Lyr 3 - The new Coherence™ and Continuity™ hybrid amplifier from Schiit - Impression & discussion thread

[Wes S]

Nice stack of Schiit! I am interested to hear your thoughts on the Hytron. I bet those Alpha Primes are going to sing, with that tube!

 

[MarkF786]

I received my Lyr 3 today and am giving it a quick listen using the 'phones I know best, Sennheiser HD580.

I've been using the Jotunheim and Valhalla 2 until now, switching between them on whim. My initial impression is that the Lyr leans more towards the Jot in sound than the Valhalla. It's more analytical and solid-state sounding, rather than having the tubey euphonic warmth like the Valhalla. Maybe the sound will change as the Tung Sol tube breaks in.

Ideally I'd want to keep only two amps. The Valhalla would likely stay, but between the Jot and Lyr it's hard to say if the improved sound of the Lyr would outweigh the Jot's balanced output. I've invested in balanced cables for my various phones, though I do have a quality XLR-to-1/4" adapter cable to continue using them with the Lyr.

Time will tell.

 

[Wes S]

I received my Lyr 3 today and am giving it a quick listen using the 'phones I know best, Sennheiser HD580.

I've been using the Jotunheim and Valhalla 2 until now, switching between them on whim. My initial impression is that the Lyr leans more towards the Jot in sound than the Valhalla. It's more analytical and solid-state sounding, rather than having the tubey euphonic warmth like the Valhalla. Maybe the sound will change as the Tung Sol tube breaks in.

Ideally I'd want to keep only two amps. The Valhalla would likely stay, but between the Jot and Lyr it's hard to say if the improved sound of the Lyr would outweigh the Jot's balanced output. I've invested in balanced cables for my various phones, though I do have a quality XLR-to-1/4" adapter cable to continue using them with the Lyr.

Time will tell.

It is hard to beat the Valhalla 2, with the HD 580, 600's. The ability to tube roll, the sound a bit, with Lyr 3 vs. Jot, has me thinking my Jot, is going to my office or is gonna get sold soon. I am interested to see which one you choose.

 

[MarkF786]

It is hard to beat the Valhalla 2, with the HD 580, 600's. The ability to tube roll, the sound a bit, with Lyr 3 vs. Jot, has me thinking my Jot, is going to my office or is gonna get sold soon. I am interested to see which one you choose.

I agree - and most of my headphones are high impedance (HD580/600/650/800S and Amiron). The only lower impedance headphones I regularly use are the Elear.

 

[winders]

I ordered mine on Monday at 2PM PDT and have heard nothing......

Received my shipping notice before 8AM PDT this morning.

 

[MarkF786]

I used my multimeter to match the output of my Jotunheim and Lyr 3. The Jot's knob needs to be rotated a little further to match the Lyr. Before, when I was matching the knobs by eye, the Lyr sounded "better" because it was slightly louder.

Now when I switch between the two amps, I can't really say that I hear any difference. I wish I had a mechanical switch to quickly change between the two, because with the second it takes to manually move the headphone cable, the break in sound makes it harder to hear differences.

I'll keep it at, but any difference in sound quality seems fairly insignificant so far. There's not a chance in hell I'd be able to pick out the amps in a blind test.

I can hear a difference between the Jot and Valhalla though.

 

[Wes S]

I used my multimeter to match the output of my Jotunheim and Lyr 3. The Jot's knob needs to be rotated a little further to match the Lyr. Before, when I was matching the knobs by eye, the Lyr sounded "better" because it was slightly louder.

Now when I switch between the two amps, I can't really say that I hear any difference. I wish I had a mechanical switch to quickly change between the two, because with the second it takes to manually move the headphone cable, the break in sound makes it harder to hear differences.

I'll keep it at, but any difference in sound quality seems fairly insignificant so far. There's not a chance in hell I'd be able to pick out the amps in a blind test.

I can hear a difference between the Jot and Valhalla though.

That is interesting.

 

[ProfFalkin]

I used my multimeter to match the output of my Jotunheim and Lyr 3. The Jot's knob needs to be rotated a little further to match the Lyr. Before, when I was matching the knobs by eye, the Lyr sounded "better" because it was slightly louder.

Now when I switch between the two amps, I can't really say that I hear any difference. I wish I had a mechanical switch to quickly change between the two, because with the second it takes to manually move the headphone cable, the break in sound makes it harder to hear differences.

I'll keep it at, but any difference in sound quality seems fairly insignificant so far. There's not a chance in hell I'd be able to pick out the amps in a blind test.

I can hear a difference between the Jot and Valhalla though.

With what tube and which headphone? The '580s?

I ask as when I was switching back and forth with the Jot on my Eikon, there were not-at-all subtle differences in sound stage, tone, and detail.


On a different note, before starting into LISST testing, I had been listening to a cheap NOS tube and really liked it. A great all-rounder, the Raytheon 6SN7gtb. Great balance across the whole range.

Edit - Compared to new production Tung-Sol, has more bass impact, slightly less bright treble, smoother mids.

 

[Wes S]

I can clearly tell between my Jot and Lyr 3, using my Z7's. However my Z7's, sound so good on Lyr 3, that I have not even tried my HD600's yet.

 

[MarkF786]

With what tube and which headphone? The '580s?

I ask as when I was switching back and forth with the Jot on my Eikon, there were not-at-all subtle differences in sound stage, tone, and detail.

I’m running the Tung Sol tube and listening through the HD580.

Later I’ll try it with my HD800S and Elear for variety.

 

[ilikepooters]

I can't stand all this waiting, i'm so impatient

230v version not shipping until 1/5 gonna be nearly 4 weeks until i get my hands on it.

Ordered it with both LISST / Tung Sol and Multi bit DAC.

Still waiting for my HE-500's i won on ebay too.


Why is my letterbox always so empty? lol

 

[Wildcatsare1]

I can't stand all this waiting, i'm so impatient

230v version not shipping until 1/5 gonna be nearly 4 weeks until i get my hands on it.

Ordered it with both LISST / Tung Sol and Multi bit DAC.

Still waiting for my HE-500's i won on ebay too.


Why is my letterbox always so empty? lol

A very sad tale, I know they are building them as fast as they can, I believe they are waiting on a part for the 230v.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Okay, here is the lineup, Tube Slueths, please feel free to chime in on the Valves and their sonic signatures.

 

[ProfFalkin]

Okay, here is the lineup, Tube Slueths, please feel free to chime in on the Valves and their sonic signatures.

My guesses:

First 2 will sound simiar - a little warm, slightly rolled treble.
3rd - no clue
4th - A little cleaner sound, more details up top.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

^Thanks Professor^ the Third was advertised as a “Bad Boy,” but not priced as such, with my limited knowledge, I don’t believe it is, so priced fairly.