[Jason Stoddard]

  I'd like to share my experience with the Schiit Lyr. I decided to order one last December. I paid 450$ for the unit + 60$ for EU shipping + 150$ for import charges. This was the maximum acceptable cost for me and I was fine with it, at least I knew I will be getting something great, that will serve me for years and with many headphones. Oh man was I wrong...
 
After 3 weeks I finally got my unit, it had beautiful black finish, with stock tubes I was very much looking forward to using. I set it up and plugged in my headphones to enjoy some music. I pretty much instantly noticed something was wrong with the sound. Every 30s or so there was slight crackling/ electrical sound coming from the right channel. This was driving me crazy, the amp was impossible to listen to. I wanted to check what the problem was, so I tried different headphones, different plugs, sources, I swapped the tubes, I even took it to the bathroom in case it was an electrical disturbance. None of it helped, the problem was the amp so I had to contact Schiit about it.
 
They accepted my amp for a repair, but I had to pay for the shipping... After a couple of weeks they received my unit and repaired it very quickly. They did not want to say what was wrong and they already shipped it back (on their expense). 3 weeks later I got the repaired amp back. While putting the tubes together I noticed one of them looking very used, it was in bad condition. While inserting said tube there was a *crack*- the tube broke. I contacted Schiit about this and received the only positive experience in this mess - they apologized and sent me a replacement tube free of charge.
 
It took 3 more weeks for the tube to finally reach me, I could now finally test the repaired amp. Unfortunately, the amp was not repaired at all, if anything it was worse. Sure, the original crackle was a bit less noticeable but there was a considerable amount of pink noise present at all times. I contacted Schiit about it asking for an explanation and a possible money-back. They accepted the money-back offer and added: "If you want to go that way," Yeah, as if I had a choice...
 
So, couple of weeks after shipping the amp back, at my own cost, I contacted them asking if they received the unit. Turns out they did and they sent me my refund shortly after. A bit weird that they just happened to notice it after I contacted them, but whatever, at least I got my 450$ back.
 
All in all, I lost 2 months and 24 days of not having a working product I ordered. I also lost 330$ in shipping and import cost.
 
This is by far the worst experience I've had with any company ever and if you're deciding between Schiit and something else maybe go for that something else. Sometimes, Schiit is just exactly what it sounds like.

 
I'm sorry you had a bad experience. Please contact alex@schiit.com and we will refund your shipping costs. Import duties you should be able to claim back, as you no longer have the product.
 
I remember Nick working on a black Lyr (there aren't too many of them), but I don't remember what was wrong with it, if anything. If it's an intermittent problem, it can sometimes simply be RF interference from a cellphone, which we usually can't replicate. If it's hiss, it could be bad tubes, or simply efficient headphones revealing the noise floor of the Lyr. What headphones were you using with it? Lyr simply isn't suitable for highly efficient headphones, I'm afraid.

 

[TontonJoK]

Well done !!
If Schiit audio does refund at least the 180 $ shipping it would be very kind !

It's rare to get that from anywhere else

 

[TranceDude]

   
I'm sorry you had a bad experience. Please contact alex@schiit.com and we will refund your shipping costs. Import duties you should be able to claim back, as you no longer have the product.
 
I remember Nick working on a black Lyr (there aren't too many of them), but I don't remember what was wrong with it, if anything. If it's an intermittent problem, it can sometimes simply be RF interference from a cellphone, which we usually can't replicate. If it's hiss, it could be bad tubes, or simply efficient headphones revealing the noise floor of the Lyr. What headphones were you using with it? Lyr simply isn't suitable for highly efficient headphones, I'm afraid.

 
Hello, I just sent Alex an e-mail. Unfortunately the only way to claim the import duties back is to make temporary importation, which I of course didn't to as I didn't anticipate these problems (it's also not that simple).
 
I thought it could be an interference as well, so I tried using the amp in different rooms around the house and my office, but the problem was consistently present. I don't believe it was the tubes either, as swapping them made no difference. I was using AKG Q701 and HiFiman HE-400 with it, both of which got great (and superb) combo reviews. That's why it was the perfect amp for me to buy.

 

[TontonJoK]

Is it right about lyr 2, what would be the change log ??

 

[Maxvla]

I'd like to share my experience with the Schiit Lyr. I decided to order one last December. I paid 450$ for the unit + 60$ for EU shipping + 150$ for import charges. This was the maximum acceptable cost for me and I was fine with it, at least I knew I will be getting something great, that will serve me for years and with many headphones. Oh man was I wrong...

