sfo1972, thoughts on the oppo vs the lyr2? I've heard no so good things about the stock tubes so I would swap those out adding another $100. I want strong bass with forward vocals and black background. Everything review wise has me leaning towards some pre lcd-2's. No funds for the 3's. I want to get the amp/dac situation figured out first. I have an oppo blu-ray player a few years ago and loved it so I am an Oppo fan.
So there are a couple of things you need to sort out
@headfiaddict, first would be which headphones; auditioning equipment is the best advice I got from a good friend of mine who is an audio addict. Whether you are considering the HD800s, LCD2s, AKGs, etc. make an appointment with your local dealer and ask to try the headphones you are considering. If buying used, don't be shy to ask and try before you buy, if you are buying locally vs. mail order. Once you figure out the headphones that you intend to buy then you can skim head-fi for good pairings from a DAC/AMP perspective.
The second thing you want to sort out is the Oppo-HA1 vs. the Lyr2. Both of these headphone AMPs are absolutely awesome with different utility. The Oppo is an outstanding DAC, Bluetooth streaming machine, Mobile device connector, Aux-in, and other sources for inbound signals and the output can be to head-phones or pre-amp. The big plus with the Oppo is the balanced headphone connector as well as the unbalanced connector, so you have the option to get higher quality signal with balanced headphones (XLR connection).
The Lyr2 is also an amazing headphone amp. Headphone connector is an unbalanced 1/4" TRS. It also has pre-amp output that can be integrated to a downstream AMP when the headphones cable is unplugged. The volume knob on the Lyr2 controls the pre-amp line out level.
The stock tubes that that came with the Lyr2 are the 6zb7 tubes manufactured in Canada in recent years. They are good enough to start up with the Lyr and later get into tube rolling once you figure out what sound signatures you are looking for. There is an excellent thread for tube rolling that has a ton of good advice and information about different tubes and sound signatures. You expectations of about $100 for vintage tubes is about right as the prices range from $20s to $200s based on year, make, and country of manufacture.
Based on what you are trying to accomplish, you can pick the Oppo or the Lyr2. In my case, I ended up buying the Oppo first with the Audeze LCD3s and enjoyed them immensely. Tube sound got the best of me and I succumbed to buying a Lyr2 and connected the pre-amp from the Oppo into the Lyr2. I hook up my LCD3s to the Lyr2 for tube listening and I switch to the Oppo balanced for solid state listening.
One thing to mention is that the Lyr2 is much louder than the Oppo, in a pleasant way. When you flip the high-gain switch on and drive the LCD3s you get much stronger output, deeper bass, pronounced instruments, and liquidity in the music when compared to the Oppo.
Sorry for writing a long reply - let me know if there is something specific you want to know based on the above.
