How do you guys like the he500 with the schiit lyr and bifrost uber
Funny you ask, I've been listening to such a set up for hours a day for a few days now!
frankly, I love it- yet don't have a ton of comparison since I'm new to DAC/Amp Head-fi world and had the Uber BiFrost since May yet first paired with the Asgard2.
the A2 can certainly drive the HE-500, bass was superb and I didn't feel a "lack of power" at all with the A2 on High Gain switch.
if I didn't have other SS amps (DACport, DACmini) with other headphones (HD600), I likely would not have opted for trying a hybrid tube amp like the Lyr.
the Lyr (with Ediswan tubes) has taken the soundstage, separation and clarity up a notch for sure on the HD-500.
bass seems a bit more refined, but not flabby either.
also gave the soundstage in some of my music a "taller" feel (not just wider) when picking out elements.
I didn't give the original GE tubes much time at all (a couple days) in the Lyr before the Ediswan tubes arrived.
With the added wattage of the Lyr, combined with flexibility of tubes (cheap or expensive, warm or transparent) the Lyr provides (to me) more "customizability" when other headphones besides the HE-500 or music sources come my way. a tube tweak here or there can (de)emphasize whatever music "tonality" is the flavor of the month, especially since the HE-500 (to me) present almost every genre very well.
No buyers remorse for me on the Lyr at all, except for:
who wants to buy a mint condition A2?