[TMRaven]

Yeah.
 
I'm not trying to speak for the guy, but his personal impressions did help me when deciding on getting a new amp.
 
 
 

 The Lyr has a warmer tone and more low bass impact than the Vali. The Asgard 2 is not as warm as the Lyr, but it does have more solid bass and better low end extension than the Vali. I think the Lyr is the weakest of the bunch. It is one of their oldest designs, and Jason knows that I have never personally been too fond of the Lyr in absolute terms.

What headphones are you using? The choice really comes down to the Asgard 2 or Vali for me. BTW, the Asgard 2 actually sounds better in some regards to even the Mjolnir. It seems like Schiit is taking "lessons learned" from the prior generation and applying them to new generations of schiit.

But assuming you don't need the warmer tone and low-end impact, the Vali otherwise destroys the Lyr in terms of clarity, microdetail, and microdynamics, resolution, etc.. I kind of hate to say that. [UPDATE: read on concerning the warmth of the Vali...]

 

 Left the Vali on for an hour and just came back. Now running without any EQ at all with the Paradox. (The Paradox/Vali is sublime.) This tends to happen with tubes - the treble gets more laid back upon warm-up. I'd say the Vali is maybe touch warmer sounding than the Asgard 2 and most certainly the Magni. At $120, just buy it. You won't be sorry.

 
 
 
 
I ended up getting an Asgard2 because I don't think I could stand the look of a Vali stacked on top of a Bifrost, and the hopes for a Lyr2 a long-ways down the line with the same 'lessons learned' from the Vali.  

 

 

[MattTCG]

Hmm...well, I have the triple Schiit stack sitting on my desk right now (A2, lyr w/1968 OG tubes and uberfrost).
 
These are my impressions ymmv.
 
The lyr beats the A2 even on stock tubes, no contest particularly when driving orthos. The Asgard II is a fine amp for sure. I can definitely hear some linage from the mojo (where the mojo is clearly better than the A2). 
 
I do not believe that I'm missing ANY micro details from lyr. In fact I find that it's an incredibly resolving amp and gives the best of both worlds. The real shortcoming of the lyr is that it simply outputs too much power for some hp's. The A2 is very flexible and I can drive my iem's and hd650's with aplomb, all at a great price. 
 
At the end of the day, when I want to hear my hp's at their very best I plug into the lyr. 

 

[leesure]

  Hmm...well, I have the triple Schiit stack sitting on my desk right now (A2, lyr w/1968 OG tubes and uberfrost).
 
These are my impressions ymmv.
 
The lyr beats the A2 even on stock tubes, no contest particularly when driving orthos. The Asgard II is a fine amp for sure. I can definitely hear some linage from the mojo (where the mojo is clearly better than the A2). 
 
I do not believe that I'm missing ANY micro details from lyr. In fact I find that it's an incredibly resolving amp and gives the best of both worlds. The real shortcoming of the lyr is that it simply outputs too much power for some hp's. The A2 is very flexible and I can drive my iem's and hd650's with aplomb, all at a great price. 
 
At the end of the day, when I want to hear my hp's at their very best I plug into the lyr. 

 
Those impressions mirror my own on those amps.

 

[Fearless1]

  Hmm...well, I have the triple Schiit stack sitting on my desk right now (A2, lyr w/1968 OG tubes and uberfrost).
 
These are my impressions ymmv.
 
The lyr beats the A2 even on stock tubes, no contest particularly when driving orthos. The Asgard II is a fine amp for sure. I can definitely hear some linage from the mojo (where the mojo is clearly better than the A2).
 
I do not believe that I'm missing ANY micro details from lyr. In fact I find that it's an incredibly resolving amp and gives the best of both worlds. The real shortcoming of the lyr is that it simply outputs too much power for some hp's. The A2 is very flexible and I can drive my iem's and hd650's with aplomb, all at a great price.
 
At the end of the day, when I want to hear my hp's at their very best I plug into the lyr.

+1

 

[tuna47]

I agree I have had asgard 2 and like the lyr better with orthos

 

[leesure]

As promised...1st stage of the comparisons...Same sources, same headphones, Vali and Magni impressions.
 
All auditioning done with iMac/iTunes as the source, running through USB to the Modi DAC and into the amps to Audez'e LCD-2.1's 

The Lee Shore (Crosby Still and Nash Box Set, ALAC, 16/44)…Vali:  great…nice imaging, miss and treble are smooth and liquid.  Very good micro detail extraction.  Magni: Good left to right imaging…less depth.  Highs are a little grainy, but not bad.  Mids a little less lush…maybe a bit recessed.    Preferred the Vali.

