Is LYR+ better than V281 for HEKv2?
For a slightly different datapoint:
V280 vs Liquid Platinum was an interesting comparison. V280 is theoretically the same as V281, but without preamp. Liquid Platinum is a tube hybrid amp, as is Lyr+. Also, like Lyr+, tube-rolling can mod the sound signature some, but not a huge amount. Not sure how close
LP & Lyr+ are otherwise.
With warmer, bassier Siemens tubes, there was more body to the LP sound vs the V280, filling in the upper bass/lower mids. On the other hand, the V280 didn’t seem to leave any detail behind whatsoever, while still providing relatively warm tonality and well-extended sub-bass. Mids/vocals always seemed a bit recessed on HEKv2 (biggest reason I went to HEKse) and this seems true across those amps, though perhaps slightly less recessed from the V280.
On the other hand, my other favorite tubes, Brimar CV-2492, produced the most open, airy head stage from LP ==> HEKv2. But, once again, the mids & vocals seemed thin, with tonality shifted a bit brighter.
All in all, the V280-to-HEK chain seems like the ‘base signature’ while the LP offered a couple ‘variants’ w/ different tubes.
Note that all of this is from:
NUC PC (FooBar playing local tracks) ==> Denafrips Pontus ==>
amps ==> HEKv2
Also, I sold HEKv2 two+ years ago, so, impressions might be a bit stale.
And finally, as I mentioned, I ended up preferring HEKse vs HEKv2, so please take these opinions with a large grain of salt