Audiophilepure

During the past weeks I have used the Lyre as my main headphone amplifier, driving my HE1000SE, my Arya Unveiled and the Palma DH-S1. It was mostly connected to my Hugo TT2 as DAC via the XLR inputs. The Lyre also stepped into my main stereo speaker system as a pre-amplifier to test the pre-amp functionality.

The Auris amp was powered by my AudioQuest PowerQuest 707 and cabled with AudioQuest’s Black Beauty cables.

The Lyre has a traditionally beautiful and rich tube sound, which oozes of analogue warmth and an organic body. It is a more neutral presentation overall, but features impressively natural sound in the mids, where instruments and singers just sound right out perfect to me. Lyre has excellent staging and delivers exceptional results especially in layering and depth to me.

Another highlight is the LEDs surrounding the unit. These LED lights illuminate during use and serve as indicators for volume and even navigation assistance. It’s a flamboyant decision since many gamers like to play in dimly lit or dark rooms, and these lights aren’t exactly subtle.

That said, there’s a feature that allows you to turn them off. In well-lit environments, LEDs are not overwhelming, and I kind of  like them. They look very “cyberpunk” combined with the naked internals.

On top of the unit are three buttons: a red button on the right for menu selection and two black buttons for volume up and down. They are tactile enough, though the feel is closer to a soft click than a mechanical press.

These buttons handle filter switching, output mode selection, USB UAC mode, filter selection, and MQA mode without the need for an app. The “menu” is actually on the bottom side of the transparent top panel.

You get assistive LEDs to know what’s what. The usage is simple, although the labeling is hard to read due to the small font size.

https://pt.audio/2025/06/08/atma-sphere-gem-integrated-headphone-amplifier-review/

What I have here is a really tiny amplifier. Actually, it’s way more than that; this gem really does duty as an integrated amplifier that can handle both efficient speakers and a bevy of headphones, ranging from the efficient to the not-so efficient. I’m not really much of a headphone guy, so I employed this Gem as an amplifier for my really efficient Charney Audio Maestro-X single-driver speakers.

A bit of history about Atma-Sphere first. Ralph is best known in the industry for pioneering two things: output transformer-less (OTL) vacuum tube amps and use of fully balanced circuitry and connections in his amp and preamp products, and these design elements are highlighted in his mainline designs to this day. Interestingly, the Gem (on the surface… see below) sports neither. Right on top are exposed output transformers, and a quick look at the rear panel indicates the presence of (only) single-ended RCA input jacks. Was Mr. Karsten perhaps being a bit contrarian here with this design?

The following sound impressions were made after 100 hours of burn-in for the stock tubes. I used the FiiO JM21 and HiBy R4 as DAPs, the Oppo BDP-83 as a CD transport, my MacBook Pro as an alternative, and the Soundcraft Absolute 4P powered speakers for XLR-balanced out.

Listening devices included the SJY Horizon, Kennerton Rognir, AKG 240DF headphones, Campfire Audio Supermoon, Solaris 2020, and Drop x Campfire Audio Dark Star IEMs. The 4Ps were used for balanced output, and my McIntosh MA6100 as a power amplifier (aux-in), and pre-amp in.

One of the most important updates with Element IV is full integration with JDS Labs Core™, their new web-based control platform. There’s no desktop software to install, no bloat or anything. You connect the device via USB, open a supported browser (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox), and voilà.

You now have access to the fully customizable 12-band EQ and the rest of the device settings. PMEQ’s each band is fully adjustable in frequency, gain, and Q factor, with all changes saved directly to the device’s hardware. The UI is responsive and easy to use. Once EQ is set, it persists across reboots, input changes, and even when switching from USB to optical.