After 3 weeks I finally got my unit, it had beautiful black finish, with stock tubes I was very much looking forward to using. I set it up and plugged in my headphones to enjoy some music. I pretty much instantly noticed something was wrong with the sound. Every 30s or so there was slight crackling/ electrical sound coming from the right channel. This was driving me crazy, the amp was impossible to listen to. I wanted to check what the problem was, so I tried different headphones, different plugs, sources, I swapped the tubes, I even took it to the bathroom in case it was an electrical disturbance. None of it helped, the problem was the amp so I had to contact Schiit about it.

They accepted my amp for a repair, but I had to pay for the shipping... After a couple of weeks they received my unit and repaired it very quickly. They did not want to say what was wrong and they already shipped it back (on their expense). 3 weeks later I got the repaired amp back. While putting the tubes together I noticed one of them looking very used, it was in bad condition. While inserting said tube there was a *crack*- the tube broke. I contacted Schiit about this and received the only positive experience in this mess - they apologized and sent me a replacement tube free of charge.

It took 3 more weeks for the tube to finally reach me, I could now finally test the repaired amp. Unfortunately, the amp was not repaired at all, if anything it was worse. Sure, the original crackle was a bit less noticeable but there was a considerable amount of pink noise present at all times. I contacted Schiit about it asking for an explanation and a possible money-back. They accepted the money-back offer and added: "If you want to go that way," Yeah, as if I had a choice...

So, couple of weeks after shipping the amp back, at my own cost, I contacted them asking if they received the unit. Turns out they did and they sent me my refund shortly after. A bit weird that they just happened to notice it after I contacted them, but whatever, at least I got my 450$ back.

All in all, I lost 2 months and 24 days of not having a working product I ordered. I also lost 330$ in shipping and import cost.

This is by far the worst experience I've had with any company ever and if you're deciding between Schiit and something else maybe go for that something else. Sometimes, Schiit is just exactly what it sounds like.

I'm assuming you are not in the US, based on the delivery times and import duties. Your decision to purchase a product internationally means you will wait a long time for deliveries. This is not the fault of Schiit. This is something you agreed to when buying internationally. Besides the actual shipping taking longer there's the time spent in customs waiting for approval. This is all out of Schiit's control. Regarding return shipping being at your expense, this is standard practice, and I can't believe you were actually surprised by it.

You say Schiit attempted repair of the unit very quickly and sent it back. Then you say they later sent a tube when you contacted them, this being the only positive experience, when it clearly wasn't based on a quick communication and turn around on the repair prior, in addition to the no hassle refund when they received the amp. Notice you only gave them only 2 weeks to get the unit back before contacting about the refund, yet it took 3 weeks, both times, to receive items, yourself.

So no, this is not the worst experience you've ever had with a company. Whatever the problem with the amp, it seems to have been a dud, or not in agreement with your power/interference/whatever. The experience with the company, however, could not have been better. The aggravation in this case, I think, is due to the extended distance and thus time. Again we go back to where you agreed to this when purchasing a foreign product. International product support takes a long time, so you have to weigh that in your decision to buy in the first place. Had you been in the US or near a Schiit distributor, the wait time would have been less, and the shipping cost would have been significantly less (or perhaps free if dealing with a local distributor).

It's great, for you, that Jason is refunding your shipping costs. He's bailing you out on the risk you took. If I were you, in the future, I'd be looking for products local or at least regional before shopping halfway around the world.

 

[TontonJoK]

Why so much tubes amp from many companies in the world are affected by hiss or noise floor ??

For me it's a better selling point than over powered gear that claims to handle stuffs like HE 6

 

[TontonJoK]

. If I were you, in the future, I'd be looking for products local or at least regional before shopping halfway around the world.

Getting a product from around the world is a pure pleasure !!

When something goes wrong it's a pure hassle !!

Happily it doesn't happen that much

 

[BeyerMonster]

  I also lost 330$ in shipping and import cost.

Where do you live? Aren't import taxes something that can be refunded if you don't end up keeping an item? I would imagine paying something like an import tax on say a defective Ferrari would be ridiculously expensive and not something that should be incurred by anyone, regardless of income level.
 

  I'm sorry you had a bad experience. Please contact alex@schiit.com and we will refund your shipping costs.

Wow. That's going above and beyond. Now Jason and co are in the red for not actually selling you something.
 
*EDIT* Fix typo and read farther in the thread.

 

[jchandler3]

I totally understand that it was a frustrating experience, but I'm with Maxvla that it's really not Schiit's fault, rather crappy circumstances. Schiit tried everything to make it right. I'd say accept Jason Stoddard's generous (and wholly unnecessary) offer to cover shipping costs and call it a day.

Honestly, especially after Jason's offer, I'm now 100% sold on the Rag. What a stand up company. Come onnnnn paycheck.

 

[Tuco1965]

Awesome service Jason. Thumbs up!

