[j0val]

Arrived!

Super-duper early impressions. Looks awesome, I love the new chassis. The button-laden front is much cleaner-looking, in my opinion, than the flip switches of old.

Took two tries for the Lyr+ to realize there was a tube plugged in -- it was initially defaulting to the SS gain stage. After re-seating the tube it worked fine. Pressing the 'gain stage' switch on the remote, it actually takes over 20 seconds to switch between tube and SS -- it goes and remains silent and then 'click', sound's back. This sort of surprised me since Jason's description of the two stages was they were 'seamless', but it doesn't quite feel it.

Listenable volume also hovers around 12 o'clock on the pot for me with high gain -- which is very high. For reference, I listen at about 7-8 o'clock on the Lyr 3, slightly higher on Jot 2. (Yes, I'm a quiet listener.) I'm new to relay ladder attenuators, so maybe it's to be expected, but I sent Schiit an email to see if that's normal behavior anyway -- since from 'Zero' to about 11 o'clock is just really really quiet, to where I don't think anyone would find those volumes useful. Past 2 o'clock it gets pretty friggin loud so I don't think it's gimped or anything. I also notice the volume dips in and out when changing the volume up or down, which I do presume is normal with relay.

Sound, so far, I feel really positive about. Via the ZMF Atriums, there's a noticeable uptick in sense of clarity and airiness from the Jot 2, which is what I was listening to on this current set-up before (with a Holo Spring loaner). I use the Lyr 3 for my bedside set-up so I'm pretty familiar with it and I'd say the Lyr+ sounds slightly better balanced, more neutral, but also sweeter. Drum hits and cymbals (my litmus instruments for sound quality) have excellent punch and decay, and cymbals in particular are very incisive -- the Lyr 3 felt airier with cymbals, the Jot 2 darker, more muted. Acoustic guitar has great bite, vocals are very natural.

I'm sending this loaner on its way tomorrow so it'll be back to the BFM soon. The Lyr 3 with the BFM was weirdly dull or boring, and I never liked it -- so it'll be interesting to see how it fares. Either way I have lots of listening to do!

Nice impressions. What tube are you using?

My Lyr+ is waiting for me to setup when I get home. Looking forward to trying it out.

 

[kdoof]

Nice impressions. What tube are you using?

My Lyr+ is waiting for me to setup when I get home. Looking forward to trying it out.

They sent with it a Tung Sol 6SN7. I also have a PSVANE and JJ that I've used with the Lyr 3 so I may do some swapperooning

 

[XERO1]

Listenable volume also hovers around 12 o'clock on the pot for me with high gain -- which is very high. For reference, I listen at about 7-8 o'clock on the Lyr 3, slightly higher on Jot 2. (Yes, I'm a quiet listener.) I'm new to relay ladder attenuators, so maybe it's to be expected, but I sent Schiit an email to see if that's normal behavior anyway -- since from 'Zero' to about 11 o'clock is just really really quiet, to where I don't think anyone would find those volumes useful. Past 2 o'clock it gets pretty friggin loud so I don't think it's gimped or anything. I also notice the volume dips in and out when changing the volume up or down, which I do presume is normal with relay.

I've used a Rag 2 and Saga a few times in the past, and I've never been a fan of the way their relay-switched attenuator works. It seemed very laggy to me, like it would always be undershooting or overshooting the volume level I was trying to get it to hit. This is my biggest concern about the Lyr+. If it's relay volume control still has those same issues, that might be a deal-breaker for me.

I'll know for sure in a couple of weeks when I try it out at the SoCal CanJam.

 

[XERO1]

They sent with it a Tung Sol 6SN7. I also have a PSVANE and JJ that I've used with the Lyr 3 so I may do some swapperooning

Be careful with that Tung Sol. The new production brown-base Tung Sol 6SN7 I used was not made very well. I had to apply an unusual amount of force to get it to seat properly, and then when I went to remove it, it wouldn't budge. I thought I might have to break the glass and use pliers to remove it. Fortunately, I was able to wiggle it out little by little. After that, I just threw it in the trash.

 

[j0val]

I've used a Rag 2 and Saga a few times in the past, and I've never been a fan of the way their relay-switched attenuator works. It seemed very laggy to me, like it would always be undershooting or overshooting the volume level I was trying to get it to hit. This is my biggest concern about the Lyr+. If it's relay volume control still has those same issues, that might be a deal-breaker for me.

I'll know for sure in a couple of weeks when I try it out at the SoCal CanJam.

