[Snowpuppy77]

I tried using the Lyr+ as a preamp to my Corda Classic, but the problem is the Corda Classic is a lesser amp to the Lyr+, so all it ends up doing is holding back the performance you get straight out of the Lyr+. And the Lyr+ being a hybrid with a transformer-coupled, low-impedance output, it really doesn't have any drawbacks compared to an SS amp.

And now that I've had mine working for close to a month, I'm really appreciating it's do-all nature. It really is all the amp most people need. Just wish it were more reliable so I could recommend it to people.

Honestly preamp matching is not as easily as it would seem in my experience.

I am glad that my Lyr+ has had no issues. Operates just as it should and pulls me from critical to emotional listening faster than all the amps I have tried. Now that it has a tube I like, I have no desire to upgrade even though I could easily just do it a several times it price.

 

[ConfuMaleTitis]

I would normally just put the money into a more expensive and hopefully better amp. However if it is working for you, it does make sense and it is all that matters. One thing nice about a stepped attenuator is that it minimizes a volume knob's degradation to the signal. Wonder what it would be like putting the less expensive Saga+ preamp through your Burson? Saga+ being similar to the Lyr+ but more tuned or specialized to be a preamp.

Regarding Grados I love them. Especially with acoustic music and they got as much or more time than my HD800S before I got planars. I saw the Hifiman HE6SE on sale for about $700 on Amazon and it was enough to satisfy a long term curiosity and just try them. One would at first think the Lyr+ sounds like it is driving them fine but not really especially when compared to the Schiit Ragnarok. The HE6SE sound amazing on the Ragnarok and it makes it clear that the Lyr+ does not have the power the HE6SE needs. I prefer them over my HD800S and every other headphone in my collection at the time. It seems very neutral in bass until the music calls for it then the punch and extension are super impressive. They are just ear candy to me on the Ragnarok but not so on the Lyr+. I then bought a pair of Hifiman Arya Stealths. These sound great on the Lyr+! Better in some ways than the Ragnarok and overall just a few steps back. I then noticed the new price for the Hifiman HE1000 V2 and just had to at least try it. It was like goldilocks. Better than both the HE6SE and the Arya. Now the HE1000 V2 is harder to drive than the Arya but the Lyr+ (with 2/64) has no problems driving the HE1000 to its potential or very close to it. They do still sound better on the Ragnarok (with Yggdrasil) technically though they are complementary as the Lyr+ is smother and more emotive. I send the Arya back and kept the HE6SE and the HE1000 V2. Different enough to justify keeping both for me. I keep the HE6SE with the Ragnarok in my main system and the HE1000 with the Lyr+ in my home office.

I would recommend at some point trying a good pair of planers especially since you have an amp with the power to drive them (excluding the HE6SE of course which is crazy power hungry).

That's all very helpful, thanks for taking the time to share.

A lot of people downplay Grado, especially the first 1000e that I have. I end up pushing the low bass around 40 Hz quite a bit, and that rounds them out. I pull back slightly in the mid-bass range to remove that boxy-ish sound. The McIntosh portable I had didn't require as much of this as the Lyr+ or even Burson does, but doing that tends to suck the life out of amps. The Hifiman EF-400 can't hang, the Lyr+ does better, seemingly a little better in SS mode though it's not quite as punchy as w/ the Tung Sol or an EH tube...and the Burson? That's the best - effortless. I suspect it can drive the HE1000 without as much trouble.

The Lyr+ is however one of those unique/ rare devices. As others have said, when it works it's a beautiful amp. Especially for the price. But stage depth is a priority for me and it's just not there out of the headphone jack. The Burson excels in this regard, and the accidental discovery of pairing them for now is good for me.

I like to take it a step at a time..I'll enjoy this for awhile, recognizing I'm probably missing out - then upgrade my cans and/ or adjust my chain again later. I like to really get to know my chain before moving on, and there's so much to discover with the variations I have w/ two DACs and two amps.

 

[Snowpuppy77]

That's all very helpful, thanks for taking the time to share.

A lot of people downplay Grado, especially the first 1000e that I have. I end up pushing the low bass around 40 Hz quite a bit, and that rounds them out. I pull back slightly in the mid-bass range to remove that boxy-ish sound. The McIntosh portable I had didn't require as much of this as the Lyr+ or even Burson does, but doing that tends to suck the life out of amps. The Hifiman EF-400 can't hang, the Lyr+ does better, seemingly a little better in SS mode though it's not quite as punchy as w/ the Tung Sol or an EH tube...and the Burson? That's the best - effortless. I suspect it can drive the HE1000 without as much trouble.

