Schiit Lyr+ : Impressions Thread

[Schuie Driver]

I'm johnny new guy and started an account here to chime in:
I just got a Lyr+ in Nov 2022 and returned it to have a popping/low gain right channel repaired. Just got it back after the repair and after about 5h use it failed altogether, with no audio output. It then got very hot and started making a burning smell. Trying to decide whether to stick with Lyr or not - third time's a charm? I'd welcome input on this.

Man, sorry to hear about that. I don't own a Lyr+ myself, but a friend of mine does and I've been listening to his impressions of the amp so far as well as following this thread to see if it would be one I'd consider purchasing in the future to pair with my HFM Ananda's (and hopefully soon to be Arya's). In terms of "sticking with it", I guess the question ultimately becomes whether or not you potentially like the sound enough to work through some of these kinks as I'm sure Schiit would repair/replace the unit under their warranty.

 

[MarkF786]

Any recommendations for a US dealer of Psvane and Shuguang tubes?

Warning: avoid HiFiPartStore.com in China. I placed a ~$200 order with them a few weeks ago, then they emailed me saying there were delivery issues and asked for my phone number. I replied to them, and sent several emails checking the status but they never responded, so I started a PayPal dispute. They offered to refund me $0.37! From prior experience, the PayPal disputes can carry on for weeks to month, and their buyer protection isn't very good.

 

[Reputator]

Any recommendations for a US dealer of Psvane and Shuguang tubes?

Warning: avoid HiFiPartStore.com in China. I placed a ~$200 order with them a few weeks ago, then they emailed me saying there were delivery issues and asked for my phone number. I replied to them, and sent several emails checking the status but they never responded, so I started a PayPal dispute. They offered to refund me $0.37! From prior experience, the PayPal disputes can carry on for weeks to month, and their buyer protection isn't very good.

I bought mine (Psvane) from vivatubes.com after someone linked to them earlier in this thread. No problems whatsoever, easy-peasy transaction. Good prices too from what I can tell.

They don't have Shuguang but they have Linlai, Electro-Harmonix, and a few NOS tubes.

 

[Reputator]

I had a weird theory on the failing Lyrs that I feel like expressing.

Not the sticking buttons, but the overheating, and blown output stage that a few of us have had. Does anyone think it could be caused by a bad batch of the supplied Tung-Sol tubes?

Reason I thought of this is because the first time my Lyr+ went bad, it was because I inserted the tube wrong. Left channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Second time it went bad it was random. It overheated and then the right channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Interesting how the symptoms were so similar.

How many of the people using and enjoying the Lyr+ without issue actually stuck with the stock Tung-Sol tube? I noticed a lot of them were using their own tube. Is there a way, say with a multimeter, for a person to check if a tube has shorts or faults without a tube tester?

 

[unit335]

I had a weird theory on the failing Lyrs that I feel like expressing.

Not the sticking buttons, but the overheating, and blown output stage that a few of us have had. Does anyone think it could be caused by a bad batch of the supplied Tung-Sol tubes?

Reason I thought of this is because the first time my Lyr+ went bad, it was because I inserted the tube wrong. Left channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Second time it went bad it was random. It overheated and then the right channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Interesting how the symptoms were so similar.

How many of the people using and enjoying the Lyr+ without issue actually stuck with the stock Tung-Sol tube? I noticed a lot of them were using their own tube. Is there a way, say with a multimeter, for a person to check if a tube has shorts or faults without a tube tester?

I had the stock tube. Tung-Sol 6SN7, inserted firmly. Failure mode appears to be blown output stage, same symptoms as you followed by total output failure and overheating post-repair at Schiit.

 

[PoSR77]

I bought mine (Psvane) from vivatubes.com after someone linked to them earlier in this thread. No problems whatsoever, easy-peasy transaction. Good prices too from what I can tell.

