Lyra Atlas experiences

Dear @drastic : """  on rare occasions and only with a "hot" recording of piano, I'll hear breakup in the left channel,   """

Maybe the hardest high recorded velocity LP grooves to track ( other that the Telarc 1812 bass range. ) are above mid range ( usually well above that. ) frequency range and especially on high velocities in a piano recording.

You own a great audio system and I'm sure that the TT/cartridge/tonearm is just on target as is its relationsship in between.

My experiences on similar phenomenon with diferent cartridges comes because a mistracking ( not set up. ). This " mistracking " could comes from a not very good cartridge/tonearm match ( that with you seems to me is ok in this regards. ) or because those recorded high veloties are over the self cartridge abilities and in this case there is nothing to do about other than test same tracks with a diferent tonearm.

All cartridges has tracking abilities limits and maybe that's what's happening in your Atlas sample.

Now, with those high velocity recording LP grooves is a must that the cartridge stylus tip not only stay in good shape but absolutely in clean/pristine condition and obviously that the cartridge suspension been in optimal operation conditions.

You said: "" on rare occasions "" , question here can be: always with the same piano LP tracks?

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

One more thing to check, particularly if "mistracking" happens only on a few recordings, is to see if that problem might just be the recording microphone overloading.  I noticed such a problem with one record  where I assumed the problem was either mistracking or groove damage until I heard the digital release and noticed the same problem.  

I don't know about the Atlas specifically (I own a Titan i), but, all of the Lyra cartridges I have owned tracked real records quite well (not that good on some of test records) and I would not expect to hear much mistracking.  

Drastic and Stingreen, thanks.
Drastic, thanks for the info. I don't have the albums you mention. Is it a case of high dynamics or bass on the inner grooves?
Raul, considering your comment earlier " I know very well your 3 tube items and the I/O is the one that makes more " damage " to the critical phono cartridge signal. " - this is not in line with my experience. For now I am running the system with a small phono preamp, the Fanfare 3, with zero tubes! It seems like you have an idea of tube overkill, which is not what I have experienced. Indeed, I have compared the Aesthetix Io with other phono preamps in my system, including the PH-6, and listened to them in friends systems, like the Manley Steelhead, all very good performers, but in all, I prefer the Io. Opinions differ of course, but the idea that the Io would "damage" the signal is foreign to me. Instead, I find that it mates well with the hybrid Einstein The tube and the OTL MA-1s. This is, listening over time. I wonder what your claim is based on. I agree, however, that the Io with all its tubes needs to be running optimal, if not, problems quickly appear. It is a very "purist" approach.

I discussed it with a main tube engineer,  here in Norway, a year ago, at Gran Canaria. He told me of his "apprentice" time, at an English tube factory in the 60ies and 70ies, and how he later became a tube specialist. It is about the distortion, he emphasised. Tube distortion is less bad for the human ear than transistor distortion. Judging from my own ears, I believe him.

Dear @o_holter : Well, you posted in your thread:

"""  What are the best phono preamp and system matches. Should the system be rearranged. Have anyone done mods or DIYs to their systems to get the "reception" right? """

I said that you have " too many tubes " where the delicate low output cartridge signal must pass on. This delicate and extremely sensitive low output cartridge signal is degraded very easy and one form of that degradation ( exist several others. ) is the high noise in any all tube phono stage ( against any SS design. ) like the I/O that I listened at least 3 times ( the four chasis one unit. ), but not only that tube inherent noise levels but the too many stages where the cartridge signal pass inside the I/O where at each stage exist degradation.

I'm not arguing if you like it or not because you already said it: you like it and this does not means is the right electronic item for LOMC cartridges because it's not. As a fact there is no perfect item in analogue audio. In the other side that's the kind of distortions you are accustom too, each person is accustomed to diferent kind of distortions.

I posted that the Atlas can shows at its best with no tubes at all or at least with no so many.


"""  but the idea that the Io would "damage" the signal is foreign to me. """

with all respect: all phono stages damage the cartridge signal no matters its design technologies. Main subject is which ones contributes to make less harm to the cartridge signal. Please remember that any single degradation to that music signal means losted music information that we can't recovery and in the other side means added distortions. Such is the " audio analogue life ".

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.