[ptrok]

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Are they not essentially the same with the concerto having 64 steps of volume instead of 32 (vs the symphony) and other minor upgrades and the stagedac has an additional WM8741 and probably other minor upgrades.  So if space and fancier casing is not a concern it should be obvious which should be slightly better than the other.  I don't really think that either is the best for the job but if that is what your heart is set on it shouldn't be a bad pairing but I don't know for sure.
 
In any event I think that is in fact the purpose of this thread... well half of it anyhow accursed stage dac ;P.

Thanks bebop, I'm not set on the concerto or symphony but they are the only amps I know of that may do a good job of driving these cans and are within my budget. If you have a better suggestion within the 1.5k budget it would be greatly appreciated. I want an amp and dac for this price so it kind of limits me with my current knowledge of hi-fi. Thanks in advance.

If I can put my two cents in, some of it depends on what you're going to feed it and a lot of it is going to be how you hear stuff.  Honestly, if budget was a huge concern I would actually be able to live with my Forte soundcard's built-in amp or my D10 as an amp/DAC, but taste and aesthetics can vary wildly between different people.  That and the different combinations can get a little wacky...like I know I didn't like a certain Marantz CD player feeding a Luxman P1u, but I have no idea if switching one of those components out would make me like it.  My main critical areas tend to be mids, followed by rounder trebles with low sibilance, separation, staging, bass, etc....so some of the rigs I really like don't float the boat for other folks.
 
1.5k should be able to give you a little bit of options, especially if you want to consider DIY/custom-built and out-of-production/used stuff.  DACs, in particular, seem to change over relatively quickly, so the 1k DAC of today is probably going to sell for much less in a few years.

thanks for the advice, I will definitely look into those suggestions however do you have any advice for what dac's are worth looking into? The sea of head-fi is vast so without a little direction it can be overwhelming.
 

 

[kwkarth]

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thanks for the advice, I will definitely look into those suggestions however do you have any advice for what dac's are worth looking into? The sea of head-fi is vast so without a little direction it can be overwhelming.
 

Here's one thread you might look at, although there are many others as well;
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/505014/most-neutral-budget-dac
 

 

[epocs]

Anyone ever compare the Stagedac + Concerto versus the HDP ?
 
I'm wondering if putting down more than double the cash is going to yield any sound improvements?
 

 

[kwkarth]

Even though I haven't heard the Stagedac/Concerto combo, I'm gonna go with what's behind that door.  I thought the HDP were not much more than so-so when I spent time with it.  Sonically neutral, smooth, but otherwise very unremarkable.

 

[wower]

I'm getting closer and closer to putting my name on the pre-order list for the Lyr against my better judgment of committing to an unknown quantity in the future. My common sense hesitates at getting the first generation/wave of these type of boutique products. OTOH my perceived value of this amp is off the scales. Indecision....

 

[kwkarth]

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I'm getting closer and closer to putting my name on the pre-order list for the Lyr against my better judgment of committing to an unknown quantity in the future. My common sense hesitates at getting the first generation/wave of these type of boutique products. OTOH my perceived value of this amp is off the scales. Indecision....

I agree with your "value assessment."  Keep two other things in mind...

• Even though the Lyr is a "new" model, its design incorporates elements and key learnings from the previous two products.  These guys seem to do their homework before they release their products.  There were very few post production issues with either of the two preceding products and this bodes very well for the Lyr.
• The manufacturer has a honeymoon return policy and a 5 yr. mfr. warranty.  How can we loose with that?
   

 

[Kremer930]

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I'm getting closer and closer to putting my name on the pre-order list for the Lyr against my better judgment of committing to an unknown quantity in the future. My common sense hesitates at getting the first generation/wave of these type of boutique products. OTOH my perceived value of this amp is off the scales. Indecision....