 

[Nic Rhodes]

This is why I support companies like this in preference, their ''ethic'' is right as opposed to other companies / countries,

 

[TranceDude]

I'm assuming you are not in the US, based on the delivery times and import duties. Your decision to purchase a product internationally means you will wait a long time for deliveries. This is not the fault of Schiit. This is something you agreed to when buying internationally. Besides the actual shipping taking longer there's the time spent in customs waiting for approval. This is all out of Schiit's control. Regarding return shipping being at your expense, this is standard practice, and I can't believe you were actually surprised by it.

 
No, I'm not from the US, I am from EU. When I said that: "After 3 weeks I finally got the amp," I meant that I was excited to get it - just a week before my new HiFiman HE-400 arrived and I was really excited to try out the combo. I'm sure you can understand that. You're right, I was surprised about the return shipping being my responsibility as it couldn't have possibly been my fault the amp wasn't working.
 

You say Schiit attempted repair of the unit very quickly and sent it back. Then you say they later sent a tube when you contacted them, this being the only positive experience, when it clearly wasn't based on a quick communication and turn around on the repair prior, in addition to the no hassle refund when they received the amp. Notice you only gave them only 2 weeks to get the unit back before contacting about the refund, yet it took 3 weeks, both times, to receive items, yourself.

So no, this is not the worst experience you've ever had with a company. Whatever the problem with the amp, it seems to have been a dud, or not in agreement with your power/interference/whatever. The experience with the company, however, could not have been better. The aggravation in this case, I think, is due to the extended distance and thus time. 

 

I'm sorry but it's hard for me to talk about a fast repair being a good experience when the unit is still not working. A good experience would be them explaining what was wrong with it/ what they fixed, or in this case, telling me they can't find a fault and can offer me a refund. Instead they didn't even reply when I asked them that exact question. I also can't say the refund was a good experience when I got back less than 60 cents of a dollar I spent.
Also, I was just pointing out it's a bit strange they just happened to receive my package right after I sent them an e-mail asking about it. I got my refund, so I'm not blaming anybody, just mentioning.
 
Quote:

Again we go back to where you agreed to this when purchasing a foreign product. International product support takes a long time, so you have to weigh that in your decision to buy in the first place. Had you been in the US or near a Schiit distributor, the wait time would have been less, and the shipping cost would have been significantly less (or perhaps free if dealing with a local distributor).

 
You're missing my point. The problem weren't all the costs and the waiting, it was the fact that I didn't get what I wanted - an amp to power my 2 headphones and any new ones in the near future.
 

It's great, for you, that Jason is refunding your shipping costs. He's bailing you out on the risk you took. If I were you, in the future, I'd be looking for products local or at least regional before shopping halfway around the world.

 

Unfortunately there's no such local products, most of my audio equipment comes from abroad, if it is sold locally the price is usually unreasonably higher. Small market.
 
 
Anyway, I'd just like to say all I wanted was to post some honest feedback of what happened, I didn't expect others to get so fixated on the shipping aspect of all this, it's about the amp.

 

[fenderf4i]

If that was the worst experience I'd ever had with a company, I'd be pretty happy. The way they handled it is WHY I will continue to purchase from Schiit.

 

[Maxvla]

Anyway, I'd just like to say all I wanted was to post some honest feedback of what happened, I didn't expect others to get so fixated on the shipping aspect of all this, it's about the amp.

It's clear, by your initial post, that the time and expense was the majority of your complaint, as it comprised most of your post. Sentences such as below are at odds with your recent statement, a sentence important enough for its own paragraph.

 All in all, I lost 2 months and 24 days of not having a working product I ordered. I also lost 330$ in shipping and import cost.

If most of your post is about shipping time and costs, we're going to think that is what you were most concerned with. If it was about the amp, the post would have been shorter and to the point. "I ordered a Lyr, it had a problem. I sent it in for repair, it still had the problem. They sent me a tube, still had the problem. I got a refund." Something to that affect. This is quite a different tone than your post, and if the original post had been on topic, nobody would have had a problem with it. No company is perfect in that it never makes a bad product. You were simply the 'lucky' one who got the dud, and the company made good on the refund. All the extra shipping time and cost is an unfortunate consequence of lack of access.

It's odd that you posted a 'review' of the product when you never had a fully functional product with which to create a review. I've received products to review before that had problems, but I never reviewed them until the error was fixed, or a solution had been found to fix it afterwards, all while in constant contact with the company and/or distributor.

 

[TontonJoK]

putting apart the noise issue, how was the combo ??

Anyway, I'd just like to say all I wanted was to post some honest feedback of what happened, I didn't expect others to get so fixated on the shipping aspect of all this, it's about the amp.