[DannyBuoy]

For what its worth; I owned a WA6SE (Sophia Princess) with Audio-Gd premium power cord and Audio-Gd NFB2 DAC when I first got my LCD2. I thought the sound quality was a big advancement from my D7000 cans and I liked it a lot.
 
About a week later I ordered a Violectric V181 with 24/96 USB module (needed to sell WA6 and NFB2 to fund V181) and for a week or so I had both the V181 and the WA6. After a few A/B comparisons, I unplugged the WA6 and boxed it up for sale. I was thoroughly convinced the SQ of the V181 was vastly better than the WA6 with the LCD2.
 
However, when I did an A/B between my NFB2 DAC and the option USB module in the V181 I was disappointed. The USB module was a waste of money for me. The NFB2 although slightly warmer had much more dynamics in the music. So after selling the NFB2 and WA6SE I decided to buy an Audio-Gd Ref5.
 
So now I am connected to my music server via coax optical to Ref5 and via balanced XLR between Ref5 and V181. During this time I also ordered a Norse Audio 8 wire balanced cable with a nice Neutrik 4 pin connector (which is what the V181 uses). I am on a whole-nuddder-level now. The clarity in the mids and highs are incredibly more detailed and increased separation. The bass is bangin, slammin now. The whole system is just tighter, firmer, crisper, and on and on...
 
I can only speak for what I have tried and what my opinions are of course is based on what I like in sound so keep that in mind but I am very happy (I just got a few cables from Cullen Cables and have replaced the XLR interconnects and coax optical, but still have to connect the power cord but need to drill a 2 inch hole in my desk as the power cord is massive).
 
Good luck!
 
 
Quote:

I'm going insane but I'm making some headway for my headphone rig.   I'm only going to buy one headphone so I ordered a pair of LCD-2's last Sunday night.  I didn't want to do the trek thru the cans by getting different cans thru time so I decided to just go ahead and get the LCD-2's.  I don't really have any experience with cans other than my daughters Grado 80's and her Audio-Technica ATH AD700's.   They're not very inspiring.  Last week I sold off all my high end speaker gear which has been absconding my living room forever and decided since I spend more time listening to music now in my computer/office/reading room it's time to try headphones.
 
For years I had a Theta DAC and realize how very important a good DAC is so I've settled on a Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 to go with the LCD-2's.  That's 2 out of 3.   But now I'm completely torn between some of the amps I've posted earlier.  I'm not set in concrete when it comes to buying something made here in the U.S. but I feel more comfortable about the manufacturers being nearby even in today's world of next day shipping.
 
Here are the choices still splitting my head open and my thoughts about them.
 
TUBES
 
Decware Mini-Torrii.  
 
  Pros for me:  Folks with LCD-2's love it and apparently it drives them perhaps better than any amp except the Leben.   It can also drive a pair of Mirage M-190's that I currently use at my iMac when I'm composing my own music and listening to tunes in general.  So it and drives the LCD's and a pair of speakers.This is a big plus.  Apparently it doesn't get extremely hot, a good thing since I live in the Sonoran desert.  Even with air conditioning extra heat is extra heat.  Lifetime warranty, got to dig that. Plus Skylab digs it and I don't really know if Skylab has 2 tin ears or not but his passion for "all things tubed" is contagious and compelling.
                                
 Cons for me: Headphone jack and speaker mod option to have speakers turn off when using headphones is $200 more as combined options.  Not really a big expense in the long run but I wanted to bitch about it because I just realized that.  There are a lot of tubes and I don't know if I've mellowed enough from my tube amp days in the late 80' and early 90's not to worry if the tubes are "OK" every time I hear one of them burp. But maybe I have overcome my audiophile neurosis since I was able to hold off buying new gear for almost 16 years after having spent a King's fortune on it every other month for an entire decade before the final system came into place.
 
 
 
Woo Audio 6SE or the Woo Audio WA-2.   
 
