[Odin412]

If anyone's actually gone to today's SchiitrMeet: Please report.
I'm pretty bummed that I wasn't able to go. Didn't work out timing-wise, would have loved to give those LISST v2 a proper spin…

+1 to that. The LISST 2 is very interesting indeed.

 

[stochasticJim]

Every time Paladin79 posts a photo of his work, I get the urge to disinter the table saw and sort through the wood pile...
(then I lie down until the urge goes away. Sigh.)

I always enjoy when Paladin79 shares his craftsmanship. I take them as inspiration.

During the pandemic, I've shifted to doing projects only with materials on hand. I've made speaker stands, a picture shelf for the wall behind my chair with hanging acoustic panels, and a rack for the Schiit on my desk.

For Christmas, I made wooden cars with working headlights and taillights for the grandkids -- had to order some light pipes and switches, but used wood already in the workshop.

 

[earnmyturns]

At the risk of causing bankruptcy, I will put more temptation your way @earnmyturns .... have a listen to some ATC SCM 100 ASL

I know, but unfortunately they are way too bulky for where I have the 40As. I discussed this at length with the ATC dealer and with the ultimate boss, who has also the best hearing and musical sense, and available space, esthetics, and sound got us 40As. Not complaining.

 

[paultheoctopus]

the online issues about Jot2 not having enough volume relate to Jot 2 with the internal DAC card, ~1.4V output, and not allowing max theoretical power to be reached. IMO, output levels high enough to quickly destroy most headphones and damage your ears can easily be reached with Jot 2 / internal DAC module.

adding a Saga+ will not increase the signal, as Gain = 1 (can only reduce signal using front panel volume control).

PC (USB or s/pdif out) > BF2 (xlr out) > Jot 2 (SE out) > Vidar will have plenty of gain. make sure PC main volume setting is set to 100% for best fidelity (unless you are also using software EQ on the PC). BF2 to Jot2 connection can also be made with SE (RCA) cables, but a bit less effective gain.

what is your current configuration (e.g. DAC, pre-amp, power amp)?

Thanks ! But i think i didn’t explain myself well enough.
My current setup is bf2 > jot 2 (xlr) > vidar.
And the rca output from the BF2 into valhalla 2 (V2). With that my kef ls50 have plenty of volume since the jot2 preamp has a gain stage.
However, i want to use the saga+ instead of the jot2 to preamp my vidar for the kef ls50.
What i want to do is:

(On the rca side of the BF2)

BF2 (rca out)> saga+ (Output rca 1)> vidar
BF2 (rca out)> saga+ (Output rca 2)> V2

AND
(On the xlr side of bf2)

BF2 (xlr out) >jot 2, and use the jot2 exclusively for headphone.

My fear is that with the bf2> saga+ > vidar config that i want to do, i will not have enough volume for my speakers (ls50), since i will loose the gain from my current jot 2 used as a preamp into the vidar.

 

[Paladin79]

I always enjoy when Paladin79 shares his craftsmanship. I take them as inspiration.

During the pandemic, I've shifted to doing projects only with materials on hand. I've made speaker stands, a picture shelf for the wall behind my chair with hanging acoustic panels, and a rack for the Schiit on my desk.



For Christmas, I made wooden cars with working headlights and taillights for the grandkids -- had to order some light pipes and switches, but used wood already in the workshop.

Very nice work! By the end of the weekend I hope to have completed a cabinet for a headphone amp using spalted maple and purpleheart, I nearly have the amp built. I made Xmas presents for family the year before last. This charcuterie board shows how well the woods I just mentioned interact.

 

[tincanear]

Thanks ! But i think i didn’t explain myself well enough.
My current setup is bf2 > jot 2 (xlr) > vidar.
And the rca output from the BF2 into valhalla 2 (V2). With that my kef ls50 have plenty of volume since the jot2 preamp has a gain stage.
However, i want to use the saga+ instead of the jot2 to preamp my vidar for the kef ls50.
What i want to do is:

(On the rca side of the BF2)

BF2 (rca out)> saga+ (Output rca 1)> vidar
BF2 (rca out)> saga+ (Output rca 2)> V2

AND
(On the xlr side of bf2)

BF2 (xlr out) >jot 2, and use the jot2 exclusively for headphone.

My fear is that with the bf2> saga+ > vidar config that i want to do, i will not have enough volume for my speakers (ls50), since i will loose the gain from my current jot 2 used as a preamp into the vidar.

you can simulate the effect of Saga+ unity gain by using Jot 2 in low gain, connect BF2 to Jot 2 using SE (RCA / cinch) cables, then Jot2 SE out to drive the Vidar -> LS50.