They don't have Shuguang but they have Linlai, Electro-Harmonix, and a few NOS tubes.

x2. Don't remember if I've purchased from them in the past, but I bought this tube specifically for the Lyr3+ and it came quickly, well packed, works fine (even if the Lyr+ doesn't), etc.

 

[Reputator]

x2. Don't remember if I've purchased from them in the past, but I bought this tube specifically for the Lyr3+ and it came quickly, well packed, works fine (even if the Lyr+ doesn't), etc.

I thought you got yours to work?

 

[PoSR77]

I had a weird theory on the failing Lyrs that I feel like expressing.

Not the sticking buttons, but the overheating, and blown output stage that a few of us have had. Does anyone think it could be caused by a bad batch of the supplied Tung-Sol tubes?

Reason I thought of this is because the first time my Lyr+ went bad, it was because I inserted the tube wrong. Left channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Second time it went bad it was random. It overheated and then the right channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Interesting how the symptoms were so similar.

How many of the people using and enjoying the Lyr+ without issue actually stuck with the stock Tung-Sol tube? I noticed a lot of them were using their own tube. Is there a way, say with a multimeter, for a person to check if a tube has shorts or faults without a tube tester?

I didn't order with the stock tubes (I ordered the Psvane 6SN7-UK Black Plates Gold Pin tube, brand new, as mentioned above). All of my problems were directly related to face plate/button/chassis alignment; there has been no channel problems or anything else: just modes (switching stages, switching gain) not working via either buttons or the remote or the unit powering on but giving out no sound at all ("bricked").

Given that Schiit products have always been a gamble (from my own experience, as well as some people I have recommended their products to with the heavy caveat that they may fail more than other brands, and what I've read ad nauseam on various forums for as long as Schiit has been around) I knowingly took a risk and lost this one. Never again.

 

[PoSR77]

I thought you got yours to work?

Well, I suppose I meant it didn't work fine, which, for me, is not a product "working fine" no matter how long it "works fine" after it's "fixed". Working fine means you plug it in and hook it up and it runs and that's that for a reasonable lifetime. Like a refrigerator.

 

[BowWazoo]

Everything works fine for me (except for you "click story").
I am totally thrilled with the sound. Only the white LEDs I still have to dim...

 

[MarkF786]

I had a weird theory on the failing Lyrs that I feel like expressing.

Not the sticking buttons, but the overheating, and blown output stage that a few of us have had. Does anyone think it could be caused by a bad batch of the supplied Tung-Sol tubes?

Reason I thought of this is because the first time my Lyr+ went bad, it was because I inserted the tube wrong. Left channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Second time it went bad it was random. It overheated and then the right channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Interesting how the symptoms were so similar.

How many of the people using and enjoying the Lyr+ without issue actually stuck with the stock Tung-Sol tube? I noticed a lot of them were using their own tube. Is there a way, say with a multimeter, for a person to check if a tube has shorts or faults without a tube tester?

I didn't use the stock Tung-Sol but rather a Raytheon tube I was using in my Lyr 3 (and used again in my Ly3 while waiting for a new Lyr+). The tube works fine in my new Lyr+.

 

[classfolkphile]

I have had mine since Wednesday but didn't hook it up until Thursday. I've run it 10 hours or so a day since then without any problems. The first day in SS mode without a tube installed and since then with a NOS Westinghouse 6SN7. Aside from switching early on to high gain and switching to tube mode the next day, I haven't used any other buttons, but those worked smoothly.

I've had in my systems for a good while, or owned, a Magni, Modi 3, Modi MB, Bifrost, Bifrost MB, Asgard 3, and now for the last several days, a Modi MB 2, Bifrost 2/64, and the Lyr+ running 10 hours a day. No problems with any of them stretching over several years. Here's hoping I haven't jinxed myself.

 

[tafens]

Not the sticking buttons, but the overheating, and blown output stage that a few of us have had. Does anyone think it could be caused by a bad batch of the supplied Tung-Sol tubes?