Pros for me.  2 well respected amps that folks have paired with the LCD-2's and enjoyed.    I suspect the Woo Audio WA-2 with the power tube upgrade might edge out the Woo Audio 6 SE but I do not know and I really need you guys to help me on that.  The Woo amps have a good build reputation.  That means a lot.  In my travels I've had quite a few great sounding pieces of gear that just weren't made well and that never ended well.   
 
Cons for me.  Neither come with a power cord?  What the hell is that about?  Is that a standard with todays manufacturers? Damn dude at least toss in something to plug it in with.  Not a deal breaker of course but I wanted to bitch about it.  Neither can drive speakers.  
 
 
 
Shiit Lyr.
 
Pros for me.  I'd be lying if I didn't say the price was compelling but although price isn't completely a deciding factor it is incredibly affordable.  I don't mind paying the price of the other amps if they are going to give me that extra bit more because I'm only going to be getting one amp and I want to try to get the best sound and if they do give that extra bit more I want it and will pay for it.  However I cannot afford the Leben.  One of the designers Mike Moffet gives this amp some real credibility for me. I casually knew Mike from his Theta Ds Pre Gen I-III days and he personally modded my Gen I to a Gen III and that DAC really did it for me for 2 decades. Not too many tubes to worry about.
 
Cons for me.  I'm not sure if it delivers what the other amps can in terms of that little bit extra.  It's relatively new on the scene and I'm afraid the perspective of the personal reviews may still be the glow of infatuation.   Doesn't drive speakers.
 
Solid State.   I'm clueless at the moment.  I need suggestions for a solid state amp without a built in DAC since I'm going for the Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2.   The Audio GD Phoenix looks good but I am very fearful of the heat it puts out and I'm not sure about using it single ended.  The Violectric HPA V200 also looks good but I am confused as to whether or not it has a built in DAC or if the DAC is just an option you can add to it.  The Burson HA 160 is also interesting but I'm not sure if it's up to the task when compared to the Woo, Lyr, or Decware.
 
The Meier Concerto was a real front runner for me but it seems as soon as I ordered my LCD-2's he decided t stop making it.  Now my comments may seem controversial for some about this topic but here they are.  The guy was making an amp that many have declared works really well with the LCD and then he decided to dimply stop making it. Come on man! I don't know why he made the decision but to me it shows a bit of a lack of respect for an audiophile community that has greatly supported his products.  The least he could have done was continue to produce it until his next amp come on the market.  So for this he gets the "Slap Down" award for designers.
 
So once again any comments you folks can muster up will be very helpful with my searching.
 
 

 

 

[WarriorAnt]

 
Quote:

For what its worth; I owned a WA6SE (Sophia Princess) with Audio-Gd premium power cord and Audio-Gd NFB2 DAC when I first got my LCD2. I thought the sound quality was a big advancement from my D7000 cans and I liked it a lot.
 
About a week later I ordered a Violectric V181 with 24/96 USB module (needed to sell WA6 and NFB2 to fund V181) and for a week or so I had both the V181 and the WA6. After a few A/B comparisons, I unplugged the WA6 and boxed it up for sale. I was thoroughly convinced the SQ of the V181 was vastly better than the WA6 with the LCD2.
 
However, when I did an A/B between my NFB2 DAC and the option USB module in the V181 I was disappointed. The USB module was a waste of money for me. The NFB2 although slightly warmer had much more dynamics in the music. So after selling the NFB2 and WA6SE I decided to buy an Audio-Gd Ref5.
 
So now I am connected to my music server via coax optical to Ref5 and via balanced XLR between Ref5 and V181. During this time I also ordered a Norse Audio 8 wire balanced cable with a nice Neutrik 4 pin connector (which is what the V181 uses). I am on a whole-nuddder-level now. The clarity in the mids and highs are incredibly more detailed and increased separation. The bass is bangin, slammin now. The whole system is just tighter, firmer, crisper, and on and on...
 
