[money4me247]

Anybody here know about this?

the pop or click is due to the muting relay. it is normal operating procedure & nothing to worry about.
 
any really old comments you read about worries of damaging drivers relate to the units that did not have that muting relay safety feature that is in all lyr 2s now.
 
schiit does say you can plug/unplug your headphones prior to switching on/off (only to cover their ass in the event that the muting relay fails). not really a concern for me. i leave my headphones plugged in & haven't ran into any issues at all.

 

[BobFiggins]

 
The Lyr/Lyr2 is really good with the stock tubes - but with a pair of top vintage tubes it's excellent.  So much so I sold my Woo WA6-SE for the Lyr after rolling in some '75 6n23p's.  The Woo with NOS tubes cost more then double.  Those '75 Voskhods can be had for $90/pr.

That makes me kind of excited. I got the same pair from you right? Might have to throw down and try the Lyr 2. Hope I don't run into any return issues. They accepted my Valhalla 2 back with no issues.

 

[Matro5]

So, I decided to RA my Vali and try the Lyr2. I love the Vali - my first experience with tubes - and, to be honest, I don't expect much of a difference between the two amps. But, I plan to have this thing for awhile, and I think the Lyr2 offers a few things that make the upgrade worthwhile for me. 
 
Preamp for desktop speakers - powered speakers for now, but I'd love to see Schiit make a power amp for speakers in the Lyr chassis

More attractive - obviously this is personal preference, but if something's going to sit on my desk, I want it to be great looking, and the Lyr is much more attractive to me than the Vali
 
Upgradeability - obviously the Lyr isn't upgradeable like the Bifrost, but the option to try different tubes seems like a fun way to play with the sound. I plan to run the stock tubes for awhile to get a handle on the sound and then start reading the Rollers' thread.

 

[mangler]

That makes me kind of excited. I got the same pair from you right? Might have to throw down and try the Lyr 2. Hope I don't run into any return issues. They accepted my Valhalla 2 back with no issues.

Just be aware you can only return 3 items per year: http://schiit.com/faq/warranty-returns

 

[Exacoustatowner]

I think I would rather use tubes that are of modern manufacture. I can see getting hooked on something from WWII then never being able to replace them.That would be sad!

 

[rb2013]

  That makes me kind of excited. I got the same pair from you right? Might have to throw down and try the Lyr 2. Hope I don't run into any return issues. They accepted my Valhalla 2 back with no issues.

Pretty sure those were the '72's nice tubes - the '75s are significantly better.  But for under $40 the '72 Voskhods are a real bargain.

 

[rb2013]

  I think I would rather use tubes that are of modern manufacture. I can see getting hooked on something from WWII then never being able to replace them.That would be sad!

Good point - but the difference in sound quality is something to hear.  The Lyr/Lyr2 amps seem to respond very well to upgraded tubes.  The vintage tubes are heads over the new production.  Over on the 8,000+ post old Lyr tube rolling thread and on the 5,000+ post new thread - the reason for this has been widely discussed.  The concenus is the quality of materials and skilled engineers that made these back in the 50's, 60's, 70's - just don't exist today.  During their heyday just the type of tubes like the 6922/E88CC/6n23p were made by the 10,000's.  Lot's of competition. 
 
I've tried over 50 different tube types in my Lyr - including the all the new production ones.  I have to say the improvement in the sound of the Lyr with the best new production is no where near that of even lower cost vintage.
 
The benefit of the vintage tubes is they tend to hold their value over time  - the best tubes have even appreciated over the last 10 yrs.  I was lucky to find these '70's gems of Russian tubes that are still very reasonably priced and sound pretty amazing.
 
Cheers!

 

[Larryp12]

Thanks for the feedback on the Voskhod 6n23ps. Those are next on my short list of tubes for the Lyr 2/HD 650 rig. I also want to try a pair of Orange Globes.

 

[rb2013]

 
Thanks for the feedback on the Voskhod 6n23ps. Those are next on my short list of tubes for the Lyr 2/HD 650 rig. I also want to try a pair of Orange Globes.

The Amperex OGs are excellent as well.  Other low cost vintage tubes that are really good - the Tesla's and the Siemens E88CC. These are all available under $100/pr.  Of course there are way more expensive tubes - and trust me your wallet would howl at some of them. LOL!

 
But you don't have to go crazy to get really great sound from the Lyr/Lyr2.
 
Happy Rolling!

 

[money4me247]

The Amperex OGs are excellent as well.  Other low cost vintage tubes that are really good - the Tesla's and the Siemens E88CC. These are all available under $100/pr.  Of course there are way more expensive tubes - and trust me your wallet would howl at some of them. LOL!

But you don't have to go crazy to get really great sound from the Lyr/Lyr2.

Happy Rolling!

i am curious where u get ur price quotes. it seems like the prices of the same tubes range quite variably based on the year they were made, the seller, their current popularity, the seasons, the seller's mood, the tides, and other cosmetic forces beyond my understanding.

any solid reputable tube place that doesnt overcharge u like crazy or reliable ebay sellers?

 

[rb2013]

i am curious where u get ur price quotes. it seems like the prices of the same tubes range quite variably based on the year they were made, the seller, their current popularity, the seasons, the seller's mood, the tides, and other cosmetic forces beyond my understanding.

any solid reputable tube place that doesnt overcharge u like crazy or reliable ebay sellers?

Well that's a question would take three pages to answer - I would suggest reading the new Lyr Rolling Thread - this has all been posted there numerous times.  Let just say my 1792 posts have mostly been there

 

[Matro5]

Lyr2 arrived. What a beautiful piece of hardware. The Vali looks like a toy next to it.... although ( as expected ) the little Vali more than holds it own against its big brother in the sound department. 
 