Possibly, but my best guess would be that some other component in the output stage might have been out of spec from the manufacturer. Tubes are pretty sturdy things, and once culled for bad apples usually work reliably in the long run.

Reason I thought of this is because the first time my Lyr+ went bad, it was because I inserted the tube wrong. Left channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Second time it went bad it was random. It overheated and then the right channel blew and became crackly/staticy. Interesting how the symptoms were so similar.

If you don’t mind my asking, how did you get the tube in the wrong way? There should be a keyway on the thick middle peg on the tube (dead center between the metal pins) that must be lined up with a matching notch in the socket, as to only make it possible to insert the tube the correct way. Was it broken off on your tube?

How many of the people using and enjoying the Lyr+ without issue actually stuck with the stock Tung-Sol tube? I noticed a lot of them were using their own tube. Is there a way, say with a multimeter, for a person to check if a tube has shorts or faults without a tube tester?

Yes, you can make sure there is continuity only between the heater pins and no other pins. The heater is connected to pins 7 and 8 counting clockwise from the notch with the pins facing toward you. This should make sure there isn’t a cold dead short in the tube, and that the heater isn’t open, but there might still be other issues that you’d need a tube tester to find like interelement leakages and such.


I see pin numbers are marked on the base of this new production Tung-Sol 6SN7, that’s nice

 

[Reputator]

If you don’t mind my asking, how did you get the tube in the wrong way? There should be a keyway on the thick middle peg on the tube (dead center between the metal pins) that must be lined up with a matching notch in the socket, as to only make it possible to insert the tube the correct way. Was it broken off on your tube?

It's surprisingly easy to insert it wrong. The socket they use seems to be soft enough that you can just jam it in the wrong way with only a little more force than putting it in correctly. I even tried just lightly resting it in the socket and it will start to go down and touch the pins in any direction.

Yes, you can make sure there is continuity only between the heater pins and no other pins. The heater is connected to pins 7 and 8 counting clockwise from the notch with the pins facing toward you. This should make sure there isn’t a cold dead short in the tube, and that the heater isn’t open, but there might still be other issues that you’d need a tube tester to find like interelement leakages and such.


I see pin numbers are marked on the base of this new production Tung-Sol 6SN7, that’s nice

Cool! I'll check this out on mine. Thanks.

 

[ConfuMaleTitis]

I'm johnny new guy and started an account here to chime in:
I just got a Lyr+ in Nov 2022 and returned it to have a popping/low gain right channel repaired. Just got it back after the repair and after about 5h use it failed altogether, with no audio output. It then got very hot and started making a burning smell. Trying to decide whether to stick with Lyr or not - third time's a charm? I'd welcome input on this.

I had similar issues with the Lyr+ - I received mine late Nov '22, and 3 weeks later it, "blew" - basically loud pop and that's it. I could feel the power supply vibrate when switched on, but no lights, nothing..tube or not. Sent it back, a few weeks later got it back and it wasn't even put together right - the cover corner slot screw was riding above the slot, and the casing was crooked so no longer sat flat. I later realized the remote control no longer worked the volume as a result. Schiit offered to replace it and/ or refund it, but I didn't spend the money and a bunch of time comparing with other products to end up 6 weeks in starting over or waiting another 2 weeks for something that would possibly end up having its' own problems. I ended up pulling the cover off and reseating the slot screw(s), and everything was fine about 3m later.

I was assured that would never ever happen during repair. Well, it did - and about that same time I realized one of the power supply board screws (on the bottom) is completely stripped. It won't come out or go in, just spins...and I know for certain it wasn't like that before for other reasons.

I decided to keep it given the time I've invested in it and the detail/ soundstage, though I use it stricly as a preamp to a Burson Soloist since the latter has more depth and layering, and warms up the overall result (with a bit more power too). Someday I will find the alternative to the Schiit gear and sell it to someone 2nd-hand. I don't think I'll buy more Schiit gear at this point - it's just not worth the hassle.