Thinking about a Schiit purchase
Jun 22, 2013 at 12:50 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 23
Brycicles

Brycicles

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Hey all, well it's that time to upgrade again. I poke my head around these forums every now and then and read a little bit but really can never find a distinct answer so I'm just running with this idea. Currently running an eBay Aune with a Genalex tube and AKG Q701s, I think it's the amp/dac that's the weak side on this set up (starting to get a little fizz/crackling in right ear occasionally too what's the deal with that?).
Well I'm ready to spend some more money and I see the Schiit website takes Paypal so I knew I was in luck. I'm just looking for a little advice on what I'm going to be dropping $700-800 on. It's either between the Lyr or the Valhalla but I'm not even sure of the difference, one has more tubes is about it, hah. I'm also going to need a DAC with it and I'm forced into looking at the Bifrost so they will stack on top of each other, but I thought all DACs mainly did the same thing the same way? I was looking at other more discreet DACs but if I'm going to spend $250 on one it might as well be a Schiit right?? 
So I'm just looking for opinions on what you think, a couple questions throughout. And before you scoff at the Q701s I know when I purchase this combo I'll more than likely be looking for a pair of HD650's. So let's start a conversation.
 
Jun 22, 2013 at 5:01 PM Post #3 of 23
Valhalla --> Single Ended OTL. Meant for high impedance loads. It will "work" with the AKG, but the high output impedance might change the frequency response of your headphones and you don't want that. It uses the two short tubes as inputs (1 per channel) and 2 two big ones as output. Works very well with Sennheisers HD 650 though (designed for that kind of headphones). Not versatile at all but works great for its intended purpose.

Lyr --> Single ended class A on small loads to Class AB pushpull on huge loads. It has quite a high noise-floor so it's not meant for low impedance/sensitive headphones. The 2 tubes are input tubes and the output is solid states (MOSFET). It's ideal for either high impedance loads or low sensitivity headphones (Orthos).

In your position (Q701), if you absolutely want to stick with Schiit (you might want to check other brands), Asgard would be a better choice in my opinion. Magni could work too. Much more versatile and will probably fit all your future headphones upgrade for a while.

As for the DAC, if you only need USB, ODAC is the way to go. If you need more inputs, Bifrost isn't a bad choice (I have both). 


Hope it helps.
 
Jun 22, 2013 at 8:54 PM Post #4 of 23
Thanks for the input Rem0o.. 
 
Well I've still been looking around, I have another question if any Bifrost owners read this.
What's the deal with the "clicking"? I've read some on where it doesn't happen more than once on USB but with SPDIF it's alot more of a nuisance. How audible is this clicking? Would it be worth the $100 upgrade to USB to eliminate it? 
 
Jun 22, 2013 at 10:14 PM Post #5 of 23
Quote:
brycicles said:
Thanks for the input Rem0o.. 
 
Well I've still been looking around, I have another question if any Bifrost owners read this.
What's the deal with the "clicking"? I've read some on where it doesn't happen more than once on USB but with SPDIF it's alot more of a nuisance. How audible is this clicking? Would it be worth the $100 upgrade to USB to eliminate it? 
Click to expand...

It is indeed a pretty annoying "click" if you compute with the Bifrost next to you. Is 100$ worth it? Well, it all depends on you and your definition of "worth it".
 
Jun 23, 2013 at 12:56 AM Post #7 of 23
So I'm definitely thinking a full tricked out Bifrost, and now it's either the Valhalla or Lyr...
Edit: Looks like I'm the proud owner of some HD650s while I'm at it. I shot a business on eBay an offer for 400 and it was auto accepted! 
 
Jun 23, 2013 at 4:18 PM Post #8 of 23
I have the HD650's with the Lyr and Bifrost (with both Uber and USB upgrades), and they sound absolutely fabulous at that price range. I would recommend the Lyr if you can afford it along with the Bifrost. If you ever go for orthos then that combo would work nicely too (future proofing I guess). It may be a bit of a hassle, but you can always return them if you don't like them. Check out the tube rolling thread for the Lyr if you ever decide to go with the Lyr.
 
 
Jun 24, 2013 at 1:30 AM Post #9 of 23
Quote:
miracles said:
I have the HD650's with the Lyr and Bifrost (with both Uber and USB upgrades), and they sound absolutely fabulous at that price range. I would recommend the Lyr if you can afford it along with the Bifrost. If you ever go for orthos then that combo would work nicely too (future proofing I guess). It may be a bit of a hassle, but you can always return them if you don't like them. Check out the tube rolling thread for the Lyr if you ever decide to go with the Lyr.
 
Click to expand...

Yeah it's really coming down to be a tough choice between the Lyr and Valhalla.. Tube rolling is another expense on top of that too!
As far as people go to stack these, where do people find the pointed metal looking feet? And do they need them that bad?
 
Jun 24, 2013 at 6:57 AM Post #10 of 23
Quote:
brycicles said:
 Looks like I'm the proud owner of some HD650s while I'm at it. I shot a business on eBay an offer for 400 and it was auto accepted! 
Click to expand...

HD650 's and the Lyr with good tubes are an amazing combo.
 
Quote:
rem0o said:
. It has quite a high noise-floor so it's not meant for low impedance/sensitive headphones.
 
Click to expand...

I use my Lyr with my W1000x and D7k's with no background noise. 
 
Jun 24, 2013 at 1:15 PM Post #15 of 23
You can't do much better for an amp and DAC under $1000 than the Lyr and Bifrost.
 
Quote:
brycicles said:
Alright thanks for the help everyone, I just placed my order for the Lyr and Bifrost. Ouch, lol but I'll be reporting back within a week hopefully!
Click to expand...

 
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