I can only speak for what I have tried and what my opinions are of course is based on what I like in sound so keep that in mind but I am very happy (I just got a few cables from Cullen Cables and have replaced the XLR interconnects and coax optical, but still have to connect the power cord but need to drill a 2 inch hole in my desk as the power cord is massive).
 
Good luck!
 
 
Quote:


 

Thanks!  It's worth a lot to me to see what people are doing and I appreciate the longer response. I'm going to have to explore the music server world since I'm transitioning from the CD world to the world of files.  I'm just now trusting FLAC and ALAC as opposed to straight AIFF. I'm slow to change.  What music server are you using with your LCD's?
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

I'm going insane but I'm making some headway for my headphone rig.   I'm only going to buy one headphone so I ordered a pair of LCD-2's last sunday night.  I didn't want to do the trek thru the cans by getting different cans thru time so I decided to just go ahead and get the LCD-2's.  I don't really have any experience with cans other than my daughters Grado 80's and her Audio-Technica ATH AD700's.   They're not very inspiring.  Last week I sold off all my high end speaker gear which has been absconding my living room forever and decided since I spend more time listening to music now in my computer/office/reading room it's time to try headphones.
 
For years I had a Theta DAC and realize how very important a good DAC is so I've settled on a Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 to go with the LCD-2's.  That's 2 out of 3.   But now I'm completely torn between some of the amps I've posted earlier.  I'm not set in concrete when it comes to buying something made here in the U.S. but I feel more comfortable about the manufacturers being nearby even in today's world of next day shipping.
 
Here are the choices still splitting my head open and my thoughts about them.
 
TUBES
 
Decware Mini-Torrii.  
 
  Pros for me:  Folks with LCD-2's love it and apparently it drives them perhaps better than any amp except the Leben.   It can also drive a pair of Mirage M-190's that I currently use at my iMac when I'm composing my own music and listening to tunes in general.  So it and drives the LCD's and a pair of speakers.This is a big plus.  Apparently it doesn't get extremely hot, a good thing since I live in the Sonoran desert.  Even with air conditioning extra heat is extra heat.  Lifetime warranty, got to dig that. Plus Skylab digs it and I don't really know if Skylab has 2 tin ears or not but his passion for "all things tubed" is contagious and compelling.
                                
 Cons for me: Headphone jack and speaker mod option to have speakers turn off when using headphones is $200 more as combined options.  Not really a big expense in the long run but I wanted to bitch about it because I just realized that.  There are a lot of tubes and I don't know if I've mellowed enough from my tube amp days in the late 80' and early 90's not to worry if the tubes are "OK" every time I hear one of them burp. But maybe I have overcome my audiophile neurosis since I was able to hold off buying new gear for almost 16 years after having spent a King's fortune on it every other month for an entire decade before the final system came into place.
 
 
 
Woo Audio 6SE or the Woo Audio WA-2.   
 
Pros for me.  2 well respected amps that folks have paired with the LCD-2's and enjoyed.    I suspect the Woo Audio WA-2 with the power tube upgrade might edge out the Woo Audio 6 SE but I do not know and I really need you guys to help me on that.  The Woo amps have a good build reputation.  That means a lot.  In my travels I've had quite a few great sounding pieces of gear that just weren't made well and that never ended well.   
 
Cons for me.  Neither come with a power cord?  What the hell is that about?  Is that a standard with todays manufacturers? Damn dude at least toss in something to plug it in with.  Not a deal breaker of course but I wanted to bitch about it.  Neither can drive speakers.  
 
 
 
Shiit Lyr.
 
Pros for me.  I'd be lying if I didn't say the price was compelling but although price isn't completely a deciding factor it is incredibly affordable.  I don't mind paying the price of the other amps if they are going to give me that extra bit more because I'm only going to be getting one amp and I want to try to get the best sound and if they do give that extra bit more I want it and will pay for it.  However I cannot afford the Leben.  One of the designers Mike Moffet gives this amp some real credibility for me. I casually knew Mike from his Theta Ds Pre Gen I-III days and he personally modded my Gen I to a Gen III and that DAC really did it for me for 2 decades. Not too many tubes to worry about.
 
