[bgalakazam]

Perfect. The power is definitelly there and I am liking it. Just wanted to make sure it's not out of whack.

 

[theeclone]

Has anybody been able to confirm if the preamp outs sound noticeably different when switching between high and low gain?

 

[DeckHiFi]

Mine just arrived. Is it supposed to be quiet on Low gain with 300 Ohm headphones? Seems the 330mW Magni was louder. Even on high gain, at 12 oclock it's very quiet. Both solid state and tube. Unless the volume on this needs to go further. But at 2 o'clock High gain is where it's at my older Magni was at 10-11. As long as it's normal, I am fine.

How would you compare Lyr+ and Magni?

 

[bgalakazam]

How would you compare Lyr+ and Magni?

I had an older generation Magni with the 330mW not the 410. Also, I had a static pop at turning the volume pot (and had that on an older Magni 2 before, I beleieve). Because I run parametric equalizer with -6.0 dB overall floor, the Magni was somewhat struggling with the 300 Ohm HD800S. It would become too harsh. I did want a Lyr 3 for a while, but Lyr+ was announced and I decided to wait. Glad I did.

On the limited time I have had with the Lyr+, the power is there, once I turn the pot and it doesn't sound harsh. I haven't had too much time with tube vs. solid state, sounded the same initially. I may end up running solid state as I use it on the desktop on brief listening sessions and turn on/off a lot during the day. That will be decided later.

 

[strider1007]

So I got my Lyr+ on Friday, it’s been playing for about 30 hours. Enough time for some first impressions I think..



Points of reference: I’m listening through my Quad ERA1 planar headphones, keeping my Sennheiser HD 560S and my Grado SR80e on standby. Using my PC as my main source, with FLAC files and a lot of youtube clips, coming through my Schiit Modius DAC, using the optical input. My previous amp was the Schiit Asgard3, no cards, just the amp.



First and foremost question:”Is it worth it?” Definetly: “ Yess ! “ Bucks well spent !



Why? You ask.. Let me try to explain by summarising my thoughts and experiences so far.



I listen to a lot of different types of music. Female vocals are my favorites, no matter the genre..

A couple of songs ( the list is longer, but it would get confusing..) I used to compare the Asgard3 to the Lyr+ are:

Diana Krall – Devil may care, from her Live in Paris album. (Flac)

Reba McEntire – Does he love you (Duet with Linda Davis) (Flac)

Trisha Yearwood – The song remembers when. (Flac)

Amy McDonald – This is the life. (Flac)

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble – Tin Pan Alley (Flac)

Unleash the archers – The awakening (Youtube)

for KING & COUNTRY - Little Drummer Boy (Youtube)

Homefree - Brothers in arms (Youtube)

Nightwish – Ghost Love Score, the Wacken 2013 version (Youtube)

Voiceplay – Hoist the colors high (Youtube)



So, basically there was improvement on every aspect. What I had hoped for. Dynamics improved, bass was more profound, without being exaggereted. Not just more, but better defined. Tim’s voice on ‘Brothers in arms’ gave me more detail, more micro-information. Made it more emotional. As did Geoff’s incredible bass-vocals on ‘Hoist the colors’. More detail within the voice itself. Amy had definetly more energy in her performance. The instrumental attacks were more snappier. Quicker.. More dynamic. Unleash the archers is probably the most powerful and energetic guitar song I know. And it just got better. Wow!. Those guitars.. And Brittney’s voice. Man.. For drum-enthousiasts ‘for KING and Country’s Little drummer boy’ is a must. It just blew me away.

The piano on ‘Devil may care’ was more tangible, more present. As were the drums in the (too) short solo. Just gave a little more life to the live experience. It was much easier to seperate Reba’s and Linda’s voices on their duet. On the Asgard they sounded more similar.

