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.
It is always a challenge to design a worthy heir to a successful product. For the Lyra Etna Lambda, however, that challenge was twice as difficult as normal. On one hand its primary goal was to replace the popular Titan. On the other hand, the Etna Lambda design project had a second goal, which was to achieve as high levels of performance as possible. If this meant that Etna would give stern competition to the flagship Atlas, so be it.
As a model intended to retail for significantly less than Atlas, but having similar aspirations to the pinnacles of performance, Etna was designed with a strong emphasis on engineering efficiency, so that its performance would be as far beyond the sum of its parts as possible. For this reason, although it shares some of its design philosophy with the Atlas, the concepts are executed rather differently.
Etna employs a solid titanium core structure machined with non-parallel surfaces to inhibit internal reflections wherever possible, but unlike Atlas (and Titan i before it), this is mated to a slightly undersized, asymmetric duralumin outer body that is designed to lock over the core like a very tightly-fitting jigsaw puzzle. The core and body are augmented with bronze and stainless-steel resonance control rods, then everything is pressure-fit together into a pre-stressed, solid, void-free structure which is comprised of multiple materials and complex internal shapes. The constrained-layer nature of this construction dramatically reduces the resonant signature of each material and creates a far more neutral-sounding body structure than otherwise possible, while the high body stiffness benefits transients, dynamics and resolution.
Specifications
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?70um profile, block dimensions 0.08 x 0.12 x 0.5mm), 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, 6 N high-purity copper, chemically-purified high purity iron X-shaped former, 4.2 ohm self impedance, 11uH inductance
Output voltage: 0.56 mV@5 cm/sec., zero to peak, 45 degrees (CBS test record, other test records may alter results)
Frequency range: 10 Hz-50 kHz
Channel separation: 35 dB or better at 1 kHz
Compliance: Approx. 12 X10 cm/dyne at 100 Hz
Vertical tracking angle: 20 degrees
Cartridge body: Multi-material (titanium, duralumin, bronze, stainless steel) self-clamping construction with reduced-surface higher-pressure headshell contact area, predominately non-parallel shaping, phase-interference resonance-controlling mechanisms, body threaded for mounting screws
Cartridge mounting screws: 2.6 mm 0.45 pitch JIS standard Cartridge weight (without stylus cover): 9.2g
Distance from mounting holes to stylus tip: 9.52mm
Recommended tracking force: 1.68-1.78g (1.72 g recommended)
Recommended load directly into MC phono input: 104 ohm-887ohm (determine by listening, or follow detailed guidelines in owner's manual)
Recommended load via step-up transformer: 5-15 ohm (connect step-up transformer's output to 10kohm-47kohm MM-level RIAA input, preferably via short, low-capacitance cable)
Recommended tonearm: High-quality pivoted or linear (tangential) tonearm 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: Etna Lambda Cartridge
It is always a challenge to design a worthy heir to a successful product. For the Lyra Etna Lambda, however, that challenge was twice as difficult as normal. On one hand its primary goal was to replace the popular Titan. On the other hand, the Etna Lambda design project had a second goal, which was to achieve as high levels of performance as possible. If this meant that Etna would give stern competition to the flagship Atlas, so be it.
As a model intended to retail for significantly less than Atlas, but having similar aspirations to the pinnacles of performance, Etna was designed with a strong emphasis on engineering efficiency, so that its performance would be as far beyond the sum of its parts as possible. For this reason, although it shares some of its design philosophy with the Atlas, the concepts are executed rather differently.
Etna employs a solid titanium core structure machined with non-parallel surfaces to inhibit internal reflections wherever possible, but unlike Atlas (and Titan i before it), this is mated to a slightly undersized, asymmetric duralumin outer body that is designed to lock over the core like a very tightly-fitting jigsaw puzzle. The core and body are augmented with bronze and stainless-steel resonance control rods, then everything is pressure-fit together into a pre-stressed, solid, void-free structure which is comprised of multiple materials and complex internal shapes. The constrained-layer nature of this construction dramatically reduces the resonant signature of each material and creates a far more neutral-sounding body structure than otherwise possible, while the high body stiffness benefits transients, dynamics and resolution.
Specifications
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?70um profile, block dimensions 0.08 x 0.12 x 0.5mm), 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, 6 N high-purity copper, chemically-purified high purity iron X-shaped former, 4.2 ohm self impedance, 11uH inductance
Output voltage: 0.56 mV@5 cm/sec., zero to peak, 45 degrees (CBS test record, other test records may alter results)
Frequency range: 10 Hz-50 kHz
Channel separation: 35 dB or better at 1 kHz
Compliance: Approx. 12 X10 cm/dyne at 100 Hz
Vertical tracking angle: 20 degrees
Cartridge body: Multi-material (titanium, duralumin, bronze, stainless steel) self-clamping construction with reduced-surface higher-pressure headshell contact area, predominately non-parallel shaping, phase-interference resonance-controlling mechanisms, body threaded for mounting screws
Cartridge mounting screws: 2.6 mm 0.45 pitch JIS standard Cartridge weight (without stylus cover): 9.2g
Distance from mounting holes to stylus tip: 9.52mm
Recommended tracking force: 1.68-1.78g (1.72 g recommended)
Recommended load directly into MC phono input: 104 ohm-887ohm (determine by listening, or follow detailed guidelines in owner's manual)
Recommended load via step-up transformer: 5-15 ohm (connect step-up transformer's output to 10kohm-47kohm MM-level RIAA input, preferably via short, low-capacitance cable)
Recommended tonearm: High-quality pivoted or linear (tangential) tonearm 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.