[john57]

I already have a Blu-Ray burner in my PC which is also my DAW station and have two sets of Near-Field monitors with a 3D monitor. I do a lot of video streaming on the web. So I do not need the additional features of the OPPO. I did find that the Onkyo 3070 analog outputs have better sound quality that some of the outboard DAC's units I have. Great value in that aspect.

 

[UmustBKidn]

 
+1.  I tried my friend's Lyr with JJ tubes... HATED it. Afterwards, my friend got some Russion NOS tubes... better. Then he got his hands on some Amperex Orange Globes... yummmmmmm

 
At the risk of disagreeing with someone, I suggest getting your hands on as old a set of tubes as you can afford.
 
I've not personally tried tube rolling a Lyr. So I could be wrong. But my experience tube rolling my budget-fi amps, older tubes sound *SO* much better than anything new, that it is worth the time and money to invest in them. Especially when we're talking about a higher quality amp, I would not hesitate to hop onto ebay and start bidding on some vintage valves.

 

[NinjaHamster]

   
At the risk of disagreeing with someone, I suggest getting your hands on as old a set of tubes as you can afford.
 
I've not personally tried tube rolling a Lyr. So I could be wrong. But my experience tube rolling my budget-fi amps, older tubes sound *SO* much better than anything new, that it is worth the time and money to invest in them. Especially when we're talking about a higher quality amp, I would not hesitate to hop onto ebay and start bidding on some vintage valves.

Who are you disagreeing with ??  You just agreed with the poster you quoted in your response.  The Amperex Orange Globes were made from late 60's to early 70's ... but no please DON'T just buy the earliest tubes you can find ... buy the BEST early tubes you can afford !!  The Amperex Orange Globes are a great choice.

 

[UmustBKidn]

  Who are you disagreeing with ??  You just agreed with the poster you quoted in your response.  The Amperex Orange Globes were made from late 60's to early 70's ... but no please DON'T just buy the earliest tubes you can find ... buy the BEST early tubes you can afford !!  The Amperex Orange Globes are a great choice.

 
Yes, I agreed. And yes, Amperex orange globes are awesome.
 

 

[Amictus]

  Who are you disagreeing with ??  You just agreed with the poster you quoted in your response.  The Amperex Orange Globes were made from late 60's to early 70's ... but no please DON'T just buy the earliest tubes you can find ... buy the BEST early tubes you can afford !!  The Amperex Orange Globes are a great choice.

 
 

   
Yes, I agreed. And yes, Amperex orange globes are awesome.
 

Tube newbie question of the day: why are (good) older tubes better? There was a wider use of valves then, leading to more efficient production with economies of scale? The Lord Sauron stole the recipe?
 
Thank you for all this good advice - Ebay sounds a bit risky, though... still, in for a penny, in for a couple of hundred dollars.

 

[NinjaHamster]

   
 

Tube newbie question of the day: why are (good) older tubes better? There was a wider use of valves then, leading to more efficient production with economies of scale? The Lord Sauron stole the recipe?
 
Thank you for all this good advice - Ebay sounds a bit risky, though... still, in for a penny, in for a couple of hundred dollars.

LOL - I think you come closest with the "Sauron stole the recipe" bit.  Probably that they were more widely used back then, economies of scale, quantity of research and design, quality control at the factories - some say their metallurgy was better ... take your pick.  If you buy from a good seller (like "mercedesman6572") at least you won't get ripped off.  Check out the Lyr tube rollers" thread for my details before buying, and feel free to ask me any questions on there.
 
Here's a link to that thread - go nuts !!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/673709/schiit-lyr-tube-rollers

 

[thrillscience]

Just got a Valhalla and Bifrost.

This is my first venture into tubes in 30 years. I had tube equipment as a kid, (I'm 51) because that's what was in hand-me-downs from relatives, etc. But as an adult, all the equipment I purchased was solid state.
 