Cons for me.  I'm not sure if it delivers what the other amps can in terms of that little bit extra.  It's relatively new on the scene and I'm afraid the perspective of the personal reviews may still be the glow of infatuation.   Doesn't drive speakers.
 
Solid State.   I'm clueless at the moment.  I need suggestions for a solid state amp without a built in DAC since I'm going for the Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2.   The Audio GD Phoenix looks good but I am very fearful of the heat it puts out and I'm not sure about using it single ended.  The Violectric HPA V200 also looks good but I am confused as to whether or not it has a built in DAC or if the DAC is just an option you can add to it.  The Burson HA 160 is also interesting but I'm not sure if it's up to the task when compared to the Woo, Lyr, or Decware.
 
The Meier Concerto was a real front runner for me but it seems as soon as I ordered my LCD-2's he decided t stop making it.  Now my comments may seem controversial for some about this topic but here they are.  The guy was making an amp that many have declared works really well with the LCD and then he decided to dimply stop making it. Come on man! I don't know why he made the decision but to me it shows a bit of a lack of respect for an audiophile community that has greatly supported his products.  The least he could have done was continue to produce it until his next amp come on the market.  So for this he gets the "Slap Down" award for designers.
 
So once again any comments you folks can muster up will be very helpful with my searching.
 
 

Well, as I three of the amps you mentioned (except the WA6SE and Mini Tori), I would rank them this way with respect to powering the LCD-2s:

Lyr
WA2 (with 5998 or 7236 power tubes)
Concerto

For my T1s/HD800s I would put the WA2 at the top of the list (with the 5998 power tubes), then a toss up between the Lyr and Concerto.

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

Quote:

I'm going insane but I'm making some headway for my headphone rig.   I'm only going to buy one headphone so I ordered a pair of LCD-2's last sunday night.  I didn't want to do the trek thru the cans by getting different cans thru time so I decided to just go ahead and get the LCD-2's.  I don't really have any experience with cans other than my daughters Grado 80's and her Audio-Technica ATH AD700's.   They're not very inspiring.  Last week I sold off all my high end speaker gear which has been absconding my living room forever and decided since I spend more time listening to music now in my computer/office/reading room it's time to try headphones.
 
For years I had a Theta DAC and realize how very important a good DAC is so I've settled on a Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 to go with the LCD-2's.  That's 2 out of 3.   But now I'm completely torn between some of the amps I've posted earlier.  I'm not set in concrete when it comes to buying something made here in the U.S. but I feel more comfortable about the manufacturers being nearby even in today's world of next day shipping.
 
Here are the choices still splitting my head open and my thoughts about them.
 
TUBES
 
Decware Mini-Torrii.  
 
  Pros for me:  Folks with LCD-2's love it and apparently it drives them perhaps better than any amp except the Leben.   It can also drive a pair of Mirage M-190's that I currently use at my iMac when I'm composing my own music and listening to tunes in general.  So it and drives the LCD's and a pair of speakers.This is a big plus.  Apparently it doesn't get extremely hot, a good thing since I live in the Sonoran desert.  Even with air conditioning extra heat is extra heat.  Lifetime warranty, got to dig that. Plus Skylab digs it and I don't really know if Skylab has 2 tin ears or not but his passion for "all things tubed" is contagious and compelling.
                                
 Cons for me: Headphone jack and speaker mod option to have speakers turn off when using headphones is $200 more as combined options.  Not really a big expense in the long run but I wanted to bitch about it because I just realized that.  There are a lot of tubes and I don't know if I've mellowed enough from my tube amp days in the late 80' and early 90's not to worry if the tubes are "OK" every time I hear one of them burp. But maybe I have overcome my audiophile neurosis since I was able to hold off buying new gear for almost 16 years after having spent a King's fortune on it every other month for an entire decade before the final system came into place.
 
