Trial Lambda SL vs SL and Lambda SL vs Atlas

[gian60]

I had a problem with cantilever of my Atlas sl and i trade with the new lambda sl and saturday morning i went to Audiograffiti,Italian distributor,to pick up and give back Atlas sl.
I have CH P1 with X1

My friend Marco,that has Atlas with CH P1 and X1 and Wilson Alexandria always liked SL in my home used in current and he tried many times his Atlas in current but doesnt work very well but few song prefer in current and more in MC with 600 ohm,so he also decided to trade his Atlas with Lambda sl,so he came with me saturday.
Friday arrived in Audiograffiti 2 new Lambda sl,so saturday morning we went to pick up.
Mine is number 143 and Marco has number 144.

Yesterday we listen 4 hours and we are listening also now and will go on after dinner and we are in contact by what'app to change information listening same song,very funny.

this night our carts will have 8 hours playing and tomorrow morning i will write first impression.
Until now very positive

 

[bonzo75]

Very good service from Pozzi

 

[Gardener]

I had a problem with cantilever of my Atlas sl and i trade with the new lambda sl and saturday morning i went to Audiograffiti,Italian distributor,to pick up and give back Atlas sl.
I have CH P1 with X1

My friend Marco,that has Atlas with CH P1 and X1 and Wilson Alexandria always liked SL in my home used in current and he tried many times his Atlas in current but doesnt work very well but few song prefer in current and more in MC with 600 ohm,so he also decided to trade his Atlas with Lambda sl,so he came with me saturday.
Friday arrived in Audiograffiti 2 new Lambda sl,so saturday morning we went to pick up.
Mine is number 143 and Marco has number 144.

Yesterday we listen 4 hours and we are listening also now and will go on after dinner and we are in contact by what'app to change information listening same song,very funny.

this night our carts will have 8 hours playing and tomorrow morning i will write first impression.
Until now very positive

Gian
I have no123 , love it .

I did find it took 50 hrs to really come into its own .

Never had original Atlas

 

[gian60]

Hi Ked
I miss you
Every day you travel a lot to listen,try,swap all the cartridges and now you are thinking only to food and Lampi
What’s happen?

 

[gian60]

Finish listening,I am tired and go to sleep
Tomorrow will write some

 

[Tango]

@Shane. What's up with your Lambda SL?

 

[XV-1]

@Shane. What's up with your Lambda SL?

Hi Tang

I have # 135. I now have approx 112 play time on it. the first 40 hours I had it on the Pioneer Exclusive P3, then moved it to the SP10mk3/ Thales Simplicity II. Thales is a lot better - tonearm is another level of dynamics, transparency and focus.

I found that the Atlas Lambda SL took at least 80 hours play time ( or was it my ears) to settle down and open up completely.
It is quite different sound to Atlas SL - that imo the Atlas Lambda Sl really could have been called a different cartridge.

It still sounds like a Lyra. It is no longer straight line neutral and sounds fuller - mainly in the mid bass - similar to what Fremer mentioned in having a tube amp inside it.
Positives -
- class leading bass control and drive - large improvement over the Atlas SL
- 3D image and soundstage is improved - My SS amp sounds more like my tubes when playing music.
- purity and inner detail is amazing and it has no fatigue
- very quiet.

downside:
- a little too full sounding - mid bass?
- treble is a little less sparkling, incisive and perhaps " less real"

Overall I like the Atlas Lambda SL and I am enjoying it more as I have more play time. It is better in many respects over the non Lambda, however it's not perfect. perhaps perfect would be about half of the mid bass lift compared to non Lambda so it followed neutrality a bit closer imo.

YMMV

 

[Tango]

Hi Tang

I have # 135. I now have approx 112 play time on it. the first 40 hours I had it on the Pioneer Exclusive P3, then moved it to the SP10mk3/ Thales Simplicity II. Thales is a lot better - tonearm is another level of dynamics, transparency and focus.

I found that the Atlas Lambda SL took at least 80 hours play time ( or was it my ears) to settle down and open up completely.
It is quite different sound to Atlas SL - that imo the Atlas Lambda Sl really could have been called a different cartridge.