As a person that put my name down on 27 December and is still eagerly counting down the days to the March 1 release, I would like to add the following comments as support and comfort in making the decision to buy a Lyr.
1.  Check out the background and experience and brand names associated with Jason and Mike.  There is some awesome gear that they have been involved with,
2. Their current product offerings both get great reviews for their market segments
3. It is great value.
4. It has six watts and tubes and was designed with Ortho's in mind.
 
Only approx 33 days to go....and counting.

 

[gogogasgas]

Back the 'consensus' point that was mentioned by a poster new to this thread.
 
Going by the number of favourable comments and comparing them with the postings by those critical of other amps, the SOLID STATE contenders could be:
 
Budget: Schiit Asgard (FULLY DISCRETE)
Middle priced: Mier 'Concerto' (OPAMP DESIGN) (lots of raves)
Middle Price: Audio GD headphone amps and Amp/DAC offerings (MOST/ALL FULLY DISCRETE)
Upper Middle price: Violectric 'HPA-V200' (OPAMP DESIGN)
Upper price: Audio GD 'Phoenix' (FULLY DISCRETE) (lots of raves)
 
I'm trying to avoid Op-Amps, but it seems that there are quite a few manufactures who use them. Although Op-Amps can be implemented well, I'd prefer a quality, fully discrete amp...if many actually still exist in the solid state world.
 
As for the posts on defining 'DRIVE' in an amp. Here's another word: GRUNT. In car engine terms, I would equate it with 'torque'. Back to electronics, then I would guess that plenty of available current may give you better 'drive' (all other variables considered).

 

[Currawong]

I did try the Schiit Asgard with my LCD-2s at the Sydney meet and it was a very boring combination. Granted, I am used to the Phoenix, which makes them far more lively.

 

[gogogasgas]

I've been reading the Head-Fi reviews of the Phoenix. A couple of posters said that it was just a tad light in the bass department, an attribute of many Class A designs. I haven't read though the behemoth Phoenix thread to find out, but I wonder if it could be a great match for the Denon AH7000. The Phoenix's tight and detailed (and slightly oomph-less?) bass could be a wonderful synergy with the AH7000's fulsome bass presentation. Has anyone tried it with the Denons?
 
My other pondering in regards to the Phoenix involves the preamplifier. In preference to paying for a pre-amp that I wouldn't use, I would like a pass-through option so I could send the unsullied audio signal through to my existing preamp. Aesthetically, I hope those ugly LCDs can be switched off. Finally, sending well over a grand to China for an unheard piece of audio equipment makes me rather nervous. I'm wondering if the purchaser would encounter a 'Great Wall' of resistance should he or she pursue a refund in the case of a lemon.

 

[oqvist]

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Back the 'consensus' point that was mentioned by a poster new to this thread.
 
Going by the number of favourable comments and comparing them with the postings by those critical of other amps, the SOLID STATE contenders could be:
 
Budget: Schiit Asgard
Upper Middle price: Violectric 'HPA-V200'
Upper price: Audio GD 'Phoenix'
 
I would go for the Violetric HPA-V200 because of price, German manufacture and nary a negative comment written in these (or any other) pages. Perhaps some of the Headfiers who have purchased the LCD-2 / Violetric combo could post their long-term impressions.
 
As for the posts on defining 'DRIVE' in an amp. Here's another word: GRUNT. In car engine terms, I would equate it with 'torque'. Back to electronics, then I would guess that plenty of available current may give you better 'drive' (all other variables considered). I would also hazard a guess that the three solid state headphone amps listed above are able to 'drive' the LCD-2s very well because they offer plenty of current mixed with a goodly amount of available voltage.

Tried the V200 and I am one of the few that didn´t go crazy on it on any of my headphones. I just owned it for three weeks or so before I gave up. I had better luck with the GHP which is just a little more then half the price of the V200... More neutral, detailed and real sounding to my ears and I did never feel  it lacked power to the supposedly more powerful V200 with any kind of music. 
 
I did enjoy the soundstage of the V200 though. That was an improvement over both the GHP but it was to coloured in the end. 

