[ScareDe2]

I have a Lyr 2 and never felt the need to sidegrade to another amplifier, but I was curious about the Liquid Carbon. They now have a massdrop edition. I don't know if it has a spacious sound but it is said to be warm. I will have to try it someday.

The Lyr 2 is very neutral with LISST tubes. And with most tubes I have tried especially the russians reflektor it stays very neutral.

 

[ZMG885]

Hi folks, I am looking for a new amp for my Hifiman HE1000 V2. I could either get the Lyr 2 or the Valhalla 2 used but both in excellent condition. I prefer a spacious and smooth sound and soundwise it can be a bit warm and tubey - I quite like tubish softness up to a certain degree.

Question: Would the Valhalla 2 power my headphones sufficiently ? The Hifiman HE1000 has an impedance of 35 Ohms and a sensitivity of 90db/mW. Schiit says the Valhalla 2 will power low impedance headphones without any problem but some reports suggest that the Valhalla sounds best with high impedance phones. I have read the Valhalla 2 sounds more laid back than the Lyr 2, that's why I am considering it.
Any ideas ?

My vote would be the Lyr 2 over the Valhalla 2, as the Lyr 2 can push a lot of power out at 35 ohms, and the Valhalla would be much weaker. At a 90db sensitivity, you need a decent amount of power, the Lyr 2 puts out 6 watts/ch at 32 ohms vs Valhalla 2's 0.18 watt/ch @ 50 ohms. Having the 300 ohm Beyer Dt 1770s, I was interested in the the Valhalla 2, so I also tried it with my Grado RS2e (32 ohms and 98db sensitivity) and had the volume cranked to about 1 to 2 o'clock for a decent listening level. It was smoother, more laid back over my Magni 3, but I held off as it seem to run out of room on my Symphones V8 Build (they are probably somewhere between the RS2e and the HE1000 in power requirements). Recently, I bought a used Lyr 2 and it drives my Grado RS2e, Symphone V8 build and DT 1770 very well. My Lyr 2, which came with upgraded NOS tubes is smooth, but also very transparent and detailed. You can scan the tube rolling threads, but the kind of tube can nudge the character of the amp into more tube warmth if that's what your going for.

 

[DavidA]

Hi folks, I am looking for a new amp for my Hifiman HE1000 V2. I could either get the Lyr 2 or the Valhalla 2 used but both in excellent condition. I prefer a spacious and smooth sound and soundwise it can be a bit warm and tubey - I quite like tubish softness up to a certain degree.

Question: Would the Valhalla 2 power my headphones sufficiently ? The Hifiman HE1000 has an impedance of 35 Ohms and a sensitivity of 90db/mW. Schiit says the Valhalla 2 will power low impedance headphones without any problem but some reports suggest that the Valhalla sounds best with high impedance phones. I have read the Valhalla 2 sounds more laid back than the Lyr 2, that's why I am considering it.
Any ideas ?

Tried a friend's Valhalla2 a few times and found it to be a bit on the dry side (thin at times also) with the headphones I have/had at the time (HD800, HD700, HD650, T1 gen1, and a few others). Rolling tubes didn't seem to have much effect on the sound unlike many other tube amps. Really like my Lyr2 over the Valhalla2 and even my friend sold her Valhalla2 but got a Elise which is even better than the Lyr2 but rolling tubes gets a bit more pricy, also and I'm not sure the Elise (OTL) would be a good match for the HE1Kv2 since its output impedance is a bit higher due to being an OTL design. I haven't heard a HE1K v2 but with the HE1K v1 I liked it paired with a V281, G109 and HA-501 (all SS but neutral or slightly warm amps) over tube amps like Liquid Glass, Icon HP-8mk2, and Mjolnir2, but this is just my preferences since all of these amps are quite good but with tubes the HE1K became just a bit too warm for me.

 

[zachgraz]

Thank you guys for the input ! So many options... I forgot to say that I already have my favourite E88CC tubes that I intend to use so it would have to be amps that support these tubes.
Are there any hybrid amps out there similar to Lyr 2 that I should consider ? I did already spend some time with the Lyr 2 and I liked the sound it produced with my top tubes (some I had to try with just one channel as I have many single tubes, I will get matched pairs later).
One thing that bothered me was the heat it produces. It is a hybrid amp but it gets really hot. The tubes themselves got very hot. I think they should have built it with a fan inside.
What circuit is used to produce so much heat - a normal Class A amp does not get this hot.
If I decide to go for the Lyr 2 I will attach a small fan on the outside for sure and I will place the tubes "above" the case using 2x2 socket savers.

 

[koover]

Thank you guys for the input ! So many options... I forgot to say that I already have my favourite E88CC tubes that I intend to use so it would have to be amps that support these tubes.
Are there any hybrid amps out there similar to Lyr 2 that I should consider ? I did already spend some time with the Lyr 2 and I liked the sound it produced with my top tubes (some I had to try with just one channel as I have many single tubes, I will get matched pairs later).
One thing that bothered me was the heat it produces. It is a hybrid amp but it gets really hot. The tubes themselves got very hot. I think they should have built it with a fan inside.
What circuit is used to produce so much heat - a normal Class A amp does not get this hot.
If I decide to go for the Lyr 2 I will attach a small fan on the outside for sure and I will place the tubes "above" the case using 2x2 socket savers.

