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Vinyl Heaven : Lyra Atlas on a Durand Talea 2

I am not usually given to expletives but WOW....this is sooo effing good I can't believe it. The Atlas has less than 6 hours on it.The Atlas replaced a Titan i and initially, I was a wee bit underwhelmed, as the cart loading was at 100 ohms,the same as the Titan. Switching to a 1000 ohmn loading was a revelation.The 1000 ohmn loading resistor on my Nagra VPS phono will presumably require some break in.
My quick and evolving first impressuions of the Atlas vs the Titan i : the Atlas does everything the Titan i does, except it does it a whole lot better. The traditional Lyra agility and speed( the Atlas is my 4th Lyra after the Helikon, Skala and Titan i)is there in loads except there is now an organic wholeness to the music with a longer sustain and decay of notes. In every respect, IMHO, the Atlas is way way better than my previous favorite cart, the Transfiguration Orpheus L.There is so much more detail being extracted from the grooves. Does the Atlas make all recordings sound good ?Far from it. It made me realise how crappy the Pink Floyd reissue of WYWH is.
Should point out that at the time the Atlas joined the party, the TT,a TW AC 1, also benefited from a major upgrade with the Black Night PSU and 3 motor unit.
If you ever contemplate an upgrade to the best, that the state of the art has to offer,you will do yourself a favor by auditioning the Atlas and the Durand Talea 2.
I have no relationship with any manufacturer.
Cheers
Pradeep

128x128sunnyboy1956
mikelavigne
2,199 posts
 
Mike
You are obviously right about the Telos. My intent was not to belittle a great arm, but a narrow and somewhat theoretical curiosity :if this is soo good,can it /does it get any better than this? Fortunately I may never find out as I don't have enough real estate on my wall mounted TT rack to accommodate a 12" arm.
Pradeep,

it sounds like you need a new wall mounted TT rack. :-))

i did not take your comment as belittlement in any way, i realize that until one hears the Telos it is hard to imagine things getting much better than the Talea 2. when Joel initiially brought over the prototype of the Telos i was skeptical too......but not for very long.

cheers,
mikelavigne
2,199 posts
 
Mike, how does the Anna compare to the A90?

this is an Atlas thread. you can read this post and following posts from my system page speaking to your question.
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
Mike
You are obviously right about the Telos. My intent was not to belittle a great arm, but a narrow and somewhat theoretical curiosity :if this is soo good,can it /does it get any better than this? Fortunately I may never find out as I don't have enough real estate on my wall mounted TT rack to accommodate a 12" arm.
Goldeneraguy
My point precisely. Straight out of the box the Atlas is a superior cart to the Titan i.
A slight digression on the Floyd reissues: The Wall is really good
Cheers
Pradeep
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
I don't know how I ended up making the same post twice! Sorry.
Mike
We may have a common friend/ acquaintance who shuttles between Singapore and Seattle and helped me with the Atlas. Small world!
The Atlas continues to mesmerise ....Happy days are here.
Thanks to all Agoners for the positive support and encouragement .
Cheers
Pradeep
dgad
782 posts
 
Pradeep,

The change of the TW BN power supply is primarily a quieter background (this depends on your home electrical system somewhat) and a more relaxed sound. I have A/B'd the 2 extensively. Just to help you isolate the differences.

I love my Titan I so much I don't want to hear what you and others have to say. I much prefer my denial. But between you, Shane, and Fremer I am being pushed towards an upgrade. Is the Titan worth holding onto after the fact? I have found the Titan I a better cartridge than my Allearts for less than perfect pressings. Makes them a touch more listenable.

And I have the WYWH SACD,CD, original pressing and the reissue. The SACD is extremely poor IMO. The vinyl reissue is much better, but the CD is better than both and my original pressing is excellent but a little softer sounding than the CD.
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