LCD2: If you mean 2nd hand, many or most are rev1. If you mean new, rev 2. Rev 1 is no longer manufactured. The revision occurred because of a change of supplier and material owing to reliability issues that arose. A new material was already under consideration and reliability caused Audez'e to change sooner than originally intended.
The Lyr is a great amp with the flexibility of changing sonic signature through tube-rolling. Personally, it's not my favourite with the LCD2; but it's very, very good. With GE 6BZ7 tubes (you can order from Schiit with this option) there is a fairly neutral sound overall with a slight thickening to the midrange that suits e.g. electric guitar (think blues rock, blues metal etc) extremely well. I understand that with other - albeit expensive - tubes the Lyr really starts to show its potential. Of course, tubes can be upgraded as you can afford them - see the Schiit Lyr tube-rolling thread.
Also, look out for a review from Skylab/Rob sometime in the next few weeks, together with his review of the Bifrost. He has a loaner (of the Lyr) and has been surprised by the quality of the amp. Its low price makes it something of a bargain.
I am undecided on what difference the ample power levels of the Lyr makes to the LCD2. I agree with headinjury's comments. With careful matching of levels, I find the Lyr and Meier Concerto - which some have claimed can only manage 500mW into the 52-ohm LCD2 - cannot be separated on bass slam, transient handling etc; however, to be fair, other's who have owned both amps heard differently, though I'm unaware whether any of them A/B'd directly in reaching this view.
I use my Lyr also with Grado RS1 (32-ohm) and Beyerdynamic T1 (600 ohm). It is my preferred amp with the RS1! (other amps I have are Concerto, Violectric V100, Little Dot 1+ hybrid and Meier Opera). Despite picturesque warnings contained in Schiit's witty FAQs page, normal careful use of the volume control and normal precautions when plugging in/out are all that's needed, as already said.
A final comment about the Lyr is that it's 6W power rating - 4W into 50 ohms - is not the whole story. It has surprising delicacy and finesse. This was noticeable even with the E88CC tubes which are the stock option, but which have a tendency to a slightly syrupy sound (with the Lyr) which may suit some but not others (me included).
Finally, as an owner of the LCD2 rev 1 - before there was a headband option - I think the headphone looks absolutely fine even without the leather option. This must really be just a matter of personal taste, although it occurs to me the money saved might be put toward an amp and especially DAC. Quite a lot of common wisdom/experience with the LCD2 goes that the 'phone is so transparent and revealing yet easy to drive that DAC rather than amp is by far the greater determinant of its sound. It's the old story: flaws are so easily revealed by these phones - I happen to agree - they are often blamed on the phones when actually it's something in the audio chain that's at fault.
HTH & good luck.
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Good advice all round, thanks everyone! As it stands i'm gonna get myself a nice shiny new LCD-2 over the next couple of weeks then make the other upgrades from there. As it stands it looks like it will be a Lyr / Bifrost (depending on reviews on release) combo. But maybe i will go for an all-in-one system for practicality. For some reason, as i've heard someone else say, there is something satisfying about having multiple units.
A few final questions about the LCD-2 if anyone knows? Is it worth paying the extra $50 for a leather headband? Does it look much better / is it more comfortable? I'd like the whole thing to look as good as possible to be honest.
Are all the LCD-2's for sale at the moment the Rev2 version? And finally, does anyone know where the best place to order is in the UK?
Thanks