 
 
Woo Audio 6SE or the Woo Audio WA-2.   
 
Pros for me.  2 well respected amps that folks have paired with the LCD-2's and enjoyed.    I suspect the Woo Audio WA-2 with the power tube upgrade might edge out the Woo Audio 6 SE but I do not know and I really need you guys to help me on that.  The Woo amps have a good build reputation.  That means a lot.  In my travels I've had quite a few great sounding pieces of gear that just weren't made well and that never ended well.   
 
Cons for me.  Neither come with a power cord?  What the hell is that about?  Is that a standard with todays manufacturers? Damn dude at least toss in something to plug it in with.  Not a deal breaker of course but I wanted to bitch about it.  Neither can drive speakers.  
 
 
 
Shiit Lyr.
 
Pros for me.  I'd be lying if I didn't say the price was compelling but although price isn't completely a deciding factor it is incredibly affordable.  I don't mind paying the price of the other amps if they are going to give me that extra bit more because I'm only going to be getting one amp and I want to try to get the best sound and if they do give that extra bit more I want it and will pay for it.  However I cannot afford the Leben.  One of the designers Mike Moffet gives this amp some real credibility for me. I casually knew Mike from his Theta Ds Pre Gen I-III days and he personally modded my Gen I to a Gen III and that DAC really did it for me for 2 decades. Not too many tubes to worry about.
 
Cons for me.  I'm not sure if it delivers what the other amps can in terms of that little bit extra.  It's relatively new on the scene and I'm afraid the perspective of the personal reviews may still be the glow of infatuation.   Doesn't drive speakers.
 
Solid State.   I'm clueless at the moment.  I need suggestions for a solid state amp without a built in DAC since I'm going for the Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2.   The Audio GD Phoenix looks good but I am very fearful of the heat it puts out and I'm not sure about using it single ended.  The Violectric HPA V200 also looks good but I am confused as to whether or not it has a built in DAC or if the DAC is just an option you can add to it.  The Burson HA 160 is also interesting but I'm not sure if it's up to the task when compared to the Woo, Lyr, or Decware.
 
The Meier Concerto was a real front runner for me but it seems as soon as I ordered my LCD-2's he decided t stop making it.  Now my comments may seem controversial for some about this topic but here they are.  The guy was making an amp that many have declared works really well with the LCD and then he decided to dimply stop making it. Come on man! I don't know why he made the decision but to me it shows a bit of a lack of respect for an audiophile community that has greatly supported his products.  The least he could have done was continue to produce it until his next amp come on the market.  So for this he gets the "Slap Down" award for designers.
 
So once again any comments you folks can muster up will be very helpful with my searching.
 
 

Well, as I three of the amps you mentioned (except the WA6SE and Mini Tori), I would rank them this way with respect to powering the LCD-2s:

Lyr
WA2 (with 5998 or 7236 power tubes)
Concerto

For my T1s/HD800s I would put the WA2 at the top of the list (with the 5998 power tubes), then a toss up between the Lyr and Concerto.
 

Wow, that's saying a lot for the Lyr!  What's your favorite quality of the lyr in relation to the LCD-2's compared to the WA2's?  
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Wow, that's saying a lot for the Lyr!  What's your favorite quality of the lyr in relation to the LCD-2's compared to the WA2's?  
 

Two words: MOAR POWER

With my Concerto and WA2, I found the treble a bit too pushed back and the sound staging more closed in. With the Lyr, both were greatly improved. This showed me that these orthos really need power to reveal what they can really do. The Lyr puts 4 Watts into 50 ohms....plenty of headroom for both my LCD-2 and HE-6s. Between them, I prefer the WA2 to the Concerto with the LCD-2s by a small margin.