The Lyr+ is however one of those unique/ rare devices. As others have said, when it works it's a beautiful amp. Especially for the price. But stage depth is a priority for me and it's just not there out of the headphone jack. The Burson excels in this regard, and the accidental discovery of pairing them for now is good for me.

I like to take it a step at a time..I'll enjoy this for awhile, recognizing I'm probably missing out - then upgrade my cans and/ or adjust my chain again later. I like to really get to know my chain before moving on, and there's so much to discover with the variations I have w/ two DACs and two amps.

I have noticed that Schiit amps I have tried tend to be closer to the stage than other amps. Whether or not that is a good thing is really a personal preference. I like headphones that sound open and especially with a large dimensional stage. The HD800S have an enormous soundstage and IMO a good match with certain Schiit amps. For me the Asgard 2 and the Lyr+ allow one to enjoy the large HD800S stage while still making one feel intimate with the artists. Grado, reference series and below, are a very much up close and personal with the artist. Sometimes it even seems they are closer than the front row, even on the stage. The Asgard 2 plays to this strength making things as up close and personal as I have heard. A fun match up when in the mood for that. You can increase the stage depth with the Lyr+ significantly with the right tubes. Different tubes can make a significant difference. However for ultimate deep and open stage I would consider something beyond the Lyr+ and even perhaps the Burson. I would consider a higher end tube amp. In my experience they do things with soundstage that solid state amps just can't do.

My personal favorite headphones are the HE1000 V2 and their soundstage is almost as large as the HD800S. To me playing to this strength would result in too large a stage and less intimacy than I am after. As a result it balances out nicely for me with the Lyr+. That ultimate intimacy will always keep Grados in my collection as sometimes it is just a great change of pace. Enjoy the journey!

 

[ConfuMaleTitis]

With the Lyr+ and Grado (and/ or Burson), what would you recommend, tube-wise, for a relaxed more distant stage? I only have the Tung Sol and an EH...and was thinking RCA/ Sylvania maybe but I haven't had a chance to really look into it.

Burson to me does what it's asked stage-wise - it's more neutral than most, i.e. will render depth if there, will render forward if there. McIntosh has for most gear I've used anyway, been a bit more recessed which I prefer w/ the very forward Grados. I can always jack in (what a reference eh??) to the Lyr+ if I want to move closer (from the Burson) but I give up depth and some clarity. This is all w/ the Bifrost 2/64 which does a great job I think, for the price. The EF-400 to me lacks (significantly) in this regard, but it's quite a bit cheaper so I wouldn't expect it to have the same depth/ clarity (use it mostly for some 70s analog stuff and some selected EDM where it brings out different nuance and staging isn't the play).

In fairness, the EF-400 and/ or the Lyr+ are for my wife - I'll probably end up w/ the Burson and Bifrost...if I give up the Lyr+ in my chain to color the sound a little. She doesn't know this yet ...shhh....

 

[Reputator]

Honestly preamp matching is not as easily as it would seem in my experience.

I am glad that my Lyr+ has had no issues. Operates just as it should and pulls me from critical to emotional listening faster than all the amps I have tried. Now that it has a tube I like, I have no desire to upgrade even though I could easily just do it a several times it price.

Remind me what tube you settled with?

I think I'll probably sell the 6F8G as it was a fun experiment but not practical for me. @ConfuMaleTitis hit me up if you still want it.

I'm contemplating my next tube move now. Might try the Psvane tennis ball but I might also go for another vintage Raytheon.

 

[Snowpuppy77]

Remind me what tube you settled with?

I think I'll probably sell the 6F8G as it was a fun experiment but not practical for me. @ConfuMaleTitis hit me up if you still want it.

I'm contemplating my next tube move now. Might try the Psvane tennis ball but I might also go for another vintage Raytheon.

Upscale Audio Kevin's stash, cryo, Electro Harmonics. May eventually try more at some point. However, I am so satisfied with where it is at it may take some time before I am motivated to do so. Not sure if the Tung-sol will ever make it back into the amp.

 

[Snowpuppy77]

With the Lyr+ and Grado (and/ or Burson), what would you recommend, tube-wise, for a relaxed more distant stage? I only have the Tung Sol and an EH...and was thinking RCA/ Sylvania maybe but I haven't had a chance to really look into it.

