[ToneDeath]

From the SCHIIT website LYR FAQ

“But I want balanced and tubes and—
Yeah. We did that. It was called Mjolnir. It was big and inconvenient and we couldn’t move it with bran.”

it doesn’t look like the MJ2 was a real big popular seller probably because of cost. I personally have one and love it. I don’t think there is anything on the horizon for a third version. Maybe Jason would chime in one day on why it was dropped from the line and if there are any plans for an updated version. I’m running mine with the stock tubes it came with and I find it very resolving and detailed, I’ve got a Gungnir Multibit feeding it.

 

[XERO1]

I got a chance to play with the Lyr+ at CanJam this weekend. I was mainly concerned about it's use of the relay-ladder volume control thats been used in other Schiit products. I was not a fan of the way it worked in the Rag2. It was very imprecise if you moved the volume knob at any normal speed. You had to turn the knob suuuper slow if you wanted to hit the volume level you were after. Well, the Lyr+'s volume control is a lot better than the Rag2's was. It's still not perfect, but at least it's useable. It still over/undershoots a little, but not nearly as bad as I remember the Rag2 did. And if you turn the Lyr+'s knob slowly, it works pretty well.

 

[SirIppo]

Anyone using this as a preamp to another headphone amp? Does it add enough of a tube sound?

 

[Balthazar B]

Anyone using this as a preamp to another headphone amp? Does it add enough of a tube sound?

IOW, is it approximately a selectable Saga-S/+ that provides its own headphone amplifier as well as drives others?

 

[hartphoto]

Well....we know it'll do Pre-Amp out....and according to the spec page, it'll do that either as SS or Tube. From the spec page:

Preamp Output, Low Gain, Solid State

THD: < 0.0003%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: < 0.0003%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 118db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -95dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 75 ohms

Preamp Output, Low Gain, Tube

THD: < 0.0025%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: < 0.002%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 112db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -90dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 75 ohms

The question still would be how tubey is it? Which probably brings us full circle to to 'depends on the tube chosen' scenario?

 

[SirIppo]

IOW, is it approximately a selectable Saga-S/+ that provides its own headphone amplifier as well as drives others?

Yes pretty much,

Well....we know it'll do Pre-Amp out....and according to the spec page, it'll do that either as SS or Tube. From the spec page:

Preamp Output, Low Gain, Solid State

THD: < 0.0003%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: < 0.0003%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 118db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -95dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 75 ohms

Preamp Output, Low Gain, Tube

THD: < 0.0025%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: < 0.002%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 112db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -90dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 75 ohms

The question still would be how tubey is it? Which probably brings us full circle to to 'depends on the tube chosen' scenario?

Yeah i'm asking if it imparts enough of a tube sound since I've read the saga+ doesn't really add much of a tube sound. So I was wondering if the lyr+ would impart more of that tube sound. I'm really close to just pulling the trigger and just buy the lyr+, but doing some research first on a good tube preamp/amp.

 

[Joppmann]

Tubenewbiequestion: Let’s say I keep my (soon to be) Lyr+ with tube constantly on… How long would you expect a tube to last? Is there any expected hours to count on?
Also interested in more thoughts comments good tubes for this bugger (apart from the included ones). Any special recommendations?

 

[hartphoto]

Tubenewbiequestion: Let’s say I keep my (soon to be) Lyr+ with tube constantly on… How long would you expect a tube to last? Is there any expected hours to count on?

This is an 'it depends' answer. Too many variables. Can't forget the NOS equation as well. Various tubes may or may not have a listed spec of life expectancy....and those would be hard to verify individually. I've seen listings for 10,000 hours to many more than that. So, but...um, those ratings always come with an asterick (*), referencing a footnote and/or legalese.

With the Lyr+, you can fall back to SS....but for a tube, have a backup?. My G&W tube amp I've had over a decade. Only had 2 go bad (not the same pair, nor at the same time). So...there's always an extra pair on hand, or at least on order when the backups become the tubes in use.

 

[hartphoto]

I'm really close to just pulling the trigger and just buy the lyr+, but doing some research first on a good tube preamp/amp.

Look forward to your impressions!

I'm sort of in the same mindset, lots of research. I already have the G&W tube amp. It's SS/tube design. Then there's the Jot 2 I also have. Preferring the G&W 'most of the time', so I'm wondering if another SS/tube design (from any manufacturer) will only be more of the same. My brain/research is leading me towards auditioning more traditional headphone/preamp designs. Maybe one of the Bottlehead DIY kits even.....