Now, with my T1s and HD800s, I prefer my WA2 by a reasonable margin. Sadly, I have yet to come across a "one size fits all" amping solution for all 4 headphones. Then there's my Ed. 8LEs and IEMs, which exclusively go with my Concerto.

 

[Skylab]

WarriorAnt I get no hum or noise with the Mini-Torri via the LCD-2.

 

[Wedge]

Warrior Ant, I was curious what source would you be feeding the Wyred 4 Sound DAC 2 with?  Although I do not own it I would tend to think its 2 biggest advantages over other DACs are that it will work with the PS Audio PWT and it has Async USB, but if your not going to use either you might be able to find another DAC that is maybe not as good but very near its performance?  For my LCD-2, I use a PS Audio DLIII and feeding a Woo Audio WA-22, I think this combo works quite well but I am using the coaxial input.  I don't think the DLIII usb input is all that great.  If you don't like the DLIII you can find a number of different very good DACs (with all different kinds of chips, I happen to like the DLIII, because it has a FET based output and a seemingly very solid power supply), reasonably priced, the Audio-GD ones I have heard (I don't own them but I did spend some good time with my friends) sound quite good for a very reasonable price.  My thought here is that a great DAC is important if you have the equipment following it to allow it to show its greatness (I hope I don't antagonize any source battles here).
 
Your preference to sound will kind of be personal though, so sometimes its nice to have a reference when reading people's reviews.  For example if you read Skylab's review of the 29 amps and happened to have heard one of them and your impressions were similar to his using the same headphones, then his viewpoints might very well be very valid to you.  I read a number of reviews for the Leben, including Skylab's and decided to go listen to it for myself.  I wound up ordering one on the spot.  Sometimes your amp choice will matter depending on your taste in sound, I had someone tell me they like the GCHA sitting next to my WA-22 better, but most people I know like the WA-22 better, including myself.  
 
Another observation I have with the LCD-2s as others have said is that they love power, Planar Magnetics just seem to love power, and the more you can give them the more they seem to come to life (this is just my opinion).  I also have a Woo Audio WA-5 and I don't use it quite as much as I use my WA-22 (not just for sound reasons, I don't use cans quite as much at home as I do at work).  Anyways, I have heard the Lyr with the LCD-2s at a meet and my friend at work has this combo and really loves it.  Plus side is tons of tube options if you do not like the stock tubes.  I find that the LCD-2 can also benefit from a cable upgrade as well, I own the Moon Audio Silver Dragon v3, Norse Audio 4 conductor, and Norse Audio 8 conductor as for right now (been experimenting with different cables).
 
Since you are not interested in the WA-22, and I do not own or have listened to the WA-6SE or WA-2 in any great length to make a recommendation or not, I can say that Woo Audio makes great amps and Jack is a pleasure to deal with.  I believe WA-6SE does offer more power at the impedance of the LCD-2.  So it is not necessarily true that the WA-2 will offer you more power at its output than the WA-6SE than the WA-2 in your case, the WA-2 is OTL and WA-6SE is Transformer Coupled output.

 

[Edi]

Wedge,
 
I noticed you had the Yulong D100 as well. I've been thinking of upgrading it with another DAC but was unsure what would be a good match with a Squeezebox Touch, LCD-2, and WA6SE. Have you had a chance to compare how the D100 and DLIII sound with the LCD-2 and WA-22? 
 
 

 

[jeust0999]

Hey Dannybuoy,
 
I was wondering did your NFB-2 have the dir9001 or the wm8005 chip?
 
Thanks.
 

 

[WarriorAnt]

Wedge,  for now I'm going to be using a 2009 24" iMac into the W4S DAC-2 as I have no transport at the moment having sold my Theta transport last week.   Sometime in the future I'm hoping to spec out the server scene. The three amps I'm considering are still the Decware Mini Torii because it can also drive a small speaker. The Woo 6 SE. and the Lyr.  As far as the Woo 6SE is concerned how important are the upgrades to the sound.  The Sophia Princess Mesh Plate 274B rectifier tube seems like it would make a big difference.    And as for the Lyr lots of folks talk about its power capabilities in relation to upper frequency control but I can't seem to find any reviews as to its presentation and it's overall musical qualities just that it delivers more power.
 
so what do you think so far of the 3 cables you're using with the LCD's?  
 
