[cyberridz]

Hi,
 
Wondering which amp would be better for the Hifiman HE400s and HE400i planar magnetic headphones, the Schiit Valhalla 2 or Schiit Lyr 2?
 
Also, has anyone compared these amplifiers with low impedance headphones such as Grados and AKGs (K701/2 and the K712)?
 
Thanks.

 

[PETEREK]

  Hi,
 
Wondering which amp would be better for the Hifiman HE400s and HE400i planar magnetic headphones, the Schiit Valhalla 2 or Schiit Lyr 2?
 
Also, has anyone compared these amplifiers with low impedance headphones such as Grados and AKGs (K701/2 and the K712)?
 
Thanks.

For Planarmagnetic headphones I tend to stay far away from tube amplifiers. Find something with a nice gain that can handle the load of the planars well. IMO, the Gustard H10 is the best you can get for planars under $400, well even under $800 from my personal experience. I use planars a lot, so I own the Gustard. 
 
Some claim it's a Violectric V200 clone, if that helps build any confidence for your purchase.

 

[superjawes]

Lyr for sure. Valhalla was designed to be all-tube, all the time. As a result, it is really good for high impedance, but not very good with low impedance cans. Lyr was just designed to have gobs of power, so it can do well with high and low impedance loads.

I tried my Valhalla 1 with my HE-400 (just for fun). It wasn't good.

 

[cyberridz]

The reason why I'm asking is that I am thinking of purchasing a new amp in the next few months and have shortlisted the Valhalla 2 and the Lyr 2. Again, the reason why is that I am running a Bifrost Uber and to be honest, after evaluating a lot of amps with the Schiit DACs, including the Violectric V90, which I am currently using at the moment, the Schiit stuff really needs to be paired with other Schiit stuff (i.e. Schiit DACs sound better with Schiit amplifiers in my opinion). The Violectric V90 just doesn't sound right with the Bifrost Uber, it sounds rather congested, closed and fuzzy with it.
 
My only worry is that if I do get the Valhalla 2, it might not be so versatile with planar magnetics and lower impedance headphones.

 

[PETEREK]

Lyr for sure. Valhalla was designed to be all-tube, all the time. As a result, it is really good for high impedance, but not very good with low impedance cans. Lyr was just designed to have gobs of power, so it can do well with high and low impedance loads.

I tried my Valhalla 1 with my HE-400 (just for fun). It wasn't good.

I'm not disagreeing with you one bit, but I want to voice that I tried my T50RP that I have used with all my amps I've ever owned on the Bottlehead Crack with Speedball (Tube amp OTL meant for high impedance headphones) and it could not handle the load of the planar drivers. It would not power them even half as much as they needed. 
 
I would venture into the forums of suggested amps that are mentioned here and ask again for reassurance that your headphones will pair well with those amps.
 
One Schiit amp I know would handle the T50RP was the Asgard 2. SOLID amp for the price. The Lyr and Valhalla may do just as well or better, or not as well. I have no idea. Make sure you do more research into each amp + your headphones before buying. With dynamic drivers, this isn't normally a problem but with planars it can be.

 

[cyberridz]

In terms of sound quality, I think I am leaning towards the Valhalla 2, as what I have read in the forums, the Valhalla 2 has more of a liquid sound and a wider soundstage than the Lyr 2, which I think I would prefer in terms of sound, but I am just worried that it won't be as versatile in driving anything below 50 Ohms - a pro for the Lyr 2. Anyone care to comment on this?
 
One thing I like about the Lyr 2 though is that it has less tubes to replace, so running costs will be cheaper on the Lyr 2. That's the only plus I see with the Lyr 2.

 

[superjawes]

My only worry is that if I get the Valhalla 2, it might not be so versatile with planar magnetics and lower impedance headphones.

That's a well founded concern. If you're set on Schiit, get the Lyr. Hey, you can even get a pair of LISSTs and have a pure-SS amp instead of a tube hybrid. Or you can roll tons of different tubes for different sounds.

Only consider a Valhalla if you really want to focus on high impedance cans. Low efficiency planars aren't going to sound great on it.

And since PETEREK mentioned it, Asgard would probably be a solid amp, too. The only downside there is that it won't have as much power for high impedance cans as the Lyr would, and it will be all-SS, all the time.

 

[cyberridz]

I agree with you on the LISST "tubes". I had the Asgard 2 and sold it, I really like that amp, but it just ran too hot for my liking. Thought I would try something different this time around.

 

[superjawes]

Heat is going to be high on all Schiit amps in this size. IIRC, they all run in class A, all the time, and the chassis are used as a heatsink.

LISSTs allegedly allow Lyr to run cooler (because there is no need for tube heating), but it probably doesn't run "cool".

 

[cyberridz]

E-mailed Schiit and this is what they had to say about my question:
 
"We recommend avoiding the Valhalla 2 for planar magnetic and other low impedance headphones, the Lyr 2 is much better suited for those loads."

 

[Oklahoma]

Heat is going to be high on all Schiit amps in this size. IIRC, they all run in class A, all the time, and the chassis are used as a heatsink.

LISSTs allegedly allow Lyr to run cooler (because there is no need for tube heating), but it probably doesn't run "cool".

The LISST themselves run about as hot as the Lyr 2 chassis would run and the chassis runs a lot cooler.  I don't have an infrared camera to look at the actual temps but after running for an hour with tubes I cannot hardly touch the tubes as they get really hot as expected (and one really shouldn't touch), the chassis I can lay my hand on for only a few seconds; with the LISST I can touch the LISST for a couple seconds and can lay my hand on the chassis without issue.

 

[cyberridz]

I noticed on AKG's website it states that the K712 is rated at 62 Ohms with maximum input of 200mW. Technically, that is still within the threshold limits of the Valhalla 2's range of drive-able impedances. In theory it looks alright, but has anyone tried the AKG K712 with the Valhalla 2 in real use?
 
Any AKG owners care to comment on this?

 

[neubian]

I am glad I found this thread. I am also in the market for a new amp (was debating between  the Schiit Valhalla 2 and Lyr2 as well) and have the Hifiman 400S. I was also looking at the Bifrost DAC, but do not see the "Uber" option. Is it discontinued?

 

[superjawes]

I am glad I found this thread. I am also in the market for a new amp (was debating between  the Schiit Valhalla 2 and Lyr2 as well) and have the Hifiman 400S. I was also looking at the Bifrost DAC, but do not see the "Uber" option. Is it discontinued?

Lyr will be better with low impedance than the Valhalla.

And yes, the Uberfrost was effectively continued. When Schiit released the multibit Bifrost, they released an updated Bifrost that was cheaper and supposedly sounds better than the original. If you want the new "Uberfrost" alternative, look at the multibit Bifrost.

 

[neubian]

Lyr will be better with low impedance than the Valhalla.

And yes, the Uberfrost was effectively continued. When Schiit released the multibit Bifrost, they released an updated Bifrost that was cheaper and supposedly sounds better than the original. If you want the new "Uberfrost" alternative, look at the multibit Bifrost.

Thank you for the tip!
 
I ordered a Lyr 2 and Bifrost today. I really wanted the multibit, but my wallet couldn't take the hit so went with the regular Bifrost.