Goldfinger Statement, Lyra Atlas or Ortofon Anna?

Hi Alex
As a recent owner of the Atlas ...my 2 bits. The Atlas is everything you may have read and still better. However, the prices you mention in USD terms are a wee bit stratospheric. I know it's not in your initial short list but a Titan I is a superb cart and the best part is you can get a very competitive package as and when you want to upgrade to a Atlas. Send me a PM if you feel so inclined.
NJoy
Pradeep

Hi Pani, no I haven't heard a ZYX 4D.

Before my mentioned cartdridges I had three v.d. Huls (Grasshopper IV and Black Beauty).

But for my speakers they had too much rising high-end. Otherwise I liked them for their vivid sound.

Is there anybody out there who upgraded from Clearaudio Insider Reference Wood to the Clearaudio Goldfingers?

Improvements? Change in tonality?

Regarding the Goldfinger Statement Jonathan Valin wrote in TAS Issue 216, October 2011:

"You’re going to find this hard to fathom—I certainly did—but in tonal balance the cartridge that the Statement most resembles isn’t the Goldfinger v2 or the Ortofon A90, which is what you might expect; it is the Koetsu Blue Lace! Yep, this is a voluptuous-sounding transducer—the polar opposite of the traditional Clearaudio sound.
Now, I don’t know if this gorgeous tonal palette will change with further break-in. But at the moment this is one ravishingly beautiful cartridge to listen to. Let me be more precise here, lest you get the impression that the Statement is a highly colored cartridge. It is not. But it is warmer and sweeter and fuller (i.e., closer to lifelike with a touch of romance) than any Clearaudio I’ve heard—ever."

Can someone agree or is this only "reviewers hyperbole" ??

The Atlas paired with ARC ref2(SE) was the best sound I have made out of my system. I currently have the titan i, vdh xgp ref mk2, dyna xv1t. Previously had the airtight PC1, my sonic lab ultraeminent, koetsu coralstone. Briefly tried PC1 supreme and goldfinger (forget v1 or v2) .

I am also a mostly classical / jazz listener. Before the Atlas, I have 3-4 favorite carts as they have some unique strength and weaknesses. After the Atlas, all the other carts were much less played. The resolution, dymanics, detail, along with the new found tonal naturalness made the Atlas very addicitive.

The airtight line (pc1 and the supreme) are very dynamic and reasonably detailed. They are rich sounding and have a smooth treble. A little laid back. This can complement an overly bright/lean system. Airtights do not track the transients as faithfully as the lyras. The attack, sustain and decay are all there but not very interesting. The lyras will tell you more about how the note builds and disspipate. The VDH, XV1T are great in this respect too.

In my system, Goldfinger was quite similar to the MSL which was a little better than the airtight. A friend of mine found happiness with the new GF statement but I have not had the pleasure to hear.

I have listened to A90 many times but not in my system. I never felt the urge to try one but my experience is limited by systems showcasing the A90. Anna may be a lot better.

The lyra line have excellent QC as well. Excellent channel matching, low crosstalk, near perfect orientation of the stylus The Atlas will not dissappoint.