One more thing.  You get to use a high end headphone rig at work?  Nice!

 

[MikeLa]

While you're looking at Decware, you might consider the CSP+ / Taboo combo (6 watts).  Here is a discussion thread using the combo with LCD-2's  http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/535131/review-decware-taboo-an-amazing-achievment

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

While you're looking at Decware, you might consider the CSP+ / Taboo combo (6 watts).  Here is a discussion thread using the combo with LCD-2's  http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/535131/review-decware-taboo-an-amazing-achievment

Thanks I'll hop on over there.   

 

[Wedge]

Quote:

Wedge,  for now I'm going to be using a 2009 24" iMac into the W4S DAC-2 as I have no transport at the moment having sold my Theta transport last week.   Sometime in the future I'm hoping to spec out the server scene. The three amps I'm considering are still the Decware Mini Torii because it can also drive a small speaker. The Woo 6 SE. and the Lyr.  As far as the Woo 6SE is concerned how important are the upgrades to the sound.  The Sophia Princess Mesh Plate 274B rectifier tube seems like it would make a big difference.    And as for the Lyr lots of folks talk about its power capabilities in relation to upper frequency control but I can't seem to find any reviews as to its presentation and it's overall musical qualities just that it delivers more power.
 
so what do you think so far of the 3 cables you're using with the LCD's?  
 
One more thing.  You get to use a high end headphone rig at work?  Nice!

In general with most tube amps (not all), the sound will be impacted by the tubes used.  There are endless choices in rectifiers, in my WA-22 I use an old stock 5U4G and I have not been as big a fan of the 274B, which are currently in my WA-5 right now until the I get my EML 5U4Gs in.  A lot of old stock rectifiers are available on the web, and reasonably priced.  Its hard to guage how great of an impact a tube will have, I think that some people might be more sensitive to it than others.  The Mini-Torii can drive speakers yes, but not with respect to its size, more based on its sensitivity, the Mirage m-190 is a 6 ohm speaker with 85dB (most likely at 1w/1m) and the mini torii is 3.3w RMS @ 4 ohms rated, although for most regular listening it might be enough (the majority of listening I do with speakers is done with less than a watt). If you get a chance before you buy your gear perhaps you should try to see if their will be a meet around and listen to some of the gear others have.  As far as the Lyr goes, I haven't heard it in a little while, so I won't try to describe its sonic signature from memory, my friend who owns one is on travel right now so I'll have to wait until he comes back to give another go at it.
 
LCD-2 cables I think that all the cables gave a little bit larger soundstage.  My impression is that OCC silver in general brings out the highs a little bit more, although more pronounced with the silver dragon.  I mostly use the Norse cable because its real light and flexible.  
 
Lastly, the answer is yes I do, get to use a high end headphone system at work! 

 


Quote:

Wedge,
 
I noticed you had the Yulong D100 as well. I've been thinking of upgrading it with another DAC but was unsure what would be a good match with a Squeezebox Touch, LCD-2, and WA6SE. Have you had a chance to compare how the D100 and DLIII sound with the LCD-2 and WA-22? 
 
 

I have not had a chance to directly compare each other, with all things equal.
 

 

[Skylab]

I spend some time this morning listening to the LCD-2 on the Mini-Torii (which normally I use with the HE-6).  I was reminded of just how great this combination is.  If you are using it with just the LCD-2 and perhaps some very efficient speakers, the Mini-Torri is very, very hard to beat.

 

[Edi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wedge /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I have not had a chance to directly compare each other, with all things equal.
 

Ah ok, thanks!