Hey all,
Just a quick update or two, as I get ready to head back to Corpus Christi:
1. Lyr+ is getting close! As soon as we get the tube covers, we'll start shipping. That's most likely next week. They'll be available in black and silver. Black is $599. Silver costs $30 more, and a new-production Tung Sol tube adds $60. Yes, tubes are expensive these days. Them's the breaks. Or you can use the tube cover, which covers up the big hole in the chassis, and forget about using a tube for a while. Or forever. See photo taken shortly after finishing up production testing on the APx.
2. You'll soon be able to buy the dumbest-named product from us, ever. As in, Vali 2++. Yes, Vali 2 Plus Plus. Yes, I know it's stupid. We were gonna go to just Vali Plus, but the chassis still have Vali 2 screened on the front and back. So Vali 2++. Why are we stupid like this? Because we need to switch tube types. It looks like we've literally used up every 6BZ7 on the planet. So, while Vali 2 and Vali 2+ used 6BZ7 (or 6922/ECC88/6DJ8, etc), Vali 2++ uses 6N3P (or 5670/2C51/396A). These tubes have a different pinout, but they're otherwise quite comparable to the 6BZ7 family. If you already have a Vali 2+, there's no need to sidegrade, unless you have a bunch of 5670/2C51/6N3P tubes, or if you want to go full boat crazy and get a WE 396A, which costs more than Vali 2++. Vali 2++ stays at $149. Expect to see it in a week or two.
3. Don't be surprised to see an email or two from us. As we've ramped up production, we can start reminding people that we exist, instead of hiding under the bridge like trolls, hoping nobody finds out how deep in backorder we are. Don't worry, it won't be like
just-got-6-emails-the-same-day-after-I-bought-something-and-before-I-received-it insanity. Maybe once a month. Maybe. Depends on parts. Backorders aren't vanquished. Nor are parts shortages. The inexpensive True Multibit products (Modi Multibit 2 and the True Multibit Unison card) are now held up officially to June/July. That's when we're supposed to get the DSPs now. Except now our purchasing partner is making hopeful noises about moving things up, so we'll see. In the meantime, don't be surprised if Bifrost, Gungnir, and Yggdrasil move to TI DSPs. If you want to argue about how the same algorithm run by two different DSPs sound, I suggest you come to a show and talk to Dave. I'll just shake my head and walk away.
And that's about it! I'll probably do a really short and stupid chapter on Vali 2 +Plus+Plus++ when it hits, and, if all goes well, we'll have something bigger in about a month, then a couple of really interesting things, and one completely bonkers idea. Then it's 2023.
All the best,
Jason