So now that I'm all grown up and have a few extra dollars, I decided to stick my toes into the world of head-fi. I got a Grado RS1i, and the Schiit Amplifier / DAC and am very pleased. I'm re-listening to everything, and it's amazing what I'm hearing; things I never knew were in the music. (I listen to Classical and Jazz, and a lot of piano, as I'm a pianist myself.)
 
I don't have experience with other equipment, but I think I made a reasonable choice starting out.

 

[jaywillin]

  Just got a Valhalla and Bifrost.

This is my first venture into tubes in 30 years. I had tube equipment as a kid, (I'm 51) because that's what was in hand-me-downs from relatives, etc. But as an adult, all the equipment I purchased was solid state.
 
So now that I'm all grown up and have a few extra dollars, I decided to stick my toes into the world of head-fi. I got a Grado RS1i, and the Schiit Amplifier / DAC and am very pleased. I'm re-listening to everything, and it's amazing what I'm hearing; things I never knew were in the music. (I listen to Classical and Jazz, and a lot of piano, as I'm a pianist myself.)
 
I don't have experience with other equipment, but I think I made a reasonable choice starting out.

i'd say you made a great starting point !
i worked my up to a lyr/bifrost(gen2., uber upgrade) with my rs1i , i'm a big schiit fan !!

 

[thrillscience]

 
i'd say you made a great starting point !
i worked my up to a lyr/bifrost(gen2., uber upgrade) with my rs1i , i'm a big schiit fan !!

 
I have to say, I really like the look of the Woo Wa7, but I wasn't able to hear one locally, and the niceness of the glass cube is offset by the power supply brick. Maybe if I get a second amp for the office!

 

[Amictus]

 
I think that you will reach that point of dismissing returns and in some cases just a different sonic “flavor“ of sound. I think that the only point with a more expensive unit is to add more features like the OPPO.

Yes, I am thinking of getting the Oppo BDP 103 for its flexibility. The Onkyo that people mention has lots of reliability issues reported on Amazon. I know a friend with a BDP 105, and that sounds fine... I'm also going to drop into a hi-fi shop locally to talk about a couple of CD transports, but I do value the possibility of playing SACDs...

 

[Amictus]

   
You may also want to consider the Bottlehead Crack for the HD 650's.

Dear UmustBKidn - thanks for your advice, which I haven't ignored. The Crack is on the list! I don't have time to build one at the moment, though. If the Lyr doesn't do it for me with the HD 650s, that will be my next port of call.

 

[jaywillin]

   
I should have mentioned, the Schitt I got was the Valhalla and the Bifrost.
 
I have to say, I really like the look of the Woo Wa7, but I wasn't able to hear one locally, and the niceness of the glass cube is offset by the power supply brick. Maybe if I get a second amp for the office!

yes , you did say vahalla, i ended up with the lyr, , i now have a burson soloist with the bifrost
this hobby have a way of making me want more ! lol
sorry for your wallet !

 

[john57]

 
Yes, I am thinking of getting the Oppo BDP 103 for its flexibility. The Onkyo that people mention has lots of reliability issues reported on Amazon. I know a friend with a BDP 105, and that sounds fine... I'm also going to drop into a hi-fi shop locally to talk about a couple of CD transports, but I do value the possibility of playing SACDs...

If you compare the Onkyo to the best seller the Sony CDP-CE500 on Amazon you will find that the Onkyo is much more reliable than the Sony. I looked at the internal pictures of the Onkyo and it basically better built as compared to other I have seen. I would agreed that the OPPO has better reliability than either. I have a few SACD disks but the market is very small and I do not see that will ever grow much and you would have to consider the fact that people buying physical disks are shrinking. Good luck in your endeavor! 

 

[Uchiya]

Grrrr...don't you just hate it when USPS is late on the "Expected Delivery" date?

 

[Megalith]

Does anyone have any cleaning advice? My Valhalla and Bifrost seem to be showing white streaks, which I figure might be oxidation.