a blue-tac weight (measured 1@gm) to the arm. It didn't work for me.

The Korf discussion is fantastic:

It clearly shows the Why, which was part of my quest after @jcarr wrote to the subject. 

Thanks:

+10 @jcarr 

+1 @lewm 

+1 @tomic601 

+1 @rauliruegas 

and everybody who helped me save $1,900 on a cart that's not right for my TT!

Bent

Let’s not leave out @solypsa 

The century plus of experience was reflected in @jcarr statement to seek out an MC that sounds good on your arm. 

Effective mass and engineering resonance transmission and control are interrelated, within a small range the added bits can work, but not always….

I run both an additional weight / spacer w a Lyra on my Triplaner, and a Kuzma….

Enjoy the music all !

Jim