Output, gain & loading
Output voltage and internal impedance help determine required phono gain and loading. MM designs may also specify capacitive loading. Low-output MC designs demand especially quiet gain.
Stereophile Class A
The Atlas Lambda is Lyra's flagship model. It is also the first time that anyone has made an asymmetrically structured phono cartridge. Why asymmetric? Because, by literally misplacing the barriers to great sound that are present in every other cartridge today, it confers a number of important performance benefits.
Linear transducers such as loudspeakers and phono cartridges are inherently inefficient devices - somewhere between 5 and 10%. In other words, of the vibrational energy that enters a cartridge from the LP groove, only 5 to 10% will be converted into electrical signal. Some of the remaining 90 to 95% will be dissipated by the cartridge's internal damping system, but much of the excess vibrational energy will reflect inside the cartridge, creating internal echoes, smearing, and a general diminishing of fidelity. It is easy to demonstrate this with many cartridges - play a highly modulated LP with the power amp turned off, and bring your ear close to the cartridge. The "needle-talk" that you hear is excess vibrational energy which isn't being controlled properly.
Designer: Jonathan Carr
Builder: Yoshinori Mishima
Type: Medium weight, medium compliance, low-impedance moving coil cartridge
Stylus: Lyra-designed long-footprint variable-radius line-contact nude diamond (3um x 70um), slot-mounted
Cantilever system: Diamond-coated solid boron rod with short one-point wire suspension, directly mounted into cartridge body via high-pressure knife-edge system
Coils: 2-layer deep, 6N high-purity copper, cross-shaped chemically-purified high-purity iron former, 4.2ohm self-impedance, 11uH inductance
Output voltage: 0.56mV@5cm/sec., zero to peak, 45 degrees (CBS test record, other test records may alter results)
Frequency range: 10Hz ~ 50kHz
Channel separation: 35dB or better at 1kHz
Compliance: Approx. 12 x 10-6cm/dyne at 100Hz
Vertical tracking angle: 20 degrees
Cartridge body: One-piece machining from solid titanium billet, with reduced-surface higher-pressure headshell contact area, predominately non-parallel and asymmetrical shaping, phase-interference resonance-controlling mechanism, and body threaded directly for mounting screws
Cartridge mounting screws: 2.6mm 0.45 pitch JIS standard
Distance from mounting holes to stylus tip: 9.5mm
Cartridge weight (without stylus cover): 11.6g
Recommended tracking force: 1.65 ~ 1.75g (1.72g recommended)
Recommended load directly into MC phono input: 104ohm ~ 887ohm (determine by listening, or follow detailed guidelines in user manual)
Recommended load via step-up transformer: 5 ~ 15ohm (step-up transformer's output must be connected to 10kohm ~ 47kohm MM-level RIAA input, preferably via short, low-capacitance cable)
Recommended tonearms: High-quality pivoted or linear (tangential) tonearms with rigid bearing(s), adjustable anti-skating force, preferably VTA adjustment
Pearl Audio can help with cartridge matching, installation, and alignment.
Call (503) 222-2599 to start a conversation.
Product: Atlas Lambda Cartridge
Stereophile Class A
The Atlas Lambda is Lyra's flagship model. It is also the first time that anyone has made an asymmetrically structured phono cartridge. Why asymmetric? Because, by literally misplacing the barriers to great sound that are present in every other cartridge today, it confers a number of important performance benefits.
Linear transducers such as loudspeakers and phono cartridges are inherently inefficient devices - somewhere between 5 and 10%. In other words, of the vibrational energy that enters a cartridge from the LP groove, only 5 to 10% will be converted into electrical signal. Some of the remaining 90 to 95% will be dissipated by the cartridge's internal damping system, but much of the excess vibrational energy will reflect inside the cartridge, creating internal echoes, smearing, and a general diminishing of fidelity. It is easy to demonstrate this with many cartridges - play a highly modulated LP with the power amp turned off, and bring your ear close to the cartridge. The "needle-talk" that you hear is excess vibrational energy which isn't being controlled properly.
