[money4me247]

  So folks, recently I bought a LCD-2 (c'mon Audeze, just ship it already!). It's is my first "serious" headphone, but I still need an amp+dac combo.
 
Barrage of questions incoming...
 
1 - I like a warm and lush sound, so after some research, I narrowed my options to the Lyr 2 + Bifrost combo. Is it the best option? (I realize I'm asking this in a Schiit owners thread, lol)
 
2 - About the Bifrost, are the upgrades (uber analog + gen 2 usb) worth it?
 
3 - I'm also buying the cables there ( PYST RCA 6" + PYST USB A-B 1M), just for the sake of convenience, but for I also wonder if they are good.
 
4 - Lastly, what's the best (online) shop to to buy the mentioned combo? I only know Schiit's website. 
 
Thank you very much! Sorry for that many questions and for the any mistakes 

 
1) The most similar alternative to the Lyr 2 in this price range would be Garage1217's Project Ember hybrid tube amplifier. $325 for standard version, $$365 for version with supercharger (allows you to roll more powerful tubes).
 
2) You will get different subjective responses on this. I personally always like to max out my gear, so I would get it. However, differences are likely to be subtler than the claims as differences between DACs are generally a lot more subtle than differences between headphones. I think very few people really have done an objective blind ABx test between the two options, so you will not get a definite answer for this question. Depends on your budget & wants.
 
3) Cables don't make a difference. You can get PYST cables or cheap Monoprice cables. This is a debated topic though, so there are people here who do believe that cables make a difference. Scientifically speaking, there has not really been any conclusion studies showing audible gains from different cables. If you are staying within the budget bracket of cables (not going for fancy custom cables), it is unlikely that cables will make a difference unless you have a pair of defective or poorly made cables. Monoprice is pretty reputable. Even if you are in the "cables" make a difference camp, you will be needing to spend $100+ or more for one such cable & even cable believers recognize that cables would be the last thing in your chain to worry about. Order of importance for sound quality: Source>>> Headphones>>> Amps/Dacs >>> cables/other. (and amps/dacs are really for tuning the last 10-15% of your sound quality, so if cables maybe a sonic difference, it would be like 1% or less).
 
4) Best online store would be Schiit's website. You can consider purchasing from Amazon if you are a Prime member, want the 2-day shipping, and Amazon customer service (30 day hassle-free return policy). Schiit has a 15 return period with a restocking fee (I believe 10%).

 

[madwolfa]

  So folks, recently I bought a LCD-2 (c'mon Audeze, just ship it already!). It's is my first "serious" headphone, but I still need an amp+dac combo.
 
Barrage of questions incoming...
 
1 - I like a warm and lush sound, so after some research, I narrowed my options to the Lyr 2 + Bifrost combo. Is it the best option? (I realize I'm asking this in a Schiit owners thread, lol)
 
2 - About the Bifrost, are the upgrades (uber analog + gen 2 usb) worth it?
 
3 - I'm also buying the cables there ( PYST RCA 6" + PYST USB A-B 1M), just for the sake of convenience, but for I also wonder if they are good.
 
4 - Lastly, what's the best (online) shop to to buy the mentioned combo? I only know Schiit's website. 
 
Thank you very much! Sorry for that many questions and for the any mistakes 

 
1) Yes, however you could save some dough and get yourself an Asgard 2, which is more than plenty for LCD-2F. Up to you.
2) Yes.
3) Yes.
4) Buy directly from Schiit.

 

[MattTCG]

  So folks, recently I bought a LCD-2 (c'mon Audeze, just ship it already!). It's is my first "serious" headphone, but I still need an amp+dac combo.
 
Barrage of questions incoming...
 
1 - I like a warm and lush sound, so after some research, I narrowed my options to the Lyr 2 + Bifrost combo. Is it the best option? (I realize I'm asking this in a Schiit owners thread, lol)
 
2 - About the Bifrost, are the upgrades (uber analog + gen 2 usb) worth it?
 
3 - I'm also buying the cables there ( PYST RCA 6" + PYST USB A-B 1M), just for the sake of convenience, but for I also wonder if they are good.
 
4 - Lastly, what's the best (online) shop to to buy the mentioned combo? I only know Schiit's website. 
 
Thank you very much! Sorry for that many questions and for the any mistakes 

1. That combo is certainly a top tier choice for the lcd2.2 and IMO you could spend 2x as much and essentially have the same performance for that particular hp.
 
