Lyra's flagship Atlas Lambda in a built-to-order mono version, for collectors who want the most from their mono LPs.
The Atlas Lambda Mono combines Lyra's top body with a generator built only for mono. A mono groove carries its music side to side, and the vertical axis holds nothing but noise from wear and dirt. Lyra lays the square iron coil former parallel to the record surface, instead of at the 45° angle used in stereo cartridges, and winds two separate, isolated coils that respond only to horizontal stylus movement. The body is machined from titanium in an asymmetrical shape, combined with a synthetic composite gemstone, and threaded directly for the mounting screws. A diamond-coated solid boron cantilever is mounted straight into the body with a high-pressure knife-edge system. It is designed by Jonathan Carr and hand-built in Japan, with final assembly and testing by Yoshinori Mishima.
Because it rejects vertical groove noise, Lyra says the Atlas Lambda Mono gives a much better signal-to-noise ratio on mono records, with no downside. Its isolated coils can run in parallel into a stereo system without tying the channels together (which helps avoid hum), feed a single amplifier and speaker, or be wired in series through a headshell lead for more output in a one-amp mono system. At 0.25 mV and 3.0 Ω it needs a high-gain, low-noise MC phono stage or a step-up transformer designed for low-impedance cartridges. At 11.6 g it suits a rigid tonearm of medium to medium-high mass. Stereophile's Michael Fremer called the original stereo Atlas a complete success, with standout transparency and microdynamics.
| Type | Mono low-output, low-impedance moving coil (MC), medium compliance; built to order |
| Output | 0.25 mV (5 cm/s) |
| Internal impedance | 3.0 Ω |
| Coils | Two isolated mono 6N copper coils on a square high-purity iron former, parallel to the record surface |
| Recommended load | 104–887 Ω direct into MC input (finalize by listening); via step-up transformer: one designed for 1–3 Ω cartridges, into a 10–47 kΩ MM input |
| Tracking force | 1.62–1.72 g |
| Compliance | Approx. 12 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne at 100 Hz |
| Weight | 11.6 g |
| Stylus | Lyra long-footprint variable-radius line contact, nude diamond (3 × 70 µm), slot-mounted |
| Cantilever | Diamond-coated solid boron rod, short one-point wire suspension, knife-edge direct mount |
| Frequency range | 10 Hz – 50 kHz |
| Body | Machined asymmetrical titanium with synthetic composite gemstone, threaded mounting holes (2.6 mm) |
| Recommended tonearm | Medium to medium-high mass |
| Also available | Atlas Lambda (stereo, 0.56 mV) and Atlas Lambda SL (stereo, 0.25 mV) |
Pearl Audio is an authorized Lyra dealer. Call or visit our Portland showroom to talk about matching a cartridge to your tonearm and phono stage.
