I suppose you don't remember the 3-headed dog or the clowns on stilts, either?
Man,I gotta start hanging out with you guys! I'll bring the peyote!
I suppose you don't remember the 3-headed dog or the clowns on stilts, either?
Did some listening with the Lyr 3 and Atticus today.
IMO it's a very good pairing. The Lyr 3 has great dynamics, plenty of power, decent soundstage, surprisingly extended highs, solid bass and great clarity. If you'd rather your Atticus have a little less mid-bass bloom, this is a good option to help rectify that. I'm using the NP Tung-Sol offered by Schiit and haven't got around to rolling anything else yet. I've heard by tube rolling on the Lyr 3 you can tweak the sound more than the MCTH. Speaking of which, I also did some comparisons with the MCTH and the Atticus. As some people have already said, it's another great amp choice (for half the price no less). However, it's a much different flavor than the Lyr 3. The MCTH is overall much warmer, softer and thicker sounding. I found this hit and miss on some tracks as the mid-bass can get somewhat bloated.
All of those are great sounding devices. I’d give you more in-depth thoughts about the Liberty, but I just started burning it in, so it is probably going to continue to open up a bit (it only has like 2hrs on it).
How is the burn in going with the Mytek Liberty?
If there was a tube pairing with the Lyr 3 that made it sound like an improved CTH I'd be all over it. Honestly though I really dig the sound of the CTH anyway so I don't even know why I'm considering upgrading. This hobby man, always trying to convince myself to pursue more performance. Ugh.Did some listening with the Lyr 3 and Atticus today.
IMO it's a very good pairing. The Lyr 3 has great dynamics, plenty of power, decent soundstage, surprisingly extended highs, solid bass and great clarity. If you'd rather your Atticus have a little less mid-bass bloom, this is a good option to help rectify that. I'm using the NP Tung-Sol offered by Schiit and haven't got around to rolling anything else yet. I've heard by tube rolling on the Lyr 3 you can tweak the sound more than the MCTH. Speaking of which, I also did some comparisons with the MCTH and the Atticus. As some people have already said, it's another great amp choice (for half the price no less). However, it's a much different flavor than the Lyr 3. The MCTH is overall much warmer, softer and thicker sounding. I found this hit and miss on some tracks as the mid-bass can get somewhat bloated.
This may not be the perfect place to ask the following question, but since all my listening is done with the Atticus, I figured it might still be okay.
I've had my new toy - the Woo WA2 - for a few days now, and so far I like what I hear with the Atticus a lot. The sound is warm, yes, but it's beautiful and lush. I've changed my setup a bit and have my CD player (Classé CDP-10) plugged directly into the amp, using its Burr-Brown PCM1738 two-channel DAC chips, instead of going through the Bifrost Multibit. Why? Because to my ears, it sounds better. However, I still use the Bifrost with Roon on a Mac and an Eitr.
I've compared albums that I both have on CDs and wave files. The wave files are directly downloaded from the record company, so in theory, they should be similar in quality to what's on the CDs. But the CDs played by the Classé plugged into the WA2 sound better than the files played by Roon through the Bifrost.
I don't believe Roon is the cause. I believe that the issue may be that I need a better DAC than the Bifrost Multibit, something that will at least match the Classé's quality. I'm looking for opinions on that, knowing that it's possible I could be wrong and the cause may lie elsewhere. Thanks!
PS: before somebody suggests buying the CDs instead of the wave files (that would be a perfect and simple solution), unfortunately, some albums are only available in digital, and some have more songs in digital vs. the CD. So the CD is not always the best solution.
This may not be the perfect place to ask the following question, but since all my listening is done with the Atticus, I figured it might still be okay.
I've had my new toy - the Woo WA2 - for a few days now, and so far I like what I hear with the Atticus a lot. The sound is warm, yes, but it's beautiful and lush. I've changed my setup a bit and have my CD player (Classé CDP-10) plugged directly into the amp, using its Burr-Brown PCM1738 two-channel DAC chips, instead of going through the Bifrost Multibit. Why? Because to my ears, it sounds better. However, I still use the Bifrost with Roon on a Mac and an Eitr.
I've compared albums that I both have on CDs and wave files. The wave files are directly downloaded from the record company, so in theory, they should be similar in quality to what's on the CDs. But the CDs played by the Classé plugged into the WA2 sound better than the files played by Roon through the Bifrost.
I don't believe Roon is the cause. I believe that the issue may be that I need a better DAC than the Bifrost Multibit, something that will at least match the Classé's quality. I'm looking for opinions on that, knowing that it's possible I could be wrong and the cause may lie elsewhere. Thanks!
PS: before somebody suggests buying the CDs instead of the wave files (that would be a perfect and simple solution), unfortunately, some albums are only available in digital, and some have more songs in digital vs. the CD. So the CD is not always the best solution.
Interesting post. This is not a DAC thread, but this post is all about DACs, the differences between which are often rather subtle.
Seems to me you're pitting a vintage 2003, $2000 list price (15 yrs ago!) delta-sigma DAC against probably the lowest price/biggest value multibit DAC around. I never heard the Classe, but I did hear the Schitt. It was in a 100% unfamiliar system & show conditions, so no conclusions possible.
Normally I'd back the multibit design over a delta-sigma. But here, the d-s has obviously bigger power supplies, probably a far better, more evolved analog section (ie, high-cost "audiophile" parts from 2003), larger case/better ventilation, etc. It was also said to sound laid back and relaxed even back in the day (just read several reviews)--so the Classe isn't exactly committing the typical d-s sins (ie, sharp transients, flat/2D soundstaging, "dry" bass).
Plus the Atticus has be viewed as a well-executed headphone design w/more than enough resolution & freedom from distortion to reveal subtle difference between these very different & unequal DACs...
It's no contest (winner: Class), and that's no surprise, really.
PS: there are some amazing multibit DACs out there--including my favorite multibits of all, the NOS kind--that don't cost as much as your Classe, but also aren't as cheap as your Bitfrost. One of those might well equal or exceed the sound of the Classe. But that's a post for another thread...
Atticus + WA2 is a sweet combo. A lot of those older Burr-Brown chips are really fantastic sounding, especially if implemented well. Not surprising it sounds better than the Bifrost (which I wasn't much of a fan of). I'd recommend picking up a used Bel Canto Dac 3. You can usually get them for $750-850. They have Burr-Brown PCM1792 implemented in a hybrid DS/multi-bit architecture, so you get the best of both worlds.
If there was a tube pairing with the Lyr 3 that made it sound like an improved CTH I'd be all over it. Honestly though I really dig the sound of the CTH anyway so I don't even know why I'm considering upgrading. This hobby man, always trying to convince myself to pursue more performance. Ugh.