[zilch0md]

Quote:

For what its worth, I have my LCD 2.2 hooked up to the Lyr and alternate the amp with the Burson Soloist. Fantastic amps both with plenty of headroom for the LCDs. The Mjolinir is a balanced amp and unfortunately I have had no experience with balanced anything. That will change soon, though.

 
Hi Kothganesh,
 
When do you reach for the Lyr instead of the Soloist (for use with the LCD-2)?  What traits does the Lyr offer that the Soloist lacks?
 
Thanks,
 
Mike

 

[kothganesh]

Quote:

 
Hi Kothganesh,
 
When do you reach for the Lyr instead of the Soloist (for use with the LCD-2)?  What traits does the Lyr offer that the Soloist lacks?
 
Thanks,
 
Mike

Hello Mike:
 
Great question. I will try to keep this simple - I use the Lyr when I want a little warmer sound and occasional bouts of trying to listen at a higher volume. The Lyr really opens up at higher settings of the volume knob. But these bouts of insanity are few and far between. IMHO, the Lyr and the Soloist are pretty close with the latter leaning slightly more to a neutral sound.
 
Hope this answers your question.
 
Koth

 

[zilch0md]

Thanks Koth!

 

[Argo Duck]

I've never heard the Soloist but +1 to Koth's impressions - they could apply to Lyr versus Meier Classic, for example.

Stock (e.g. JJ E88CC tubes) Lyr could sound syrupy. Siemens 6DJ8 made it neutral, almost cold. Matsu' 6922 were kind of eye-opening: off neutral (emphasized, tuneful, textured bass) yet not warm or syrupy. I never tried uber-expensive 'top pick' tubes, as I went in a different direction. But it's definitely an amp that responds to tube-rolling, and personally I found it excelled with rock and blues guitar: just that slightly thicker, harmonically denser string sound.

I can't say I found it the most resolving amp - but (as noted) I never tried the best tubes either, so I can't say this is inherent in the design or execution.

 

[DeadEars]

Quote:

Hi there,
 
I'm looking into upgrading to the LCD-2 from my current Grado rig. My music is mostly rock. Though I acknowledge that the LCD-2 is all around a better headphone, I definitely love the energy in the mids that my Grados bring and I want to sacrifice as little as possible of that when I upgrade. What do you think the best amp choice would be, given that criteria? 
 
So far I have been able to test a few different amps, and I think the best I've tried is the Schiit Mjolnir. Has anybody tried anything that they would consider to be a better choice? Especially when it comes to bringing out the mids and maximizing the energy & fun factor. This thread has a lot of positive reactions to Burson gear, but how does it stack up against the Schiit?
 
Thanks,
E

FWIW, it is very hard to get an LCD to rock like Grados do.  They do almost everything ELSE better than Grados (except they also weigh a ton).  Rather than upgrade, you might want to do both!  The LCD-2's have a somewhat laid-back character, so even though the bass is stronger and cleaner and deeper, Grado's just do a better job of delivering the rage of Metallica or the ennui of Arcade Fire, IMHO.  I'm just sayin...
 
To really do rock, you'll want a lot of juice.  Rocking the LCD-2's is pretty good with the Bryston BHA-1's which have complementary strengths (i.e. they're bright-ish to offset the LCD-2 dark-ishness).  As above, I think the LCD-2's rock pretty well with the Lyr, altho I don't like the stock tubes so much.  Amperex 6922's (orange globes/frame grid) worked well.  But I still don't see them out-rocking the damn Grado's.  Just something that the Grado's do better than practically anyone else.  Again IMHO.  If that's your major venue, be careful that your upgrade really is one!

 

[Monir]

It might not be as popular as the famous Lyr/160/V200 combination. But after some intense listening I'd like to recommend the Yulong Sabre A18. I've used Burson 160, Violectric V200, but not the Schiit Lyr (Only the V200 of those were paired with the LCD-2), and I definately think that the A18 sticks out by quite a great margin.
 
Going directly from the V200 to the A18 was a great decision IMO. They both share the same analogue warm signature with a wonderfully detailed bass, but to my ears it felt that the A18 was a little more lush and was a bit more spacious than the V200. Some have said that there's a noise floor with very sensitive in-ears, but with the LCD-2 the A18 is dead silent even at max volume. I quite like the thick and lush sound that the A18 provides, and I definately can sense a slight bump in soundstage as well. To me, it's not the intimate character of the V200, but a more natural and smooth variant. There's still a lot of detail, and the sound just seems more open while still retaining its lushness and body.
 

 

[ListeningAura]

So I am going to be getting the LCD-2s as a direct upgrade to my HD650s (Which I LOVE) . My budget is around $1000 for an amp (+ 300 dollars when some old headphones have sold)  and I don't have a DAC. I was considering the Burson Soloist or the WA7. I know the Pan Am, which is a lot cheaper, is also very good aswell. I listen to mainly symphonic metal (Nightwish etc.), Classical, Opera, and rarely pop. The source would be my computer w/ Foobar and a library of lossless files. From there, would the Bifrost be a good pair with the Soloist or Wa7 as a DAC?
 

