[Armaegis]

  The reason I decided to dive in and spend some cash is because I'm an aspiring mixing engineer, and will be primarily mixing on headphones for a while (until I have afford the right room treatment and right monitors). It's direly important for me to hear every nuance of the music, thus I feel as though it's justified. I've never even heard of this website or even headphone amps/DAC's until I decided I needed to get some good headphones for mixing! Normally, I probably would have never dropped this amount of money on headphones, or anything else to listen to music, regardless of how much of a music lover I am.

 
If your budget is limited, put your money into an interface that has a reasonable headphone output and a modded Fostex T50rp. Save your money for the monitors etc. If you'll be on headphones for a while, a couple different ones wouldn't hurt (but again that chips into the budget) and speaker/room emulation plugins will be your friend.

 

[theseaminer]

Foster T50rp huh? I just bought a Scarlett 18i20 to suffice as an interface that can also record a full kit if it came down to it. Drums really only sound as good as the room they are recorded in, so having some room treatment will also help justify that as well. I'm not necessarily extremely strapped for cash, so it helps open up my options a bit until I start getting steady clients.

 

[Armaegis]

Oh, sorry I shouldn't just assume that people getting into the hobby are on a tight budget. I was actually thinking of recommending the Focusrite Saffire 24 Pro DSP since it has a built-in room emulator which is quite good (I have the standalone VRMbox).
 
I recommended the Fostex T50rp since it is a planar magnetic driver which renderes it mostly immune to the effect of high output impedance which is commonly found in "pro" audio devices (which with the majority of "voice coil" headphones will cause a bump in the midbass response). The Fostex is also affordable at $100-ish and $25 worth of mods can bring it to a pretty good reference level for mixing purposes.

 

[theseaminer]

Oh, sorry I shouldn't just assume that people getting into the hobby are on a tight budget. I was actually thinking of recommending the Focusrite Saffire 24 Pro DSP since it has a built-in room emulator which is quite good (I have the standalone VRMbox).

I recommended the Fostex T50rp since it is a planar magnetic driver which renderes it mostly immune to the effect of high output impedance which is commonly found in "pro" audio devices (which with the majority of "voice coil" headphones will cause a bump in the midbass response). The Fostex is also affordable at $100-ish and $25 worth of mods can bring it to a pretty good reference level for mixing purposes.

Yeah, I was looking at the Sapphire, but I don't use Firewire, so decided to go with the Scarlett. You into mixing?

 

[Byronb]

  Hi everyone.
 
I'm hoping to get some advice regarding which Schiit amp to pull the trigger on. I've recently purchased myself a pair of HD 650's and am looking to find an amp that will bring out the most of their latent potential.
 
My current setup is the following:
MP3s (320kbps) & FLACs --> Foobar2000 --> Xonar ST (also own E17) --> HD 650 (and AD700)
 
I'm currently considering getting either the Valhalla or the Lyr. I know the Valhalla should complement the HD650's pretty well, however I'm leaning towards the Lyr due to the increased versatility with other phones and the increased power and sound stage.
 
My usage patterns is mostly for gaming and for listening to music and I don't really want to compromise on either. From what I understand, the Valhalla will excel for music applications, whereas for gaming the Lyr should be better due to the increased sound stage/headroom (please correct me if i'm speaking nonsense, I'm new to all these audiophile terms).
 
Taking money out of the equation, which of the two would you recommend?

Being an owner of the Valhalla, and some decent exposure to the BHC, I would say you can't go wrong either way. I personally like the having the knowledge that the Schiit stuff is backed some really great people. I know I am not left to the wolves after my purchase and I don't have to search on forums to figure out what I may have screwed up in the process of putting the kit together. 

 

[Armaegis]

Yeah, I was looking at the Sapphire, but I don't use Firewire, so decided to go with the Scarlett. You into mixing?

 
Not really. Small-time editing and production/radio work, a bit of DJ'ing, and using those as excuses to buy more gear

 

[Amictus]

The reassuringly heavy Lyr has arrived, as have the cables from Russ Andrews.