If your budget allows, a Schiit Mjolnir 2 is a step up from the LYR2. It has more of a tube sound per day versus the LYR2 which is what I upgraded from. Loved the LYR2 a lot but love the MJ2 much more. Same tubes too!

 

[zachgraz]

If your budget allows, a Schiit Mjolnir 2 is a step up from the LYR2. It has more of a tube sound per day versus the LYR2 which is what I upgraded from. Loved the LYR2 a lot but love the MJ2 much more. Same tubes too!

Yes I can stretch my budget. If you use the same tubes, what are the main differences in sound between the Lyr 2 and Mjolnir 2 ?

 

[koover]

Yes I can stretch my budget. If you use the same tubes, what are the main differences in sound between the Lyr 2 and Mjolnir 2 ?

It's been a while since I had the LYR 2 but the biggest upgrade is being able to go full balanced where LYR 2 is strictly SE, which is huge. This alone makes it worth the upgrade . It scales up so much better then the LYR 2. It has blacker background/more quite, more dynamic, as powerful as it gets and can drive even the hardest and most finicky headphones and even IEM's. It's definitely more musical to my ears as it's smoother and not as congested as the LYR 2. It just has more of a tube sound versus more of a "component/digital" sound is the best way I can put it. It's just warm, not as forward and more organic. Paired with the Gumby Gen 5 is just sublime. Believe me, the LYR 2 is one hellava amp and I loved it. But once I got the MJ2 paired with the Gumby, there was no comparison to me.

 

[zachgraz]

It's been a while since I had the LYR 2 but the biggest upgrade is being able to go full balanced where LYR 2 is strictly SE, which is huge. This alone makes it worth the upgrade . It scales up so much better then the LYR 2. It has blacker background/more quite, more dynamic, as powerful as it gets and can drive even the hardest and most finicky headphones and even IEM's. It's definitely more musical to my ears as it's smoother and not as congested as the LYR 2. It just has more of a tube sound versus more of a "component/digital" sound is the best way I can put it. It's just warm, not as forward and more organic. Paired with the Gumby Gen 5 is just sublime. Believe me, the LYR 2 is one hellava amp and I loved it. But once I got the MJ2 paired with the Gumby, there was no comparison to me.

Thank you for the explanation. Very useful information. Does the MJ2 get as hot as the Lyr 2 ?

 

[koover]

Thank you for the explanation. Very useful information. Does the MJ2 get as hot as the Lyr 2 ?

Yes it does.

 

[ScareDe2]

I would add that the sweet spot for me with the Lyr 2 is at about 1-2 oclock on high output. Of course I need to lower the foobar volume to the minimum, I keep my windows sound to the maximum. I am using the HD6xx at the moment.

 

[thesebastian]

@thesebastian

, since you are in Europe you might want to see about building a Nhoord or Ypsilon (both drivers made in Europe), its like a Grado clone but they have a much better balanced FR over a Grado. They are not difficult to build and they seem to be easy to sell if you don't like the sound. This is a picture of the last one I built using a Nhoord Red V2 driver:

These are about the best for rock/classic rock, and they are easy to drive so you can use them with a DAP or phone and they will still sound quite good. Be aware that its not the cheapest to build, the parts for the one above is $328 and for me it takes about 1.5 months to get all the parts to Hawaii. You can also look in my profile to see more picture of others that I've built.

Hi DavidA,

After so much time with the AKG K701 and the Lyr 2, I'm ready to take the step and (try to build) some Headphones for classic Rock music (and some Metal as well).

So far I started with this:
http://www.nhoord.com/explore/2016/8/26/how-to-build-your-own-headphones

If I wanted to have the Over the ear option (I think it's "Grado G-cush"?), how cheap can it cost me to build the phones? (In Europe).

I couldn't find videos or something to help the "DIY" thing, if you know about some, appreciate them.

Also, are these drivers recommended for the Lyr 2? Or it's better to get something more difficult to drive (since the Lyr 2 seems to have a lot power).

 

[Mystic Traveller]

Just wanted to revive the thread a bit.
Does someone use "tube savers" to protect the stock sockets or they are robust enough to live
through infrequent tube changes?

 

[RastaDolphin]

Ive done a lot of swapping out tubes on mine (that I got used) and the socket seem as tight as ever. I did try a cheap socket saver at one point fearing damage but tossed them because the sound quality took a significant hit. I found a bit of a hack for pulling the tubes out, BTW. A wide rubber band wrapped around the tube makes for a better grip. Saved me from slicing my fingers open over and over on those razor sharp corners of the frame.

 

[Mystic Traveller]

the socket seem as tight as ever

Thank you, mate, that's what I wanted to hear! You calmed me down. Cheers!

 

[RastaDolphin]

Thank you, mate, that's what I wanted to hear! You calmed me down. Cheers!

Yeah. After my own spiral of nervousness about it and going deep into forums I came to a realization/resolution that tubes and quality tube amps like Schiit's are pretty tough pieces of gear.