It still sounds like a Lyra. It is no longer straight line neutral and sounds fuller - mainly in the mid bass - similar to what Fremer mentioned in having a tube amp inside it.
Positives -
- class leading bass control and drive - large improvement over the Atlas SL
- 3D image and soundstage is improved - My SS amp sounds more like my tubes when playing music.
- purity and inner detail is amazing and it has no fatigue
- very quiet.

downside:
- a little too full sounding - mid bass?
- treble is a little less sparkling, incisive and perhaps " less real"

Overall I like the Atlas Lambda SL and I am enjoying it more as I have more play time. It is better in many respects over the non Lambda, however it's not perfect. perhaps perfect would be about half of the mid bass lift compared to non Lambda so it followed neutrality a bit closer imo.

YMMV

This is among the fairest comments i read from anyone here Shane. Often we just hear the wow comment because the owner put a lot of money into the purchase and drive himself into liking it 50% already from the first needle drop. Nice that you enjoyIng it. One year from now if you miss the normal SL you can switch with me. That goes to you too Gian.

Tang

 

[XV-1]

This is among the fairest comments i read from anyone here Shane. Often we just hear the wow comment because the owner put a lot of money into the purchase and drive himself into liking it 50% already from the first needle drop. Nice that you enjoyIng it. One year from now if you miss the normal SL you can switch with me. That goes to you too Gian.

Tang

thanks Tang. This is just the way I am hearing it. But I am no normal audiophile as I listen to a lot of alternative, electronic and modern music as well as the normal audiophile fodder - classical not so much so my priorities may be somewhat different.

Certainly 50's and 60's jazz does sound better with the Lambda, as does 60's Stones, Beatles and alike. So does a lot of the crummy 80's pop records - however, Is that accurate to how they were recorded?

When I first got the Atlas 8 years ago it was a WOW moment as it was so dynamic, so neutral, so transparent and so exciting - but I could hear it being a little too revealing thou - just play one of my other cartridges that was a little fuller sounding for those records.
Then the Atlas SL came out and at first I was a little taken back as it was not as micro dynamic as non SL - but smoother and more pure - Overall I grew to luv it.

Perhaps the Atlas Lambda SL will grow even more over time - but todays Lyra seems to be what Magico is doing with their loudspeakers - less neutrality and more musical?

 

[Kcin]

These are great comments. I have a gently used Atlas here that I am considering for the upgrade. I use the GFS if I want the explosive touch. Like you, I do not concentrate on much classical at all. Thanks for the impressions.

 

[Tango]

thanks Tang. This is just the way I am hearing it. But I am no normal audiophile as I listen to a lot of alternative, electronic and modern music as well as the normal audiophile fodder - classical not so much so my priorities may be somewhat different.

Certainly 50's and 60's jazz does sound better with the Lambda, as does 60's Stones, Beatles and alike. So does a lot of the crummy 80's pop records - however, Is that accurate to how they were recorded?

When I first got the Atlas 8 years ago it was a WOW moment as it was so dynamic, so neutral, so transparent and so exciting - but I could hear it being a little too revealing thou - just play one of my other cartridges that was a little fuller sounding for those records.
Then the Atlas SL came out and at first I was a little taken back as it was not as micro dynamic as non SL - but smoother and more pure - Overall I grew to luv it.

Perhaps the Atlas Lambda SL will grow even more over time - but todays Lyra seems to be what Magico is doing with their loudspeakers - less neutrality and more musical?

Important thing is to be able to hear different characteristics of gears and know what to choose to fit your habit of listening. Not swaying to some prominent audiophiles or reviewers wow without understanding their listening priorities. I have been following your music collection through music thread and your system and gears of choice make perfect sense to me. People with music selection similar to you should really consider looking how you construct your system if he/she is about to start to build a system. I was listening to this album using Vdh two days ago.



It sounded like the band was playing in some room live. Not attractive sounding at all. Thin sounding. In fact it sounded like when electronic band go to to TV show and play live. Always sound lacking things not full. I bet you understand what I mean. My system and cart just suck at reproducing amplified music. But I listen to 80's brit music all the time anyway even when it sound shitty in my room. That music is part of my teenhood.

