[DavidA]

  I've had an original Lyr for approximately 5 years.  My main "go to" headphone with my Schiit Bifrost Uber and Lyr stack has been the LCD-2 rev1.  I do not use this headphone on any other setup, though I do use other headphones with this stack.  I have rolled a fair amount of tubes...Amerprex Orange Globes and PQs, Voskhod 6H23s, Reflector 6H23s, RCA  6BZ7s, and GE 6BZ7s.  Always felt that the LCD-2s were too bass heavy and somewhat fatiguing. Also, the soundstage was not as wide as I'd like or that I am at least familiar with my other listening setups.  I was seriously considering replacing the LCD-2s with a brighter headphone with a wider soundstage.
 
I just picked up a Lyr 2 and currently and using JJ 6922 Gold Pins.  On high gain, my initial impressions were that there was not a discernible difference between the Lyr and the Lyr 2.  At low gain however, the entire setup has taken on a completely new sound signature.  The low end is balanced.  The mids are smooth. The treble is not fatiguing.  And best of all the soundstage is incredibly wider..."out of my head" wider.  
 
There is no possible way that I am imagining this difference in sound signature as I can A-B test it with the gain switch and volume knob.  It seems the comments are all over the map on they thread, but has anyone else experienced this level of improvement with the Lyr 2?  Needless to say, I am ecstatic with my recent amp switch.  

Tried with my HE-560 and it sounded lifeless, also had to turn the volume almost all the way up so it was starting to get glaring in the mids.  I'll try with a few different tubes and headphones later to see if there is a difference.

 

[ScareDe2]

Going from magni to lyr 2 is a significant upgrade. Details and power are much better. But I think with a modi2 DAC the sound is quite unexciting and lifeless. The power and the details are there but it's so boring to listen.
 
Any DAC recommendations to go with the lcd2 + lyr2, or should I upgrade the stock tube first? thank for any suggestions.

 
 
* I must admit the stock canadian tubes only has less than 10 hours.

 

[franzdom]

Get some decent tubes and think about a multi-bit DAC. I have same amp & HP btw, the stock tubes are underwhelming.

 

[ScareDe2]

  Get some decent tubes and think about a multi-bit DAC. I have same amp & HP btw, the stock tubes are underwhelming.

 
Hi,
will I get sonic improvement by upgrading from modi 2 to bifrost? Are you satisfied with your current setup or do you want to upgrade an element? thanks for any information

 

[franzdom]

For separate DAC's (not in phone, receiver, CD player etc) I have never heard anything but Schiit Multibit. Modi & Bifrost are supposed to be basically the same, the real difference is if you go multibit or not.
 
Satisfied? Yes, quite, though it may be interesting to try Mjolnir or Jotenheim and balanced cable runs. For Single End cables I think I am at end game.

 

[Gimpinchair]

Hi,
will I get sonic improvement by upgrading from modi 2 to bifrost? Are you satisfied with your current setup or do you want to upgrade an element? thanks for any information

I'm looking to sell my BifrostMB, if you're interested in it you can PM me.

 

[sikki-six]

I just wrote about going from a pretty good delta-sigma DAC (Apogee Duet) to Modi MultiBit on the ModiBit thread. These experiences mostly apply to my LCD-2.1 and completely apply to Lyr 2, my only full-sized amp. Check out that thread if you're interested.

 

[FumblingFoo]

I'm an audio equipment enthusiast but a relatively casual listener new to impressions, not able to discern some of the finer differences like the experts, so take what I say with at least a grain of salt. I could, however, tell differences between the v850 and Bifrost Uber DAC's. The main difference between the DAC's was that the v850 didn't produce a metallic tinge like the Bifrost. I was also able to tell the differences between the Beyer T90 and HifiMan HE-1000 headphones (and a couple of other cheaper ones that I have). So, I'm not completely tone deaf

. I am comparing today:
 
Violectric v850 RCA (unbalanced) -> Schiit Lyr 2 with "Amperex 7308 vintage gold pin! (Select Grade: Platinum Grade, Cryogenically Treated: No, Matching: Included)" from Upscale Audio
 
vs.
 
Violectric v850 XLR (balanced) -> Violectric V281 single-ended (unbalanced) out
 
 
A/B tested (not blind) with a pair of Beyer T90's & HE-1K's (single ended cable), volume matched. Sescom 3.5mm A/B switch, and a couple of Amazon basics 3.5mm cables. No special cables for the setup except the seller's in-house RCA / XLR DAC -> amp internconnects.
 