 

[VolumusMaximus]

I got a chance to play with the Lyr+ at CanJam this weekend. I was mainly concerned about it's use of the relay-ladder volume control thats been used in other Schiit products. I was not a fan of the way it worked in the Rag2. It was very imprecise if you moved the volume knob at any normal speed. You had to turn the knob suuuper slow if you wanted to hit the volume level you were after. Well, the Lyr+'s volume control is a lot better than the Rag2's was. It's still not perfect, but at least it's useable. It still over/undershoots a little, but not nearly as bad as I remember the Rag2 did. And if you turn the Lyr+'s knob slowly, it works pretty well.

Were you able to hear the Lyr+, and if so, what were your impressions?

 

[XERO1]

The question still would be how tubey is it? Which probably brings us full circle to to 'depends on the tube chosen' scenario?

All of Schiit's hybrid amps have never sounded 'tubey' or warm. I like to think of them as SS amps with a soul.

Were you able to hear the Lyr+, and if so, what were your impressions?

Not really. It's almost impossible to properly judge the SQ of any source or amp from just a few minutes of listening on a noisy show floor, so I rarely bother to try unless something really jumps out at me. I was mainly interested in how well the relay volume control worked, because it would be a dealbreaker for me if it sucked. Fortunately, I thought it worked well enough for it not to be a problem.

I love the way my Lyr 3 sounds, so I can't imagine that the Lyr+ would sound any worse. The Lyr+ might sound a tiny bit better than the Lyr 3, but I doubt there are any major improvements.

 

[tafens]

Tubenewbiequestion: Let’s say I keep my (soon to be) Lyr+ with tube constantly on… How long would you expect a tube to last? Is there any expected hours to count on?

In the last live stream, Jason mentioned that the Lyr runs the tube conservatively and should last in the ballpark of (or upwards to) 20000 hours or so. This was said in contrast to the Folkvangr, which runs its tubes pretty hard and has them last only about 5000 hours.

I’ve used a new production Tung-Sol in my Lyr3 almost daily on evenings for a good 2 to 2 1/2 years before it developed a very faint static-y sound that could be heard sometimes when no music was playing and it was very quiet around. That tube is still going though, but now in my Vali2 pulling duty as a pre to the speaker amp.

Also interested in more thoughts comments good tubes for this bugger (apart from the included ones). Any special recommendations?

For new production, I’d recommend the Shuguang CV181-Z for a more spacious but somewhat leaner sound than the new production TS (as I hear it in my Lyr3).

 

[ToneDeath]

Were you able to hear the Lyr+, and if so, what were your impressions?

I got a chance to play with the Lyr+ at CanJam this weekend. I was mainly concerned about it's use of the relay-ladder volume control thats been used in other Schiit products. I was not a fan of the way it worked in the Rag2. It was very imprecise if you moved the volume knob at any normal speed. You had to turn the knob suuuper slow if you wanted to hit the volume level you were after. Well, the Lyr+'s volume control is a lot better than the Rag2's was. It's still not perfect, but at least it's useable. It still over/undershoots a little, but not nearly as bad as I remember the Rag2 did. And if you turn the Lyr+'s knob slowly, it works pretty well.

That‘s my main concern, being able to get used to the ladder volume control on the LYR+. It took me awhile to adjust to the feel of the 4-gang Alps potentiometer in my Mjolnir 2 compared to the pots in my Mapletree Ear + HD and Garage 1217 Project Sunrise amps. I hope it’s not like your always under or over shooting the desired volume and you can’t seem to fine tune that sweet spot.

Any more input?



TD

 

[theeclone]

Well....we know it'll do Pre-Amp out....and according to the spec page, it'll do that either as SS or Tube. From the spec page:

Preamp Output, Low Gain, Solid State

THD: < 0.0003%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: < 0.0003%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 118db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -95dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 75 ohms

Preamp Output, Low Gain, Tube

THD: < 0.0025%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: < 0.002%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 112db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -90dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 75 ohms

The question still would be how tubey is it? Which probably brings us full circle to to 'depends on the tube chosen' scenario?

I noticed this on the spec page as well. With pretty much any schiit headamp, I run it in high gain and notice a difference in the preamp outs. It's an addicting sound to me. Punchier.

But this makes it seem like high gain mode doesn't apply to the preamp outs. Is that a departure from the previous headamps?

 

[hartphoto]

I noticed this on the spec page as well. With pretty much any schiit headamp, I run it in high gain and notice a difference in the preamp outs. It's an addicting sound to me. Punchier.

But this makes it seem like high gain mode doesn't apply to the preamp outs. Is that a departure from the previous headamps?

This is a question where I have to answer....IDK. I'm a brand new Schiit user with a purchase of the Jot 2. While it has preamp outs, I've not used them, and the Schiit Specs page does not list any specs about them.