 

[ddk]

Important thing is to be able to hear different characteristics of gears and know what to choose to fit your habit of listening. Not swaying to some prominent audiophiles or reviewers wow without understanding their listening priorities. I have been following your music collection through music thread and your system and gears of choice make perfect sense to me. People with music selection similar to you should really consider looking how you construct your system if he/she is about to start to build a system. I was listening to this album using Vdh two days ago.

View attachment 66553

It sounded like the band was playing in some room live. Not attractive sounding at all. Thin sounding. In fact it sounded like when electronic band go to to TV show and play live. Always sound lacking things not full. I bet you understand what I mean. My system and cart just suck at reproducing amplified music. But I listen to 80's brit music all the time anyway even when it sound shitty in my room. That music is part of my teenhood.

It was this 80's British pop rock and punk sound that completely turned me off rock and pushed me to search for alternatives starting with jazz and then to classical music. I can still enjoy some 60' & 70's rock along with some 90's US bands but not the 80's anything anymore.

david

 

[gian60]

After 10 hours of listening,so need to wayt for better judgment i can share same impression of Shane that explained in a perfect way.

Seems a different cart,always lyra style.

Sound is fuller from midbass to midhigh and high seems less shining than SL.
Bass is very deep and controlled from beginning while i remember SL first hours seems little light.

Listening some song with very good high frequency like L.A.Four Just friends,Time out,Moonchild of K.Crimson,japan pressing,high seems same like sl,but in normal song seems less for fuller mid.

For me mid are better than the original sl and piano and voice are better and sound seems go out from speaker more easily.

Before i listened Opus 1 on Vyger for voice,piano,quartet jazz and chamber music,but also with this Lambda seems to listem Opus 1 with little more high,even if are 2 different cart.

My speaker and my speaker cable are little little light and this fuller mid is perfect in my system

My friend Marco instead is disappointed,he put the Lambda SL in current in P1,like always dreamed and listened in my home,founded mid better than Atlas but told me scene is smaller and less depth,and sound is not big and explosive like before,so he is really not happy.

Also with P1 in current,i tried,if you use in current scene seems smaller than used in MC,so could be this plus could be Lamdba sl,more soft and delicate,Marco doesnt like the result in his system
He listen 10 hours so sound will be better,but i think he will not solve hos problem
He had before one mix with big scene,explosive and fast sound and very good sound with Atlas,wanted do better with SL,that is more natural than Atlas,but now has problem and dont know how to do.

We see next days

 

[bonzo75]

Gian, I can come to adjudicate between you and Marco, but not now because Italian restaurants are closed

 

[gian60]

Restaurant are all open,opened 3 weeks ago,problems few people is going

 

[gian60]

Hi Shane,I see you live in Sidney
My first real girlfriend,in 1978 was an Italian that live in Sydney
She has relatives in my town and that year came to visit them and we stay together 4 months then she go back to Sydney and wants to marry me but I was too young and want only to enjoy
I know she lives always in Sidney
Ciao
Gian

 

[gian60]

Life is funny,like our carteidges

 

[Solypsa]

It was this 80's British pop rock and punk sound that completely turned me off rock and pushed me to search for alternatives starting with jazz and then to classical music. I can still enjoy some 60' & 70's rock along with some 90's US bands but not the 80's anything anymore.

david

Not saying you will like it but The Clash London Calling (released Jan 1980) is a pretty good sounding / well recorded record imho...

Also David Sylvian Secrets Of The Beehive from later 80s

 

[bonzo75]

Hi Shane,I see you live in Sidney
My first real girlfriend,in 1978 was an Italian that live in Sydney
She has relatives in my town and that year came to visit them and we stay together 4 months then she go back to Sydney and wants to marry me but I was too young and want only to enjoy
I know she lives always in Sidney
Ciao
Gian

Hi Gian, your wife told me "he thinks he is still young and wants only to enjoy". This after you went out to pick up the lambda

 

[ddk]

Not saying you will like it but The Clash London Calling (released Jan 1980) is a pretty good sounding / well recorded record imho...

Also David Sylvian Secrets Of The Beehive from later 80s

I appreciate the recommendations Eric but the Clash and other punk UK bands made me nauseas back then and they just make me go now. Sylvain just sounds constipated and is still trying to go!

david