 

[Tuco1965]

Yeah it definitely has some heft to it. Time to put some hours on it now.  

 

[WraithZA]

  The reassuringly heavy Lyr has arrived, as have the cables from Russ Andrews.

Let us know what you think of the Lyr/650 pairing .
 
Also what tubes are you using with the Lyr?

 

[dgriffter]

Absolutely loving the Lyr/650 pairing with some early bugle boys 

 

[Amictus]

  Yeah it definitely has some heft to it. Time to put some hours on it now.  

 
 

  Let us know what you think of the Lyr/650 pairing .
 
Also what tubes are you using with the Lyr?

Well, first of all, it's great to be a Schiit-carrying member of this forum now. I have carried out two upgrades almost simultaneously. The Kimber Kable Silver Streak interconnect hit my system yesterday, replacing perfectly respectable interconnect by Chord. Foobar2000 --> Audiolab M-DAC --> Lovely Cube SS --> HD650 and Q701. The difference was astonishing: focus, separation, clean transients... you name it. I am told that the interconnect makes the least difference, but this was some least difference! Astounding! So, the Lyr arrives today (a day late). It has had three and half hours of burn-in. The tubes are the NOS Tungsram ECC85 currently offered as an upgrade.
 
My impressions of the sound so far (too early - I know!) The AKG Q701s are greatly helped by the Lyr, but still have their brittle treble moments. They are better at what they are good at and worse (much) at what they are bad at. The sound on the HD650s is a little muffled, but with lots of promise concerning subtlety in conveying transients etc. I can also detect a widening of the soundstage. At the moment I miss the hit of the SS amp, but there is everything to play for. I don't know where to go from here with the tube-rolling. I'm classical, with lots of big orchestral sounds, but also lieder. Also Tom Waits. I'm complicated, what can I tell you? Wagner, Mahler, Bruckner, Schubert, Berg, Tom Waits. You got a problem with that?
 
There is a lack of immediacy with HD650s at the moment. That's where we are after, now, four hours. I have just listened to Schoenberg's Herzgewächse sung by Christine Schäfer and conducted by Boulez, however. I was grateful for the lack of immediacy! With continued thanks to the community for your help, support and advice. May the Schiit be with you!

 

[dailydoseofdaly]

Well, first of all, it's great to be a Schiit-carrying member of this forum now. I have carried out two upgrades almost simultaneously. The Kimber Kable Silver Streak interconnect hit my system yesterday, replacing perfectly respectable interconnect by Chord. Foobar2000 --> Audiolab M-DAC --> Lovely Cube SS --> HD650 and Q701. The difference was astonishing: focus, separation, clean transients... you name it. I am told that the interconnect makes the least difference, but this was some least difference! Astounding! So, the Lyr arrives today (a day late). It has had three and half hours of burn-in. The tubes are the NOS Tungsram ECC85 currently offered as an upgrade.

I haven't been on the schiit site in a minute but is that what they are currently offering as the tube upgrade, didn't see it on there?

 

[Amictus]

I haven't been on the schiit site in a minute but is that what they are currently offering as the tube upgrade, didn't see it on there?

 
When I ordered the Lyr, they came up as an option (+$50). I consulted them about what I was after and Nick T. gave the following advice:
 
"Lyr is magic with the Q701s, while Valhalla will struggle. HD650 is a tossup—Valhalla is slightly more open and holographic, but I’d take Lyr’s power and control.
 
If you go with Lyr, get the Tungsram tubes while we have a few left."

 

[sceleratus]

my 2 cents...
LaRadioTechnique (RTC) E1CC88 mid 1960
Amperex USN-CEP 6922 mid 1960's
Orange Globes.
 This eBay seller is amazing.  Mercedesman backs his glass 100%
That's incredible when the product is 40 years old.  Ask anyone on the tube rolling thread.

 

[Amictus]

Can't see that one. What about the other Orange Globes? Bugle Boy?