Floors Jansens voice in Nightwish’s ‘Ghost love score’ is one of the most versatile ever and the Lyr+ brought that out more than the Asgard could ever do. Her switching styles never sounded more easy to me than last night. Brought tears to my eyes, I’m not ashamed to admit. Trisha’s voice is just so warm, and just got warmer. Probably the tubes influence. Loved it.

High notes were more sparkling, more bright, but never harsh. At my age the upper frequencies are no longer a goal, so I’m not going to comment too much on them, besides mentioning that I’m so glad I can appreciate the improvement I’m hearing.

The Lyr+ really brings me more musical enjoyment than the Asgard3 could. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the Asgard3 for a year-and-a-half, and listened to a lot of music, but the Lyr+ is simply better. It gets me more emotionally involved in the music, and I think that is what matters.



I used a Darkvoice 336 amp for a long time, which also uses 6SN7 tubes, so I had a few of those. For this session I used my favorite KenRad VT231. The coming weeks I’ll be doing some tube-rolling for sure. I’ll keep you informed if any significant changes appear.



Using my Sennheiser I basically got the same results. No surprises there. The Grado however did surprise me. The improvement was greater than expected. I’ll be using that one more from now on. It sounded much more vivid and alive than it did on the Asgard3.



Next step will probably be upgrading from my Modius to the Bifrost 2/64, but I’ll have to wait for some funding to come in for that. Won’t be too long though..



If you’re not familiar with the songs I mentioned, check them out. I think they’re great, but of course YMMV.

 

[ishmaelk]

HI, everyone.
I've been considering the Lyr 3+ after getting rid of my Jotunheim 2. I always felt it had very little depth in the sound and even the Vali 2+ was better in that regard.
So I started thinking about upgrading to the Lyr 3+. What's the point in getting something like the Bifrost 2/64 with its allegedly great holography if the Jot2 is going to compress it?
Anyone with experience with both? If depth is not going to be a big jump coming from Jot2, any other hybrid design that could be better in that aspect?
My budget is 1000 euros.
I use LCD-XC 2021, Aeon 2 Closed and HD6XX, mostly.
Thanks.

 

[XGeneX88]

Really hoping to get a bit of advice here..

I am currently using a DX7 DAC/Amp combo (which I really really love) but have been wanting to jump into harder to drive headphones like the LCD-4 or HE6 so am going down the path of looking for something with more juice. The thought of tubes has always intrigued me and I've been wanting to try something that's better than your entry stuff. I am looking for something that can play nice with the majority of my gear so I think this is why I'm looking at a hybrid amp vs looking at OTL tube amps that generally only optimize with high impedance headphones. I also need the device to have "remote" functionality which further limits me to looking at something like this.

My current headphones: Focal Clear, Hifiman Arya (original), HD800S, Ether Flow 1.1, MDR-Z1R, LCD-X 2021, TH900's

Anyways.. I was thinking of purchasing a Bifrost 2/64 and running it with a Lyr+ but don't currently have the funds to buy both a Lyr+ and Bifrost 2/64. I was wondering if my DX7 will be a good enough DAC to run in the meanwhile if I purchase the Lyr+ and also if anyone may have had any experience of what type of upgrade the Bifrost 2/64 may bring to the table over my DX7 DAC.

Additionally.. I have considered going Bifrost 2/64 + Lyr + (since it's SS or Tube amp) OR going Bifrost 2/64 + Jot 2 + Valhalla 2 (running both XLR and RCA inputs on the DAC to each amp and having SS and OTL Tube amp for my HD800S and whatever else may work with it...). If anyone here has any experience with such a setup or a comparison.. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Last question.. Anyone had a chance to pair the last revision Bifrost 2 (non 2/64) with Lyr + ? Would be curious to know which Bifrost version is a better match to the Lyr + .. my understanding is that the 2/64 model is an overall upgrade as long as you don't have ear fatigue to the "improved highs" of the 2/64 version.

For now, I am thinking about just buying the Lyr + and running it with my DX7 DAC but am worried that it may not sound good without a good partner DAC like the Bifrost which is probably "tuned" to sound good with other products from Schiit.

Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions are much much appreciated, THANK YOU!

 

[Odin412]

Really hoping to get a bit of advice here..

I am currently using a DX7 DAC/Amp combo (which I really really love) but have been wanting to jump into harder to drive headphones like the LCD-4 or HE6 so am going down the path of looking for something with more juice. The thought of tubes has always intrigued me and I've been wanting to try something that's better than your entry stuff. I am looking for something that can play nice with the majority of my gear so I think this is why I'm looking at a hybrid amp vs looking at OTL tube amps that generally only optimize with high impedance headphones. I also need the device to have "remote" functionality which further limits me to looking at something like this.

My current headphones: Focal Clear, Hifiman Arya (original), HD800S, Ether Flow 1.1, MDR-Z1R, LCD-X 2021, TH900's

Anyways.. I was thinking of purchasing a Bifrost 2/64 and running it with a Lyr+ but don't currently have the funds to buy both a Lyr+ and Bifrost 2/64. I was wondering if my DX7 will be a good enough DAC to run in the meanwhile if I purchase the Lyr+ and also if anyone may have had any experience of what type of upgrade the Bifrost 2/64 may bring to the table over my DX7 DAC.

Additionally.. I have considered going Bifrost 2/64 + Lyr + (since it's SS or Tube amp) OR going Bifrost 2/64 + Jot 2 + Valhalla 2 (running both XLR and RCA inputs on the DAC to each amp and having SS and OTL Tube amp for my HD800S and whatever else may work with it...). If anyone here has any experience with such a setup or a comparison.. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Last question.. Anyone had a chance to pair the last revision Bifrost 2 (non 2/64) with Lyr + ? Would be curious to know which Bifrost version is a better match to the Lyr + .. my understanding is that the 2/64 model is an overall upgrade as long as you don't have ear fatigue to the "improved highs" of the 2/64 version.

For now, I am thinking about just buying the Lyr + and running it with my DX7 DAC but am worried that it may not sound good without a good partner DAC like the Bifrost which is probably "tuned" to sound good with other products from Schiit.

Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions are much much appreciated, THANK YOU!

I would recommend buying the Lyr+ first and upgrading the DAC later - if you feel that you still need it. In my experience the amp makes a bigger difference to the sound than the DAC does.

 

[theeclone]

Really hoping to get a bit of advice here..

I am currently using a DX7 DAC/Amp combo (which I really really love) but have been wanting to jump into harder to drive headphones like the LCD-4 or HE6 so am going down the path of looking for something with more juice. The thought of tubes has always intrigued me and I've been wanting to try something that's better than your entry stuff. I am looking for something that can play nice with the majority of my gear so I think this is why I'm looking at a hybrid amp vs looking at OTL tube amps that generally only optimize with high impedance headphones. I also need the device to have "remote" functionality which further limits me to looking at something like this.

My current headphones: Focal Clear, Hifiman Arya (original), HD800S, Ether Flow 1.1, MDR-Z1R, LCD-X 2021, TH900's

Anyways.. I was thinking of purchasing a Bifrost 2/64 and running it with a Lyr+ but don't currently have the funds to buy both a Lyr+ and Bifrost 2/64. I was wondering if my DX7 will be a good enough DAC to run in the meanwhile if I purchase the Lyr+ and also if anyone may have had any experience of what type of upgrade the Bifrost 2/64 may bring to the table over my DX7 DAC.

Additionally.. I have considered going Bifrost 2/64 + Lyr + (since it's SS or Tube amp) OR going Bifrost 2/64 + Jot 2 + Valhalla 2 (running both XLR and RCA inputs on the DAC to each amp and having SS and OTL Tube amp for my HD800S and whatever else may work with it...). If anyone here has any experience with such a setup or a comparison.. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Last question.. Anyone had a chance to pair the last revision Bifrost 2 (non 2/64) with Lyr + ? Would be curious to know which Bifrost version is a better match to the Lyr + .. my understanding is that the 2/64 model is an overall upgrade as long as you don't have ear fatigue to the "improved highs" of the 2/64 version.

