Soundsmith - Hyperion vs lyra ETNA

Beautiful setup! Types of music? What sound profile are you looking for? Electronics seem to the warm side?

If you mean mid range bump by warm, no. I would disagree with that. I Would say the timber is very honest.  it’s on the darker side though. It’s clashing between transparent and dark. I cannot say I’m lacking detail.  The AQ zero gets a lot out of the components.  As far as music, your typical hifi junk, Jazz vocals, Elvis Presley to dire straits.  I’m sitting roughly at 200 records. 
I could see the sound Smith or the Lara both doing really well. I think the Lara Would at youth. I think the sound Smith would just get out of the way.  

I don't think you'll be disappointed with either.  I have had three main carts on my table for the past couple years.  A Koetsu RSP, a Lyra Atlas and a SoundSmith MIMC star and most recently traded up to a SS Sussurro.  
To my ears, the SoundSmith sits in the middle of the Koetsu and Lyra spectrums of emphasis. It is not distracting on the high end like the Lyra can sometimes be with its super realistic extension and it is not as romantic and groovy as the Koetsu. The SoundSmith carts do get out of the way in all the right ways.  Makes me forget about what cart is on  and enjoy the music.  You can tell you are getting everything off the recording without commentary. I really love how those SS low output carts sound. So quiet too!

Disclaimer...my system, my ears, haven't listened to the Etna. 

Karl, any experience with EMT? I have heard the Alas a few times and it’s either perfect or too sharp and on the verge of thin in the upper register. With Vandersteens it was perfect.   Etna just losses that. And perhaps you’re  right, the Atlas is very realistic. The new SpundSmith cactus cantilever sounds really integral and interesting. 

I went with Hyperion over Atlas because it was equally detailed, more musical and a lot more practical in terms of warranty, service etc.  The Atlas is an awesome cartridge, but on my system it was a bit too high strung.  My system:  cj: ART150 (recent upgrade from ARTsa, which was the amp at the time of the cartridge decision), GAT2, TEA1 ser.3. Speakers are Sony SS-AR2, turntable is a SL1200GAE.  I also have a heavily modded VPI Prime.