 

[paultheoctopus]

Since I’m here, might as well drop a pic of my current setup.

 

[paultheoctopus]

you can simulate the effect of Saga+ unity gain by using Jot 2 in low gain, using SE input from BF2, and SE out to drive the Vidar -> LS50.

Thanks !

 

[oryan_dunn]

Since I’m here, might as well drop a pic of my current setup.

Looks good... but my god do those shelves look like knee killers.

 

[turtlerod]

I am about to give you my review of Tyr amps, after upgrading from Vidar amps, but first I digress.

I love Curly, of the Three Stooges, but I hated Shemp. A friend of mine challenged my opinion of Shemp, and he said I should give him a second chance. I took this to heart, and I rewatched the Shemp episodes, and saw for the first time that, Shemp was indeed funny, but I realized that had hated him simply because he was not Curly. Now I can appreciate Shemp knowing that Curly was not able to make new episodes, and that Shemp was much better than nothing.

Short version of my review, I am trying hard not to hate Vidars.

Disclaimer: As i started/tried to write my review, I opened a bottle of Laphroaig, so at this point grammar, spelling, and coherence are optional, but I did my best.

I just got my Tyrs, hooked them up, and then I ran them for about 3 hours.

Background: I had a system with 8 Vidars for a 7.1, with seven channels of Martin Logan electrostatic speakers, and a Velodyne subwoofer . Each speaker had its own Vidar and the fronts had 1.5 Vidars. So, I was clearly Vidars biggest fan, as expressed in monetary terms. Recently, I upgraded my subwoofer and I replaced my longest running and oldest piece of equipment, my 30+ old 18" Velodyne, with a Rythmic 18" subwoofer. I had bi-amped my front Martin Logan speakers, and used a single Vidar for the top ends (200 Hz to 20K+) and had used a stereo Vidar for the gap between the Velodyne (20 Hz to 65 Hz) and 200Hz. The Rythmic was good to 100 Hz so I dropped the stereo Vidar, and I did not see anymore Vidar shut downs at extreme high levels. So my system now has only had 7 Vidars. The Rythmic sub was a very great improvement.

Next, I replaced two Vidars, Front Right and Front Left, with two Tyr amps. This took most of my Saturday afternoon moving stuff around in the rack and since Tyr amps are twice as wide, I added an extra shelf. My review is only about the two front stereo speakers and the Rythmic subwoofer only. The other channels are not used when I listen to music. The surround 7.1 is only for movies. I switch the front channels between Stereo and and Surround using a Ragnarok as a preamp/headphone amplifier. I will recalibrate my Denon Surround processor later this week for movies.

I also wanted to say that while setting up the Tyrs, and listening, I had not yet read any of the Tyr reviews.

However, I did catch up on Head-fi and I read the reviews before I starting writing my review and I share the enthusiasm of the other reviewers of Tyr. I think only someone who had heard a pair of Try amps, could understand the previous reviews.

I started my listening with a favorite HD recording of Stevie Ray Vaughn. I was blown away. I could hear more than I ever could. Mind blown! It sounded like I had taken the cotton out of my ears. The improvement was not just the High end or low end it was everything. I definitely could hear more of the drums, and I could hear the strings die out over a much longer period of time. I could hear the subtleness of the drummer, that I never heard before. I became aware of the drummer, I think using brushes to get a subtle effect that I never heard before. My favorite album is new again. I could hear more than I ever heard at home or at his concerts. The Tyr and the Rhythmic combine to give the finest sounding drums I have ever heard.

Next, I thought I should try an old, "normal", average, non-HD recording so I went to Leon Redbone from 1975. It was like hearing it for the first time, and I fell in love with his music all over again. I heard stuff that was never there before. It reminded me of the times I saw him live, and up close except I could hear more.

Next, I went to an old Windham Hill recording of Michael Hedges, Arial Boundaries. As he plucked the strings, they seem like they took forever to finally die away. His music seemed new again. It felt like someone turned on a slight reverb and the strings kept going. I could hear his guitar clearer than I could when I hear him when he started out in the local coffee shops in the SF bay area, and I was only a few feet away.

Next on to: Old and In the Way, with David Grisman and Jerry Garcia. Everything sounds new again. More to listen to, more to love.

Many of the musicians I love are gone now, but Tyr gives more more of them, even after their passing.

Warning: If I like your music, there is a strong chance you are going to die.