For now, I am thinking about just buying the Lyr + and running it with my DX7 DAC but am worried that it may not sound good without a good partner DAC like the Bifrost which is probably "tuned" to sound good with other products from Schiit.

Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions are much much appreciated, THANK YOU!

I'm personally more of a "source first" guy. To me multibits have always had a distinct experience, even in cheap-o setups. My Schiit journey started with the modi multibit, and in fairness I had a pretty decent harmon kardon receiver, but it was a thrift store find, and probably could've used a recap and cleaning. The speakers were nothing to write home about. But it was a night and day difference from the delta sigma dacs I've been exposed to.

These days I'm pretty addicted to the lyr 3 in high gain sound, but if I had to choose between it and my 2/64, I would choose the 2/64.

 

[XGeneX88]

I would recommend buying the Lyr+ first and upgrading the DAC later - if you feel that you still need it. In my experience the amp makes a bigger difference to the sound than the DAC does.

I think that makes sense since I can use the Lyr with my current DAC but can’t use the Bifrost with my dx7 due to lack of inputs (only output rca and xlr on my dac amp). Also.. the DX7 is supposed to already be a very high measuring delta sigma dac which is very well reviewed on ASR so that’s pretty good. I guess I’m just scared I might not like the pairing and decide it’s not worth my time since I’d have no way to hear it with the Bifrost which I feel would be a very different experience due to it being an R2R implementation.

 

[jonathan c]

I'm personally more of a "source first" guy.** To me multibits have always had a distinct experience, even in cheap-o setups. My Schiit journey started with the modi multibit, and in fairness I had a pretty decent harmon kardon receiver, but it was a thrift store find, and probably could've used a recap and cleaning. The speakers were nothing to write home about. But it was a night and day difference from the delta sigma dacs I've been exposed to.**

These days I'm pretty addicted to the lyr 3 in high gain sound, but if I had to choose between it and my 2/64, I would choose the 2/64.

** Of the same mind! While I have not had a Schiit DAC in my system, I ended my DAC search two+ years ago with a R2R one: Mojo Audio EVO Mystique. Before that, it was a number of ‘delta/sigma’ DACs with either AKM or ESS chips. The difference indeed is ‘night and day’. Source / upstream components set the bar for all the gear downstream.

 

[bgalakazam]

I enjoy the Gungnir Multibit combination with Lyr+. I upgraded from HD 598 then Grado PS 500e, Magni 2 then Magni 3, Modi D/S. Headphones made the most difference. Amp and dac about the same, with amp leading slightly. That's my experience though and I had the Gungnir for a while now (apparently they removed VCXO now). I wanted discrete analog section which Bifrost at the time didn't offer. Seems new Yggdrasil's don't offer it outside OG now too.

 

[XGeneX88]

So I think I'm pretty zeroed in on the Lyr + as my next amp and am trying to decide whether I want to purchase it with the stock tube or buy without tube and order some other tube of my choosing. Does anyone here have any experience with how the stock tube sounds vs other ones you may have tried? I guess my goal would be to use the amp in solid state mode when I want a cleaner / more analytical listen and then have a "warm/lush/euphonic" experience when I switch over to the tube mode. I'm not sure if the stock tube provides that or if I should just skip the stock and buy some other one from the get go. Any input, thoughts and tube suggestions would be much appreciated!

Been looking at the 6SN7GTB from Tung Sol and UK-6SN7 from PSVANE. Not sure if anyone here has tried either that could comment?

 

[jnak00]

Been looking at the 6SN7GTB from Tung Sol

That's the tube that came with my Lyr+

 

[XGeneX88]

That's the tube that came with my Lyr+

How do you like it? How does it compare vs solid state mode?

I read the Tung Sol is a quite good all-performer but I wonder if it’s warmer/richer etc.