2. If it's in your budget I would definitely add those options. At least the uber upgrade and add the gen 2 upgrade later. You could start off with no usb if your budget is tight. I've had the bifrost since the early days and have upgraded it along the way. I was able to hear and appreciate each of those upgrades, so IMO it's worth it.
 
3. I believe that Signal makes those cables and the construction and performance is quite nice for the price.
 
4. I believe in buying direct from Schiit. Better than having to deal with a reseller if you have an issue.

 

[Eee Pee]

 
3. I believe that Signal makes those cables and the construction and performance is quite nice for the price.
 
 

 
Straight Wire. 

 

[MattTCG]

Thanks for the correction

 

[Eee Pee]

I'm impressed you mentioned Signal.  Seems rare.  I have some of his copper.  Got em mostly for the Eichmann connectors.

 

[TK277]

I would agree that buying direct and ordering the cables from them is the way to go. I believe in Schiit when it comes to Audeze. I used their PYST for about a year – perfect length for stacking. Get nice and comfortable with the system before looking for things to upgrade...going in with all the bells and whistles would be disorienting.
 
I was a nonbeliever in cables until I moved to Seattle. Then all the HeadFiers with boxes of cables available for me to play with changed my mind. That said, it's true that even if you build them yourself, you're looking at $100 in parts for power cables. You can't build a "nice" XLR cable for less than $100 either. I got my Oyaide XLRs on sale for $80 (vs $160). Not sure about USB as I'm still rocking an Amazon basics USB cable for now. YMMV.

 

[spykez]

 

  So folks, recently I bought a LCD-2 (c'mon Audeze, just ship it already!). It's is my first "serious" headphone, but I still need an amp+dac combo.
 
Barrage of questions incoming...
 
1 - I like a warm and lush sound, so after some research, I narrowed my options to the Lyr 2 + Bifrost combo. Is it the best option? (I realize I'm asking this in a Schiit owners thread, lol)
 
2 - About the Bifrost, are the upgrades (uber analog + gen 2 usb) worth it?
 
3 - I'm also buying the cables there ( PYST RCA 6" + PYST USB A-B 1M), just for the sake of convenience, but for I also wonder if they are good.
 
4 - Lastly, what's the best (online) shop to to buy the mentioned combo? I only know Schiit's website. 
 
Thank you very much! Sorry for that many questions and for the any mistakes 

1. That combo is certainly a top tier choice for the lcd2.2 and IMO you could spend 2x as much and essentially have the same performance for that particular hp.
 
2. If it's in your budget I would definitely add those options. At least the uber upgrade and add the gen 2 upgrade later. You could start off with no usb if your budget is tight. I've had the bifrost since the early days and have upgraded it along the way. I was able to hear and appreciate each of those upgrades, so IMO it's worth it.
 
3. I believe that Signal makes those cables and the construction and performance is quite nice for the price.
 
4. I believe in buying direct from Schiit. Better than having to deal with a reseller if you have an issue.

Schiit doesn't have any resellers. The only other place to get their stuff is used on ebay or through Schiit's own store on Amazon. If they have what you want on amazon that's the better alternative since you get 2 day shipping with prime, and you're still dealing with Schiit. Otherwise ordering from Schiit is expensive and slow. 12 bucks for my Asgard 2, ordered it Tuesday, shipped wednesdayand won't be here till next tuesday now

 

[scizzro]

  Schiit doesn't have any resellers. The only other place to get their stuff is used on ebay or through Schiit's own store on Amazon. If they have what you want on amazon that's the better alternative since you get 2 day shipping with prime. Otherwise ordering from Schiit is expensive and slow. 12 bucks for my Asgard 2, ordered it Tuesday, shipped wednesdayand won't be here till next tuesday now

Schiit has 5 authorized dealers between the USA/Canada. All the Amazon gear is marked up $30 or so, so although you don't get Prime, it's cheaper to buy direct. Expedited shipping is available from Schiit as well, which would probably bring the price up closer to the Amazon prices.

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
1) Yes, however you could save some dough and get yourself an Asgard 2, which is more than plenty for LCD-2F. Up to you.
2) Yes.
3) Yes.
4) Buy directly from Schiit.

I had an Asgard 2 and I thought it was toward the bright side?