IGY (Donald Fagen The Nightfly, ALAC, 24/48)…Vali: Loads of air. Good snare attack, but not wow.  Very digital sounding recording rendered very listenable.  good space between instruments and Fagen's voice.  Lots of shimmer, but not bright.  Magni:  Definitely brighter.  Voice blends into the BG more.  Better bass impact and control. Preferred the Vali on this track.

Lofty's Roach Soufflé (Harry Connick Jr. Tro, Lofty's Roach Soufflé, ALAC, 16/44)…Vali: Good presence.  Piano feels a little thin.  Another sample of good imaging.  Magni:  Again better and more impactful bass.  The bottom register of the piano is a little more fleshed out. The cymbals a a little brighter.  preferred the Magni on this track. 

Church (Lyle Lovett, Joshua Judges Ruth, ALAC, 16/44)…Vali: A little more three blobby (left center right imaging, with little in between) than the RWA, but still nice and wide.  This notably sibilant recording was nicely controlled on top. The complicated passages near the end were rendered with good detail…tho not as good as some of the amps with more vice-like control and speed.  Magni:  Very 3 blobby.  The hand claps that should span the sound stage are only coming from the extremes.  Very sibilant…that's in the recording, but the Magni does nothing to help tame it.  Preferred the Vali

Couldn't Stand the Weather (Stevie ray Vaughn Greatest Hits ALAC, 24/96)…Vali: Great dynamics!  650mW, you say?  The opening snare attack in the intro is a kick in the head!  Super fast.  Achilles heel the bass perhaps.  The baseline is muddy.  Magni:  As good as the attack was with the Vali, it was better with the Magni.  The snare is intense!  The baseline is less prevalent, but better controlled…less bloat.  Preferred the Magni.

Battle w/o Honor or Humility (Tomoyasu Hotel, Electric Samurai, 256k iTunes MP3)…Vali: Struggles with the really loud and complicated sections at high volume.  The horns sound a little thin.  Bass is slow.  Magni: Definitely more control in complicated patterns. Tho it still feels like it's running a little short of current with the LCD-2's on very dynamic passages.  I get a feeling like it's clipping just a little…might be the lower bit rate recording.  Preferred the Magni…but neither one seemed to blow me away.

Lotus Flower (RadioHead, The King of Limbs, 320k MP3 from their site)…It's not the whole bass region…just the really deep bottom.  The upper base intro was rendered very well with nice control, but the really deep stuff feels a little bloated and slow.  Very tubey. Magni:  Bass is better, but the treble is way bright.  The cymbals are like knives.  I can live with the slow bass on this track to get the smoother highs.  Preferred the Vali

Bloom (Radiohead, TKOL Remixes, 320k MP3 from their site)…Vali: The super deep electronic bass is there, but slow.  Great job delving to the 20-30hz area…just don't have the control to keep it super tight.  Still impressive head vibrating experience.  Magni:  Definitely less bass, but much more controlled…probably just feels like less because of the lack of bloat…but on this track I like it…I want MOAR boom boom!  Preferred the Vali.

In the end I found the Magni to be a more accurate amp with a little grain in the highs and good control over the bass…but perhaps a little lean there as well.  The Vali was more 'Euphonic' with smoother highs, a more warm and liquid midrange and deep but bloated and slow bass.  
 
I wish these were so inexpensive that I could have both so I could listen to the one I preferred for different types of music.  
 
WAIT!  They ARE!! 

 

[MrTechAgent]

Can't wait anymore ......I am confused between getting another headphone or getting a tube ?
Probably will get another headphone and then this , for gods sake its 100 bucks

 

[leesure]

 

[DemonFox]

I wonder how this will compare other smaller tube amps like the Aune T1, EF2A from Hifiman and others. And I may have missed this but are there any pictures of the unit yet? 
 
 
 
Thanks,
 
 

 

[manbear]

   And I may have missed this but are there any pictures of the unit yet? 
 
 
 
Thanks,
 
 

Look at the post right above you. It's in there. 

 

[DemonFox]

Never mind, didn't get to the last post of this thread lol 
 
So looks just like the Magni just a different flavor of sound. Cool 
 
Good job Jason. You and your Schiit team are rocking it!
 
 
 
Thanks,
 
 

 

[Kamakahah]

OMG it's a Schiit Big Mac. I must have.

I wonder how this will compare other smaller tube amps like the Aune T1, EF2A from Hifiman and others. And I may have missed this but are there any pictures of the unit yet? 



Thanks,


:evil:

Curious as well, though the Aune is actually a tube dac with a SS amp, but still interested.