Burson to me does what it's asked stage-wise - it's more neutral than most, i.e. will render depth if there, will render forward if there. McIntosh has for most gear I've used anyway, been a bit more recessed which I prefer w/ the very forward Grados. I can always jack in (what a reference eh??) to the Lyr+ if I want to move closer (from the Burson) but I give up depth and some clarity. This is all w/ the Bifrost 2/64 which does a great job I think, for the price. The EF-400 to me lacks (significantly) in this regard, but it's quite a bit cheaper so I wouldn't expect it to have the same depth/ clarity (use it mostly for some 70s analog stuff and some selected EDM where it brings out different nuance and staging isn't the play).

In fairness, the EF-400 and/ or the Lyr+ are for my wife - I'll probably end up w/ the Burson and Bifrost...if I give up the Lyr+ in my chain to color the sound a little. She doesn't know this yet ...shhh....

Not sure which tube would be the best for you to get but would try a good NOS tube. Try the Lyr 3 tube thread for some recommendations.

 

[classfolkphile]

I guess I did jinx myself talking about not having had any problems with several pieces of Schiit gear after all. My Lyr+ left channel volume has significantly diminished to the point it's barely audible. Doesn't matter if it's in SS or Tube mode, high or low gain, and it was barely warm to the touch.

 

[Reputator]

I guess I did jinx myself talking about not having had any problems with several pieces of Schiit gear after all. My Lyr+ left channel volume has significantly diminished to the point it's barely audible. Doesn't matter if it's in SS or Tube mode, high or low gain, and it was barely warm to the touch.

My condolences man. The wait time is only 1-3 days now so hopefully your replacement is swift.

 

[Grendelrt]

Got my replacement Lyr+ yesterday, and there are definitely some differences.
1) The biggest one, I noticed the first defective amp ran really hot, hotter than my Asgard 2 which is saying something. New Lyr+ after 1 hour of use, 86F measured at the Schiit logo on top, 95F after almost 3hrs (seemed to stabilize about here). Old defective one, ~110F at the same spot after an hour or two, was extremely hot to the touch.
2) When in low gain I had a giant step in volume when adjusting the gain around 12 o'clock, this jump isn't present on the new amp.
3) Switch between high gain and low gain on the new amp is around 8 secs, pretty sure this was slower on the old one, but I didn't measure it.
4) Umm my right channel works, so that's better :O

I guess I did jinx myself talking about not having had any problems with several pieces of Schiit gear after all. My Lyr+ left channel volume has significantly diminished to the point it's barely audible. Doesn't matter if it's in SS or Tube mode, high or low gain, and it was barely warm to the touch.

Man that sucks, mine was blazing hot so was hoping that was an indicator of the fault with the bad channels. How long was it running when the channel went out, mine had to be on a while before it happened. How long have you had your lyr?

 

[classfolkphile]

Got my replacement Lyr+ yesterday, and there are definitely some differences.
1) The biggest one, I noticed the first defective amp ran really hot, hotter than my Asgard 2 which is saying something. New Lyr+ after 1 hour of use, 86F measured at the Schiit logo on top, 95F after almost 3hrs (seemed to stabilize about here). Old defective one, ~110F at the same spot after an hour or two, was extremely hot to the touch.
2) When in low gain I had a giant step in volume when adjusting the gain around 12 o'clock, this jump isn't present on the new amp.
3) Switch between high gain and low gain on the new amp is around 8 secs, pretty sure this was slower on the old one, but I didn't measure it.
4) Umm my right channel works, so that's better :O


Man that sucks, mine was blazing hot so was hoping that was an indicator of the fault with the bad channels. How long was it running when the channel went out, mine had to be on a while before it happened. How long have you had your lyr?

I've had it a bit less than a month. It was on for about 20 minutes before I started listening and the problem was immediately apparent.

 

[Grendelrt]

I've had it a bit less than a month. It was on for about 20 minutes before I started listening and the problem was immediately apparent.

Well looks like I will be keeping my Asgard2 as a backup.....this is lame lol.

 

[jerhowe]

Got my replacement Lyr+ yesterday, and there are definitely some differences.

3) Switch between high gain and low gain on the new amp is around 8 secs, pretty sure this was slower on the old one, but I didn't measure it.

How long does your amp take to switch between SS and tube?

 

[Reputator]

Well looks like I will be keeping my Asgard2 as a backup.....this is lame lol.

Yep my back-up amp isn't going anywhere.

 

[classfolkphile]

Well looks like I will be keeping my Asgard2 as a backup.....this is lame lol.

Yes, I'm keeping my Asgard 3 - which I hadn't planned to do - for the same reason.