That said, early impressions are very positive with the Lyr. Build quality is excellent, with no channel imbalance issues at all. Amp is completely silent with no music playing in Low gain, but there is some slight hum at insane levels with no music playing in High gain. I'd blow my ears up if I ever listened there, so I'm not worried about it, although I'll probably someone else's lead in this thread and buy the Schiit cables to see if that clears it up. 

Quick question - is there anything to consider about which gain setting to use besides personal preference? I don't listen at ear-splitting levels so headroom isn't an issue at either level. 
 
Currently using Tidal --> Dragonfly --> Lyr2 --> Grado PS500. 
 
I'll try to post pics tomorrow. 

 

[Exacoustatowner]

  Lyr2 arrived. What a beautiful piece of hardware. The Vali looks like a toy next to it.... although ( as expected ) the little Vali more than holds it own against its big brother in the sound department. 
 
That said, early impressions are very positive with the Lyr. Build quality is excellent, with no channel imbalance issues at all. Amp is completely silent with no music playing in Low gain, but there is some slight hum at insane levels with no music playing in High gain. I'd blow my ears up if I ever listened there, so I'm not worried about it, although I'll probably someone else's lead in this thread and buy the Schiit cables to see if that clears it up. 

Quick question - is there anything to consider about which gain setting to use besides personal preference? I don't listen at ear-splitting levels so headroom isn't an issue at either level. 
 
Currently using Tidal --> Dragonfly --> Lyr2 --> Grado PS500. 
 
I'll try to post pics tomorrow. 

Congrats!
I got a Lyr by (Amazon) mistake-right Price-they just had the ID wrong. Got my RA-then I spent some time listening. Now, I am going to cancel RA and keep it!  Lovely sounding-I was using it to drive my Hifiman HE-560's and listing to Anna Caram (Brazilian singer) on Chesky Records. I felt like I was suspended in a cloud of instruments-with the singer in front of me.
Now I want to try some other tubes! I am at 120 hours-so I assume it is "broken in."  I ordered what I thought was B-Stock Mjolnir. At $300 it WAS too good to be true. 

 

[Exacoustatowner]

So how many had the Lyr AND Lyr2 side by side with the same tubes-all broken in and with the same HP could hear clear improvements in distortion, imaging etc??
 
I am at decision time. I have a Return Authorization for the B Stock Lyr I got by Amazon mistake. I wanted the Mjolnir (long story I'll skip). Anyway-I listened to the Lyr-since I had wanted to try the Lyr2. 
I really LIKE it-and am seriously considering reversing the RA and keeping it. But not if there is a mass agreement that the Lyr2 is clearly better sounding-with Orthodynamics. The Lyr is a perfect match for the HiFiman HE-560 Magnetic Planar HP I have-and I don't plan to get Earbuds so the switchable gain is not something I need. I also  don't hear any hum/hiss unless I crank it ALL the way up with no signal., If I EVER tried listening to music at that level, I'd BLOW out my EARS and HP! So although the Lyr2 is stated to be quieter-that is not a consideration
 
I've looked everywhere for claims that the Lyr2 sounds clearly BETTER with Orthodynamic HP than the Lyr. So far-the only person is Jason Stoddard who "thinks the Lyr2" might sound better.
I've no doubt the Ly2 is awesome-but if you had a Lyr for $300 would you send it back to get the Lyr2 for $449-if you had no noise issues and did not need switchable gain?
 
Thanks!

 

[rb2013]

  So how many had the Lyr AND Lyr2 side by side with the same tubes-all broken in and with the same HP could hear clear improvements in distortion, imaging etc??
 
I am at decision time. I have a Return Authorization for the B Stock Lyr I got by Amazon mistake. I wanted the Mjolnir (long story I'll skip). Anyway-I listened to the Lyr-since I had wanted to try the Lyr2. 
I really LIKE it-and am seriously considering reversing the RA and keeping it. But not if there is a mass agreement that the Lyr2 is clearly better sounding-with Orthodynamics. The Lyr is a perfect match for the HiFiman HE-560 Magnetic Planar HP I have-and I don't plan to get Earbuds so the switchable gain is not something I need. I also  don't hear any hum/hiss unless I crank it ALL the way up with no signal., If I EVER tried listening to music at that level, I'd BLOW out my EARS and HP! So although the Lyr2 is stated to be quieter-that is not a consideration
 
I've looked everywhere for claims that the Lyr2 sounds clearly BETTER with Orthodynamic HP than the Lyr. So far-the only person is Jason Stoddard who "thinks the Lyr2" might sound better.
I've no doubt the Ly2 is awesome-but if you had a Lyr for $300 would you send it back to get the Lyr2 for $449-if you had no noise issues and did not need switchable gain?
 
Thanks!

I have a Lyr and borrowed a friends Lyr2 to do a comparison.  I could not hear a difference, other then the Lyr2 being a little quieter at ridiculous vol (no music).  This has to do with the PS change from AC heating to DC and some additional PS filtering.  If you are obsessed with noise at unlistenable full vol - get the Lyr2.  Other wise the Lyr is a fantastic bargain - it also has a wider range of tubes it can use (although the Lyr2 has plenty to choose from).  Now if you have very low impedance HPs (like the 702's) or IEMs you need the gain switch - so the Lyr2 is the right option.
 
Otherwise the difference in price could be used for a nice set of better tubes - which would go a lot further in improving the sound.