 

[ethan7000]

  Never mind, didn't get to the last post of this thread lol 
 
So looks just like the Magni just a different flavor of sound. Cool 
 
Good job Jason. You and your Schiit team are rocking it!
 
 
 
Thanks,
 
 

Vali isn't meant for high sensitivity cans like our TH600's (noise floor/output impedance)...so the T1 is still in play  

 

[62ohm]

Is it considered stupid if I get the Vali, having owned the Magni? I've been eyeing on the Lyr, but it seems that the Vali can deliver most of what the Lyr is capable of with a quarter of the price.

 

[sling5s]

  As promised...1st stage of the comparisons...Same sources, same headphones, Vali and Magni impressions.
 
All auditioning done with iMac/iTunes as the source, running through USB to the Modi DAC and into the amps to Audez'e LCD-2.1's 

The Lee Shore (Crosby Still and Nash Box Set, ALAC, 16/44)…Vali:  great…nice imaging, miss and treble are smooth and liquid.  Very good micro detail extraction.  Magni: Good left to right imaging…less depth.  Highs are a little grainy, but not bad.  Mids a little less lush…maybe a bit recessed.    Preferred the Vali.

IGY (Donald Fagen The Nightfly, ALAC, 24/48)…Vali: Loads of air. Good snare attack, but not wow.  Very digital sounding recording rendered very listenable.  good space between instruments and Fagen's voice.  Lots of shimmer, but not bright.  Magni:  Definitely brighter.  Voice blends into the BG more.  Better bass impact and control. Preferred the Vali on this track.

Lofty's Roach Soufflé (Harry Connick Jr. Tro, Lofty's Roach Soufflé, ALAC, 16/44)…Vali: Good presence.  Piano feels a little thin.  Another sample of good imaging.  Magni:  Again better and more impactful bass.  The bottom register of the piano is a little more fleshed out. The cymbals a a little brighter.  preferred the Magni on this track. 

Church (Lyle Lovett, Joshua Judges Ruth, ALAC, 16/44)…Vali: A little more three blobby (left center right imaging, with little in between) than the RWA, but still nice and wide.  This notably sibilant recording was nicely controlled on top. The complicated passages near the end were rendered with good detail…tho not as good as some of the amps with more vice-like control and speed.  Magni:  Very 3 blobby.  The hand claps that should span the sound stage are only coming from the extremes.  Very sibilant…that's in the recording, but the Magni does nothing to help tame it.  Preferred the Vali

Couldn't Stand the Weather (Stevie ray Vaughn Greatest Hits ALAC, 24/96)…Vali: Great dynamics!  650mW, you say?  The opening snare attack in the intro is a kick in the head!  Super fast.  Achilles heel the bass perhaps.  The baseline is muddy.  Magni:  As good as the attack was with the Vali, it was better with the Magni.  The snare is intense!  The baseline is less prevalent, but better controlled…less bloat.  Preferred the Magni.

Battle w/o Honor or Humility (Tomoyasu Hotel, Electric Samurai, 256k iTunes MP3)…Vali: Struggles with the really loud and complicated sections at high volume.  The horns sound a little thin.  Bass is slow.  Magni: Definitely more control in complicated patterns. Tho it still feels like it's running a little short of current with the LCD-2's on very dynamic passages.  I get a feeling like it's clipping just a little…might be the lower bit rate recording.  Preferred the Magni…but neither one seemed to blow me away.

Lotus Flower (RadioHead, The King of Limbs, 320k MP3 from their site)…It's not the whole bass region…just the really deep bottom.  The upper base intro was rendered very well with nice control, but the really deep stuff feels a little bloated and slow.  Very tubey. Magni:  Bass is better, but the treble is way bright.  The cymbals are like knives.  I can live with the slow bass on this track to get the smoother highs.  Preferred the Vali

Bloom (Radiohead, TKOL Remixes, 320k MP3 from their site)…Vali: The super deep electronic bass is there, but slow.  Great job delving to the 20-30hz area…just don't have the control to keep it super tight.  Still impressive head vibrating experience.  Magni:  Definitely less bass, but much more controlled…probably just feels like less because of the lack of bloat…but on this track I like it…I want MOAR boom boom!  Preferred the Vali.

In the end I found the Magni to be a more accurate amp with a little grain in the highs and good control over the bass…but perhaps a little lean there as well.  The Vali was more 'Euphonic' with smoother highs, a more warm and liquid midrange and deep but bloated and slow bass.  
 
I wish these were so inexpensive that I could have both so I could listen to the one I preferred for different types of music.  
 
WAIT!  They ARE!! 

Thank you. That's puts the Vali in perspective, less hype.