 

[levinhatz]

Quote:

FWIW, it is very hard to get an LCD to rock like Grados do.  They do almost everything ELSE better than Grados (except they also weigh a ton).  Rather than upgrade, you might want to do both!  The LCD-2's have a somewhat laid-back character, so even though the bass is stronger and cleaner and deeper, Grado's just do a better job of delivering the rage of Metallica or the ennui of Arcade Fire, IMHO.  I'm just sayin...

 
I've actually considered keeping the Grados, as I'd probably still use them after getting the LCDs if I kept em. I realize that the LCDs are inherently laid back, and I guess it's my nature to want them to be both aggressive and laid back at the same time. Probably impossible. 

 

[Argo Duck]

Well...I almost never use my Grado RS1 since getting the LCD2. And although I listen to a broad range of music, I do like to rock out sometimes.

Don't get the "laid-back" comment wrong - DeadEars said "somewhat laid-back character". The LCDs do so many things differently - a lot of extra information for one thing - that if indeed they are 'laid-back', you may find they compensate in other ways.

And of course it depends what the rest of your chain is doing.

ListeningAura, I don't know any of the amps you list, but the Bifrost is pretty good - very slightly on the bright or lean, revealing side of neutral. The fact it's just had its output stage revised (upgrade option too) - based on the Gungnir - may make it even more of a bargain its price. Why don't you truck on over to the Schiit dacs thread started by Herokid and use 'search this thread' or ask if anyone has the combinations you're thinking about?

 

[Monir]

Quote:

So I am going to be getting the LCD-2s as a direct upgrade to my HD650s (Which I LOVE) . My budget is around $1000 for an amp (+ 300 dollars when some old headphones have sold)  and I don't have a DAC. I was considering the Burson Soloist or the WA7. I know the Pan Am, which is a lot cheaper, is also very good aswell. I listen to mainly symphonic metal (Nightwish etc.), Classical, Opera, and rarely pop. The source would be my computer w/ Foobar and a library of lossless files. From there, would the Bifrost be a good pair with the Soloist or Wa7 as a DAC?
 

 
I can't answer the amplifier question, but regarding the DAC you should be fine. The Bifrost as well as the D100 work well with almost any amplifier IMO as they're not overly bright or overly warm but neutral. DACs aren't something to worry about unless we're talking about those with obvious sound colourations like Rega DAC or Yulong D18 or maybe the Audio-gd DACs.
 
If you love the HD650, like I do, then you'll most likely adore the LCD-2. When I sat comparing the two I found that the sound of the HD650 was almost paper thin in comparison to the LCD-2s thicker and more lifelike sound.
 
Sure, you could say that it's a bit more laid-back. But to my ears it's natural and and gives vocal tracks more life. I also found its bass very enjoyable with electronic music.

 

[Landmantx]

T

So I am going to be getting the LCD-2s as a direct upgrade to my HD650s (Which I LOVE) . My budget is around $1000 for an amp (+ 300 dollars when some old headphones have sold)  and I don't have a DAC. I was considering the Burson Soloist or the WA7. I know the Pan Am, which is a lot cheaper, is also very good aswell. I listen to mainly symphonic metal (Nightwish etc.), Classical, Opera, and rarely pop. The source would be my computer w/ Foobar and a library of lossless files. From there, would the Bifrost be a good pair with the Soloist or Wa7 as a DAC?

 

There is a used Decware Taboo for sale. That would be a great option.

 

[DefQon]

I'm using a 80's Marantz PM-32 integrated amp with bass/treble dials and a headphone out port. imho sounds better than when I had the LCD2's with all the Bursons, Violectrics and few other FOTM amp's. If you want to go to tube route, the LD MK VI+ is very very good for it's price, sounds above the Woo's and is a good high end amp before you make it into summit-fi category with the $2k+ amp's such as the Stratus, BA, DZ etc.

 

[formula1]

Quote:

So I am going to be getting the LCD-2s as a direct upgrade to my HD650s (Which I LOVE) . My budget is around $1000 for an amp (+ 300 dollars when some old headphones have sold)  and I don't have a DAC. I was considering the Burson Soloist or the WA7. I know the Pan Am, which is a lot cheaper, is also very good aswell. I listen to mainly symphonic metal (Nightwish etc.), Classical, Opera, and rarely pop. The source would be my computer w/ Foobar and a library of lossless files. From there, would the Bifrost be a good pair with the Soloist or Wa7 as a DAC?
 

 
Prior to the Burson, i've listened to some german amps (Lehman audio and V200) preferred the Burson by a small margin and i never regret it. 
 
Soloist is more refined sounding with good bass extension.
 
In my case i wanted a Dac and went for the conductor.

 

[kothganesh]

To ListeningAura:
My DAC is the Bifrost (I will be sending it for the upgrade soon) and depending on my mood, I use the Lyr or the Soloist as the amp. The Bifrost/Soloist is an excellent combination with the combo giving you a full, neutral sound with good bass extension. Sometimes I EQ it a bit to give me a slightly darker sound but that's another can of worms I do not want to open for this thread.

 

[levinhatz]

Quote:

Don't get the "laid-back" comment wrong - DeadEars said "somewhat laid-back character". The LCDs do so many things differently - a lot of extra information for one thing - that if indeed they are 'laid-back', you may find they compensate in other ways.

 
I don't think I'm getting the comment wrong - from my experience the LCD-2 is a somewhat laid back headphone. Of course it's all relative, and my ears are accustomed to getting pounded by Grados.