Quote:
Hello all, just joined the forum after picking up an HD 650 (and annoying my wife with the open back design which is part of the allure). Love the headphones, but I've only been listening to them through a NuForce Icon-2 that I plan on returning. I am awaiting delivery of a Bifrost and Valhalla, but with all the talk of the Lyr (I waffled pretty bad between Valhalla and Lyr) makes me wonder if I made the right decision.
I suppose the best remedy is to just listen to the Valhalla as much as a I can and if I'm not a fan try out the Lyr? Is there anything I would specifically be missing with the Valhalla over the Lyr? I should note I have never listened to a tube amp either with full size loudspeakers or headphones.
My take, and
my personal opinions only regarding Schiit Lyr and Valhalla.
Not sure if you will be missing anything choosing the Valhalla with just the HD-650. But IMO the Lyr is more versatile spec-wise than the Valhalla in case you change headphones or use the unit as a preamp.
Zout=25 ohms as compared to 1 ohm for the Lyr - for best result on the Valhalla, headphones paired with it should not go below 250 ohms(HD-650 is from 300 to 530 if I recall correctly). The Lyr, has more flexibility range-wise, as per spec, it will perform as designed as long as the impedance is not lower than 8 Ohms(even a 16 ohm speakers with mid sensitivity of 95-96 dB will probably be okay to drive).
Power=30 Vpp(~2W, 33 dB) for the Valhalla and (36dB, ~4W) for the Lyr. IMO, not only the Lyr provides much higher headroom but will also drive amps, if use as a preamp, much better than the Valhalla because it can sink more current to the load. Also, on preamp use, the OTL is more "sensitive" to impedance swing of the load compared to other amplifier topologies if I am not mistaken.
I have an OTL amp that I love (not the Valhalla) and of course the Lyr/Bifrost combo. My 40-60 ohms headphone although sounds good with OTL amp, I feel that it can be improved at times but with the Lyr, it sounds exceptional to me. If I do not listen to rock and pop, OTL amp is more than enough for me as it is smooth and "tubey". For me, IMHO, even if I only have the HD650, I find the Lyr a much sound(no pun intended!) investment because of what it has that the Valhalla does not in terms of power. As for "smooth and more info on the top", the Lyr is a chameleon with the tubes being use on them. IME, I would say that you can get both the "smoother" and "higher detail" presentation but with much better bass grip by finding the right tubes for the Lyr tailored to your preference.
Again, what I wrote above is my "personal take" only of course. Whatever you decide to get, I am sure it will be fun with the HD-650!
**My Schiit amp/DAC combo below using Herbie's Tenderfoot that I bought from my old speaker project before. I choose them over isolation cones (as I got plenty of those of different sizes from StillPoints up to BDR Racing cones) for the ease, stability, and convenience it provides when plugging and un-plugging headphones.
Cheers