I did not go to the best recordings, I tried to find an examples of everything I liked, loved or knew well, and yet, I could not find a single album or song that did not sound better with Tyr, Midnight oil, Justin Johnson, etc, all were new again.

No matter what I threw at the Tyr amps, they made it sound better.

The last biggest prior improvement to my system was my Yiggy OG. (This as back before, we knew to call it OG). I loved it so much I told an audio friend about it and he said "I am old I would not be able to hear the difference anymore." I had him come over and listen to the Yiggy. He bought one. Later when we listened to his Yiggy we would comment "I never hear that xxx". We both could hear stuff we never heard before. Like a tambourine lost in the mix a subtle brush of a drum or a second guitar riff, or we could tell that percussive sound was a wood block. We could hear it was wood! His wife got so mad at us that, she told us we were never allowed to say "I never heard xxx before". However the Yiggy's magic did not work on every recording. It made many things sound better, but not all things.

So far, I have yet to find a recording that the Tyr did make sound better. and that I did not find something new that was lost in the "mix". "Mix" equals sound less than that of a a Tyr.

Maybe I am old, maybe I drank too much Laphroaig, maybe I drank too much of the Schiit Koolade, (probably better than eating Schiit.), but this is the single biggest audio improvement I have ever made to my moderate audio system. (I have archived audio moderation, only because more would have been excessive.)
Conclusion:
Vidar = Shemp
Tyr = Curly

It is 1AM I am going to bed...

I only have one complaint with the Tyr and all Schiit gear. The icons on the chassis, and the icons on the remote are too hard to see, especially in low light.

 

[ev666il]

Since I’m here, might as well drop a pic of my current setup.

I see you are a person of refined taste.

 

[Les Strat]

I know, but unfortunately they are way too bulky for where I have the 40As. I discussed this at length with the ATC dealer and with the ultimate boss, who has also the best hearing and musical sense, and available space, esthetics, and sound got us 40As. Not complaining.

The 100 As are certainly big beasts @earnmyturns

My wife was almost lost for words when I collected them in their boxes back in 2007!
They filled the back of a small van which I had hired to collect them from the seller.

I am hoping they'll work in my new 'music room' which is narrower than the one in our old house, but should be large enough to accommodate them.
If not I'll have to build an extension

A pro audio dealer recently offered me a deal on some brand new ATC SCM 150 ASL Pros which are the same as the 'domestic' model but finished in plain black instead of veneer, so much cheaper...relatively speaking!

They are intended for studio use and most Hi Fi retailers don't stock them.

I spoke to ATC direct and they said that the speakers work perfectly in a home environment, if the room is big enough.
The 150s have bigger bass drivers and cabinets than the 100s- everything else is the same.
Apparently the bigger bass driver not only offers more low frequency bass, but also bigger dynamic range.

I managed to resist temptation... and penury!

It seems that there is far less mark up on Pro gear than domestic 'Hi Fi'.

Hi Fi retail is a pretty murky business; another reason I like dealing with Schiit direct, and in the UK, Richer Sounds are straightforward, honest retailers.
I bought my Technics turntable, Rega phono stage and Sennheiser HD 800S headphones from them.

Fortunately, I didn't line a Hi Fi retailer's pocket with commission when I bought my 100 ASLs, as I bought them second hand, from a private seller.

I am sure that your 40As sound fantastic, as they received excellent reviews when launched, and continue to do so.
I recommended that my brother gets some when he finally gets a new audio system, but I don't think he's as serious about it as me, so he won't want to spend so much money.

Probably wise.....

Edit: These are the 150 ASL Pro speakers- huge beasts which weigh 75Kg! ( My 100ASLs are a mere 65Kg)
https://atc.audio/professional/loudspeakers/scm150asl/

 

[433521]

I only have one complaint with the Tyr and all Schiit gear. The icons on the chassis, and the icons on the remote are too hard to see, especially in low light.

Schiit believes you should read less, and listen more.

If they placed larger icons on the items my desire for order would be pleased, but probably erase 'em I like 'em as they are.

 

[golfbravobravo]

What about drippy discs? Anything on those?

We always knew the drippies were in play when someone drank orange juice in the mess.........

 

[Roy G. Biv]

I only have one complaint with the Tyr and all Schiit gear. The icons on the chassis, and the icons on the remote are too hard to see, especially in low light.

This is true of ALL Schiit gear. I bought a cheap generic remote for Freya S that only has buttons for volume, mute and input select. The remote that came with Freya has a button to change the output gain which IMO is a terrible button to have on a remote with nearly unreadable icons.