 

[kwkarth]

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I did try the Schiit Asgard with my LCD-2s at the Sydney meet and it was a very boring combination. Granted, I am used to the Phoenix, which makes them far more lively.

With the right front end, the Asgard is anything but boring.
 

 

[gogogasgas]

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Tried the V200 and I am one of the few that didn´t go crazy on it on any of my headphones. I just owned it for three weeks or so before I gave up. I had better luck with the GHP which is just a little more then half the price of the V200... More neutral, detailed and real sounding to my ears and I did never feel  it lacked power to the supposedly more powerful V200 with any kind of music. I did enjoy the soundstage of the V200 though. That was an improvement over both the GHP but it was to coloured in the end. 

Has anyone else had a negative experience with the V200 and the LCD-2s? Has anyone else had experience with the GOLDPOINT HEADPHONE PRO teamed with the LCD-2s? What does the GHP put out RMS per channel into 50 ohms?

 

[Currawong]

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I've been reading the Head-Fi reviews of the Phoenix. A couple of posters said that it was just a tad light in the bass department, an attribute of many Class A designs. I haven't read though the behemoth Phoenix thread to find out, but I wonder if it could be a great match for the Denon AH7000. The Phoenix's tight and detailed (and slightly oomph-less?) bass could be a wonderful synergy with the AH7000's fulsome bass presentation. Has anyone tried it with the Denons?
 
My other pondering in regards to the Phoenix involves the preamplifier. In preference to paying for a pre-amp that I wouldn't use, I would like a pass-through option so I could send the unsullied audio signal through to my existing preamp. Aesthetically, I hope those ugly LCDs can be switched off. Finally, sending well over a grand to China for an unheard piece of audio equipment makes me rather nervous. I'm wondering if the purchaser would encounter a 'Great Wall' of resistance should he or she pursue a refund in the case of a lemon.

They pay for shipping both ways during the warranty period.  IIRC another user ordered one with a switch to turn the LCD display off, so you might just ask what they can do for you about that and a pass-through option for the pre-amp outputs.
 
With the "bass light" comment -- I'd say that, with my rig, the sense of space created with the music is so much more vast than with most gear and the amp is voiced to be absolutely dead neutral, that you might get this kind of impression.  I have seen positive comments from a few Denon owners possibly for these reasons.
 


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I did try the Schiit Asgard with my LCD-2s at the Sydney meet and it was a very boring combination. Granted, I am used to the Phoenix, which makes them far more lively.

With the right front end, the Asgard is anything but boring.
 

 
We were using a Reference 7, so possibly a brighter source would be a better match.  I still reckon it's me though, as even gentle piano solos sound dramatic through my rig.
 

 

[oqvist]

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Tried the V200 and I am one of the few that didn´t go crazy on it on any of my headphones. I just owned it for three weeks or so before I gave up. I had better luck with the GHP which is just a little more then half the price of the V200... More neutral, detailed and real sounding to my ears and I did never feel  it lacked power to the supposedly more powerful V200 with any kind of music. I did enjoy the soundstage of the V200 though. That was an improvement over both the GHP but it was to coloured in the end. 

Has anyone else had a negative experience with the V200 and the LCD-2s? Has anyone else had experience with the GOLDPOINT HEADPHONE PRO teamed with the LCD-2s? What does the GHP put out RMS per channel into 50 ohms?

There is no real specs on the GHP but from what I gathered on what´s hinted and Violectric is not lying until they are blue in the face the V200 should be able to pull way more current. Maybe add a bit more noise due to that as well I am just going by ears and try to forget the specs or what pieces cost when I audition.
 
I don´t want to say the V200 is bad it was very enjoyable surely but not my nr one pick. For the T1 it was clearly better then the GHP but then it didn´t have a chance to shine because I had the Auditor at the same time which was even more impressive with the T1 even though I musically preferred my tube for it.