Designer: Jonathan Carr
Builder: Yoshinori Mishima
Type: Medium weight, medium compliance, low-impedance moving coil cartridge
Stylus: Lyra-designed long-footprint variable-radius line-contact nude diamond (3um x 70um), slot-mounted
Cantilever system: Diamond-coated solid boron rod with short one-point wire suspension, directly mounted into cartridge body via high-pressure knife-edge system
Coils: 2-layer deep, 6N high-purity copper, cross-shaped chemically-purified high-purity iron former, 4.2ohm self-impedance, 11uH inductance
Output voltage: 0.56mV@5cm/sec., zero to peak, 45 degrees (CBS test record, other test records may alter results)
Frequency range: 10Hz ~ 50kHz
Channel separation: 35dB or better at 1kHz
Compliance: Approx. 12 x 10-6cm/dyne at 100Hz
Vertical tracking angle: 20 degrees
Cartridge body: One-piece machining from solid titanium billet, with reduced-surface higher-pressure headshell contact area, predominately non-parallel and asymmetrical shaping, phase-interference resonance-controlling mechanism, and body threaded directly for mounting screws
Cartridge mounting screws: 2.6mm 0.45 pitch JIS standard
Distance from mounting holes to stylus tip: 9.5mm
Cartridge weight (without stylus cover): 11.6g
Recommended tracking force: 1.65 ~ 1.75g (1.72g recommended)
Recommended load directly into MC phono input: 104ohm ~ 887ohm (determine by listening, or follow detailed guidelines in user manual)
Recommended load via step-up transformer: 5 ~ 15ohm (step-up transformer's output must be connected to 10kohm ~ 47kohm MM-level RIAA input, preferably via short, low-capacitance cable)
Recommended tonearms: High-quality pivoted or linear (tangential) tonearms with rigid bearing(s), adjustable anti-skating force, preferably VTA adjustment
Pearl Audio’s Cartridge Method
The right cartridge is the one that works as a complete mechanical and electrical match with your tonearm and phono stage. Pearl Audio evaluates the generator, output, compliance, stylus profile, and setup requirements together—so the cartridge can perform as its designer intended.
Moving-magnet and moving-coil designs ask different things of phono-stage gain, noise performance, capacitance, and loading.
Cartridge mass and compliance work with the tonearm’s effective mass. A good match supports stable tracking and controlled resonance.
Stylus geometry and cantilever construction influence groove contact, setup sensitivity, tracking behavior, and long-term care.
Alignment, tracking force, azimuth, vertical geometry, anti-skate, and the maker’s replacement or rebuild path all matter after purchase.
Selection, setup & ownership
A specification is useful when it answers a system question. Use the product details above together with the guidance below, then let Pearl Audio confirm the final match for your turntable, tonearm, records, and phono stage.
Output voltage and internal impedance help determine required phono gain and loading. MM designs may also specify capacitive loading. Low-output MC designs demand especially quiet gain.
Cartridge weight and dynamic compliance should be considered with tonearm effective mass, headshell hardware, counterweight range, and mounting geometry.
Stylus profile, cantilever material, tracking ability, and recommended tracking force describe how the cartridge traces a record—and how carefully it must be aligned.
Overhang, offset angle, tracking force, azimuth, vertical geometry, and anti-skate should be established with suitable tools and checked as a connected system.
Stereo, true-mono microgroove, and historical record formats are different use cases. The cartridge and stylus must be selected for the records it will actually play.
Confirm stylus replacement, exchange, rebuild, and inspection options before purchase. Policies differ between replaceable-stylus and fixed-stylus designs.
Look for the manufacturer’s current values for:
Do not assume that the highest-priced model is automatically the best fit. Compare adjacent models for:
A true-mono cartridge can be valuable for mono microgroove records, while older coarse-groove records require a purpose-appropriate stylus and setup. Confirm the record format, groove type, stylus profile, and electrical configuration; “mono” alone is not enough information.
Pearl Audio can help determine whether a dedicated mono cartridge, a stereo cartridge, or a second arm/headshell is the most practical approach.
Service is part of cartridge value. Depending on the model, the maker may offer a user-replaceable stylus, dealer exchange, factory rebuild, or no field-serviceable stylus at all.
For a useful recommendation, tell us:
Use the manufacturer’s current instructions for mounting hardware, tracking force, alignment, cleaning, inspection, and service. Protect the cantilever during installation, keep the stylus clean with an approved method, and recheck setup after any change to the cartridge, headshell, arm height, or mat.
Pearl Audio can install and align compatible cartridges and verify the initial phono-stage settings.