 
Impressions: The difference between the Lyr 2 with the Amperex tubes and v281 is virtually indistinguishable to me; to my ears, switching between the two amps made no difference to my ears. As far as the sound itself, I parrot other impressions that it just sounded "correct." What I'm saying is not that the v281 isn't a stellar amp for its price - its quite the authoritative amp especially with hard-to-drive headphones according to the experts - but that there comes a point where one just doesn't have any problems with the quality of sound through one's setup, the music simply being quite enjoyable. The Lyr 2 with a good DAC is clearly beyond that threshold, and the bottom line is that I enjoyed music listening out of both, hearing no noticeable flaws in sound out of either amp.  So the Lyr 2 with a great DAC and tubes punches way above its price point. With the Lyr 2 money-wise you can be pretty sure that you're both getting your money's worth and will enjoy the sound. So, given enough financial resources, if you're a casual listener or don't have "golden ears" (even with tested excellent hearing like me) I'd devote more funds to a quality set of headphones and a quality DAC instead of buying an amp more expensive than the Lyr 2. Like the V281, the Lyr 2 eats up anything thrown at it and doesn't change the sound much.
 
 
Note: The v281 in SE mode is basically the v220, because they both use the same amp chips. I have the balanced input cable for the HE-1K's but I can't A/B test with them because of my setup.

 

[jrflanne]

Got a little tired of worrying about leaving my Lyr2 on so I picked up some LYSST tubes for non critical listening. Actually like them a lot.. They have a very fast punchy sound to them, great for rock music!..

Obligatory pic  

I leave mine on most of the time. I have a valhalla2 in my home office that generally stays on as well. That one is about 2.5 years old. Tubes are fine. I have the lysst Ss and didn't really like them so they sit.

 

[Pacifica]

  Going from magni to lyr 2 is a significant upgrade. Details and power are much better. But I think with a modi2 DAC the sound is quite unexciting and lifeless. The power and the details are there but it's so boring to listen.
 
Any DAC recommendations to go with the lcd2 + lyr2, or should I upgrade the stock tube first? thank for any suggestions.

 
 
* I must admit the stock canadian tubes only has less than 10 hours.

 
I just picked up the Modi Multibit and I am loving the combination. Upgraded from an original Modi.

 

[Madman242]

Since getting my Lyr a couple years ago, there have been a couple questions that cross my mind every time I go to do them, but never found a good answer....
 
When switching the gain, I've always played it safe, turning the amp off first and waiting a minute before switching it. Is this necessary? I've always wondered. Is it ok to switch it while still on, with volume at zero?
 
Also, what is the best time to plug and unplug headphones? I currently do it while the unit is on, and volume at zero. Is it safer for the unit to be off?

 

[DavidA]

  Since getting my Lyr a couple years ago, there have been a couple questions that cross my mind every time I go to do them, but never found a good answer....
 
When switching the gain, I've always played it safe, turning the amp off first and waiting a minute before switching it. Is this necessary? I've always wondered. Is it ok to switch it while still on, with volume at zero?
 
Also, what is the best time to plug and unplug headphones? I currently do it while the unit is on, and volume at zero. Is it safer for the unit to be off?

Posted this also in the HE-560 thread about the Lyr2, don't have to turn off the amp to switch the gain but would recommend turning the volume to zero first.  As for plugging and unplugging, I usually unplug the headphones before turning off and I wait about 30secs once I turn on the amp before plugging in the headphones.

 

[Madman242]

Thanks David. Yeah, I was pretty tired when I posted it over there and realized it probably wasn't the most appropriate place.
 
Are you aware of any technical reasons for this? or it's your feeling that it's the best practise?

 

[DavidA]

  Thanks David. Yeah, I was pretty tired when I posted it over there and realized it probably wasn't the most appropriate place.
 
Are you aware of any technical reasons for this? or it's your feeling that it's the best practise?

I think someone had asked the question a long time ago about changing the gain setting and Schiit said it was okay to change the gain while on, just lower the volume when doing so.  As far as "best" practice, I would always unplug headphone before changing gain or turning off or on, but this is just me being paranoid and on the safe side.

 

[Dr Metal MD]

New to the forum here. I have a pair of Hifiman 400i's that I really like. I currently power them with a Schiit Vali (first version). I primarily listen to vinyl with my modified Technics 1200 with a Denon 101 MC cart with a Lounge phono stage. I mostly listen to metal, classic rock, and progressive metal/rock. I am very, very interested in the Lyr 2 as an upgrade, as I feel it is the next logical step to upgrade my system from the Vali. The Vali has done well, but I feel it is under-powering the 400i's. Sorry if somebody has already answered this, but it would be difficult to sift through 100+ pages. Anybody have experience with the Lyr 2 and the 400i's (or even 400 or 500 for that matter) care to comment on how the Lyr 2 performs?
 
Cheers,