 

[Groundzero]

Hi Everyone,
I have a situation I'm hoping you all can help with. I bought my significant other a Modi 2 / Magni 2 combo for christmas and since then I have had a couple chances to demo the Magni 2 with my Denon D7000s. The combo was so good, I went and bought myself an Asgard 2 thinking it would be even better, but it isn't. I've A/B compared the amps with the D7k and prefer the Magni every time. Everything from bass, to vocals, to detail sounds better on the Magni 2. The only area I would say the Asgard 2 is better would be sound stage. Now am I crazy or is this a case of the amp not matching the headphones? From the spec sheets I see the Magni 2 does 1.8w @ <0.2 ohm output impedance, where as the Asgard 2 does 1.0w @ 2.0 ohm output impedance. Research as shown me that low impedance headphones pair better with low output impedance. However, the same research also said anything under 3 ohms output would be fine. 
 
I was thinking of possibly using the 15 day guarantee to "upgrade" to a Magni 2 Uber from the Asgard 2, but am looking for some input.
 
Another option would be a Lyr 2, but I'm a little weary of using a tube amp (even a hybrid) as an everyday amp for watching movies and gaming in addition to music. Does anyone do this without issues?
 
Thanks

 

[scizzro]

 
Another option would be a Lyr 2, but I'm a little weary of using a tube amp (even a hybrid) as an everyday amp for watching movies and gaming in addition to music. Does anyone do this without issues?

Whenever I'm not in the mood for serious listening, I take out my good tubes and roll in the stocks. They are rated for 5k hours and only cost $20. Whether you'll be able to notice a difference between Magni and Lyr, not sure. With my middle of the road headphones, I have a rough time telling the two apart.

 

[money4me247]

Hi Everyone,
I have a situation I'm hoping you all can help with. I bought my significant other a Modi 2 / Magni 2 combo for christmas and since then I have had a couple chances to demo the Magni 2 with my Denon D7000s. The combo was so good, I went and bought myself an Asgard 2 thinking it would be even better, but it isn't. I've A/B compared the amps with the D7k and prefer the Magni every time. Everything from bass, to vocals, to detail sounds better on the Magni 2. The only area I would say the Asgard 2 is better would be sound stage. Now am I crazy or is this a case of the amp not matching the headphones? From the spec sheets I see the Magni 2 does 1.8w @ <0.2 ohm output impedance, where as the Asgard 2 does 1.0w @ 2.0 ohm output impedance. Research as shown me that low impedance headphones pair better with low output impedance. However, the same research also said anything under 3 ohms output would be fine. 

I was thinking of possibly using the 15 day guarantee to "upgrade" to a Magni 2 Uber from the Asgard 2, but am looking for some input.

Another option would be a Lyr 2, but I'm a little weary of using a tube amp (even a hybrid) as an everyday amp for watching movies and gaming in addition to music. Does anyone do this without issues?

Thanks

i use the lyr2 for daily usage with movies, gaming, music and everything. no issues so far. tubes have a shelf life of some thousand of hours. forgot the exact number.

howeva, if u like the magni 2 uber u cld save some money

 

[Wildcatsare1]

  Hi Everyone,
I have a situation I'm hoping you all can help with. I bought my significant other a Modi 2 / Magni 2 combo for christmas and since then I have had a couple chances to demo the Magni 2 with my Denon D7000s. The combo was so good, I went and bought myself an Asgard 2 thinking it would be even better, but it isn't. I've A/B compared the amps with the D7k and prefer the Magni every time. Everything from bass, to vocals, to detail sounds better on the Magni 2. The only area I would say the Asgard 2 is better would be sound stage. Now am I crazy or is this a case of the amp not matching the headphones? From the spec sheets I see the Magni 2 does 1.8w @ <0.2 ohm output impedance, where as the Asgard 2 does 1.0w @ 2.0 ohm output impedance. Research as shown me that low impedance headphones pair better with low output impedance. However, the same research also said anything under 3 ohms output would be fine. 
 
I was thinking of possibly using the 15 day guarantee to "upgrade" to a Magni 2 Uber from the Asgard 2, but am looking for some input.
 
Another option would be a Lyr 2, but I'm a little weary of using a tube amp (even a hybrid) as an everyday amp for watching movies and gaming in addition to music. Does anyone do this without issues?
 
Thanks

I would contact Schiit, they are great about working with Customers. I ended up upgrading a Valhalla to a Lyr 2. Love the Lyr Amp, with Voskhod Tubes. Though for semi-portable it's on the big and hot side, probably be better for non-desktop listening.

 

[Tuco1965]

Yeah there's something about the Lyr and Voskhods.  A great match for sure.