I'm experiencing the same thing with my Lyr+. Listenable volume starts at 12 o'clock. Initially, I was thinking it wasn't outputting any sound.

 

[tamleo]

Took two tries for the Lyr+ to realize there was a tube plugged in -- it was initially defaulting to the SS gain stage. After re-seating the tube it worked fine. Pressing the 'gain stage' switch on the remote, it actually takes over 20 seconds to switch between tube and SS -- it goes and remains silent and then 'click', sound's back. This sort of surprised me since Jason's description of the two stages was they were 'seamless', but it doesn't quite feel it.

Very nice impression. Tk you! I don't know why schiit wrote this on its website: "Then Lyr+ is for you! It’s the only headamp in the world that goes seamlessly from tube to solid state, using our exclusive Fusion Architecture™". I know it is not true because the Ifi pro ican headamp got this tube-ss swapping feature a long time ago

 

[cats4cans]

Just from reading, is the Lyr+ SS mode really close to a built in LISST? I think they both use mosfet depletion. I guess that would make the most sense. There’s no point in coming up with two different versions of tube emulation circuits. I guess the real test would be when someone can test the Lyr+ with a LISST and see if it sounds similar.
I almost gave in to buying a Lyr3 just before this was announced. I really don’t need any more equipment, but since I don’t already have a hybrid headphone amp, and still have some single 6SN7 tubes leftover from my Saga+, it’s only a matter of time. I’ll probably wait a few months so I can get some long term reports on it first. I appreciate you guys being the guinea pigs here.

 

[Reputator]

I've used a Rag 2 and Saga a few times in the past, and I've never been a fan of the way their relay-switched attenuator works. It seemed very laggy to me, like it would always be undershooting or overshooting the volume level I was trying to get it to hit. This is my biggest concern about the Lyr+. If it's relay volume control still has those same issues, that might be a deal-breaker for me.

I'll know for sure in a couple of weeks when I try it out at the SoCal CanJam.

That must just be a Schiit implemenation issue. The Jan Meier Corda amps I've had over the years with stepped attenuators never had those issues. Other than the relay clicks, the volume increases smoothly. When you've got headphones on and music playing, you can't hear the clicks and you basically wouldn't know otherwise that it was using a stepped attenuator.

 

[Voxata]

Arrived!

Super-duper early impressions. Looks awesome, I love the new chassis. The button-laden front is much cleaner-looking, in my opinion, than the flip switches of old.

Took two tries for the Lyr+ to realize there was a tube plugged in -- it was initially defaulting to the SS gain stage. After re-seating the tube it worked fine. Pressing the 'gain stage' switch on the remote, it actually takes over 20 seconds to switch between tube and SS -- it goes and remains silent and then 'click', sound's back. This sort of surprised me since Jason's description of the two stages was they were 'seamless', but it doesn't quite feel it.

Listenable volume also hovers around 12 o'clock on the pot for me with high gain -- which is very high. For reference, I listen at about 7-8 o'clock on the Lyr 3, slightly higher on Jot 2. (Yes, I'm a quiet listener.) I'm new to relay ladder attenuators, so maybe it's to be expected, but I sent Schiit an email to see if that's normal behavior anyway -- since from 'Zero' to about 11 o'clock is just really really quiet, to where I don't think anyone would find those volumes useful. Past 2 o'clock it gets pretty friggin loud so I don't think it's gimped or anything. I also notice the volume dips in and out when changing the volume up or down, which I do presume is normal with relay.

Sound, so far, I feel really positive about. Via the ZMF Atriums, there's a noticeable uptick in sense of clarity and airiness from the Jot 2, which is what I was listening to on this current set-up before (with a Holo Spring loaner). I use the Lyr 3 for my bedside set-up so I'm pretty familiar with it and I'd say the Lyr+ sounds slightly better balanced, more neutral, but also sweeter. Drum hits and cymbals (my litmus instruments for sound quality) have excellent punch and decay, and cymbals in particular are very incisive -- the Lyr 3 felt airier with cymbals, the Jot 2 darker, more muted. Acoustic guitar has great bite, vocals are very natural.

I'm sending this loaner on its way tomorrow so it'll be back to the BFM soon. The Lyr 3 with the BFM was weirdly dull or boring, and I never liked it -- so it'll be interesting to see how it fares. Either way I have lots of listening to do!

How'd you feel about the SS mode?

 

[XERO1]

That must just be a Schiit implemenation issue. The Jan Meier Corda amps I've had over the years with stepped attenuators never had those issues. Other than the relay clicks, the volume increases smoothly. When you've got headphones on and music playing, you can't hear the clicks and you basically wouldn't know otherwise that it was using a stepped attenuator.

I've used many different components over the years that have had different resistor ladder volume controls, like Pass Labs preamps (and others) which use the Muses 72320 volume control, and I've never had any issues with them. But it looks like Schiit developed their own unique volume control circuit for their components, and at least so far, I'm not a fan of it.

Even though I love the extra precision and channel separation you get with Schiit's resistor ladder volume control, I'd still rather have a good ol' pot that has a perfectly linear feel to it and an instantaneous response to your input as you turn it.

 

[kdoof]

How'd you feel about the SS mode?

Great so far, I've been mostly using SS today listening to some tunes while working, and my initial impressions stand. It's very clean and engaging without any of the shoutiness I remember from older Schiit amps and which I always fear will rear its head (but it seems everything post Lyr 3 has been rid of that particular issue). It has greater clarity and overall timbral sweetness than Jot 2, and I think the engagement factor is what really separates it from the L3, which was good but felt lackluster with the BFM for some reason. I think the Lyr 3 is a bit airier, more relaxed... which could be a positive or a negative, again, depending on the setup around it.

But, yes, sense of clarity is what really jumps out at me about the L+ in general. A number of recordings that I enjoy but typically find a little muddy on most set-ups sound actually just right with the L+ solid state, yet brighter recordings so far haven't seemed brighter or harsher or anything. *Magic*

I plan on switching to the tube after work and seeing if I then detect any overall character changes, I'm not familiar enough with either stage yet to say for sure.

 

[kdoof]

Be careful with that Tung Sol. The new production brown-base Tung Sol 6SN7 I used was not made very well. I had to apply an unusual amount of force to get it to seat properly, and then when I went to remove it, it wouldn't budge. I thought I might have to break the glass and use pliers to remove it. Fortunately, I was able to wiggle it out little by little. After that, I just threw it in the trash.

This one seems fine and pops in and out with no issues, other than the initial thing of the Lyr not detecting it, but I may not have seated it aggressively enough.

 

[jclyle]

How usable is the remote? Can it be used off angle and from 10-15' away?

Please share any feedback on using IEMs in tube mode.

 

[Jigetz]

20 minutes in so take this for what you will. I am using a Bifrost 2/64 with it. These are very super early impressions.

• Like kdoof said, the clarity improvement is noticeable vs my Lyr 3 (been using it exclusively for 4 months and on and off for a few years).
• Channel separation is improved from Lyr 3. This was the first thing that I noticed. It jumped out at me.
  • This was very noticeable with speakers and jumped out at me right away.
• Using Tube mode w/ provided Tung Sol:
  • Listening to Jack White - Entering Heaven Alone on low gain and with Focal Clears (preferred rock headphone).
    • Smooth and analytical.
    • Wide and full.
    • Not fat but clean strong and smooth bass.
    • Very fun amp.
• Remote? Yes, please. This makes my couch much more nap friendly in my office. A very welcome addition.
• The buttons on the front have a much cleaner look.
  • I like using the remote to switch gains and between tube and SS mode.
  • Having a dedicated pre-out button like the Jot 2 is a very welcomed addition as well.

Very happy with this purchase for my office solely for the added functionality. I like the fixed inputs.

 

[Reputator]

20 minutes in so take this for what you will. I am using a Bifrost 2/64 with it. These are very super early impressions.

• Like kdoof said, the clarity improvement is noticeable vs my Lyr 3 (been using it exclusively for 4 months and on and off for a few years).
• Channel separation is improved from Lyr 3. This was the first thing that I noticed. It jumped out at me.
  • This was very noticeable with speakers and jumped out at me right away.
• Using Tube mode w/ provided Tung Sol:
  • Listening to Jack White - Entering Heaven Alone on low gain and with Focal Clears (preferred rock headphone).
    • Smooth and analytical.
    • Wide and full.
    • Not fat but clean strong and smooth bass.
    • Very fun amp.
• Remote? Yes, please. This makes my couch much more nap friendly in my office. A very welcome addition.
• The buttons on the front have a much cleaner look.
  • I like using the remote to switch gains and between tube and SS mode.
  • Having a dedicated pre-out button like the Jot 2 is a very welcomed addition as well.

Very happy with this purchase for my office solely for the added functionality. I like the fixed inputs.

I wouldn't have expected the term 'analytical' to coincide with a Schiit tube amp, so that's interesting!