[Xerber]

I bought a new Lyr 2 last Thursday. Up to yesterday it performed great.
However, I just powered it up and there is a constant noisy rumbling sound coming from my headphones, even with the volume at 0. I tried everything from switching between low and high impedance phones (Amperior, HD650, HE-400), plugging the power in another wall socket, reseating the tubes, etc. Unfortunately, the noise persists and when turning off the amp, a very loud 'pop' can be heard from the headphones (only tried this once, since I was surprised my headphones still worked).
 
Is this a case of bad tubes or simply a bad unit?
 
Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[Pirakaphile]

Don't ask us, contact Schiit. They have really good customer support, and you can return your amp if they decide it's defective. They'll respond almost right away if you email them.
 
They also have a help and support section right on sight. 
 
http://schiit.com/contact/help-support

 

[Xerber]

Good call. I guess I'm so used to companies giving fixed answers that my first response is asking the community.
I just filled out the form. Will let you know what they replied in case it helps someone in the future.

 

[Pirakaphile]

Good call. I guess I'm so used to companies giving fixed answers that my first response is asking the community.

I just filled out the form. Will let you know what they replied in case it helps someone in the future.

You must've skipped the FAQ on their page. They're real cool dudes at Schiit, and trust me, they'll get you settled.

 

[Xerber]

Just received a reply from Schiit. All I got was "Please contact Sonority Audio for support." (Sonority is the distributor for Europe).
Well, at least they were quick in replying...:rolleyes:

Will try with Sonority and keep you posted.

 

[scizzro]

Just received a reply from Schiit. All I got was "Please contact Sonority Audio for support." (Sonority is the distributor for Europe).
Well, at least they were quick in replying...

Will try with Sonority and keep you posted.

I think it's probably easier for you to do it that way, anyway. Hopefully he has another in stock and can just swap them out for you. Then the dealer can deal with the warranty.

 

[Xerber]

Thanks.
Since it is less than a week old, according to Dutch consumer law he has to give me a replacement instead of sending mine in for repair. Since Sonority Audio is only about a two hours drive from my home, that's probably what wil happen.
A friend of mine that builds regular hifi amps as a hobby was over this morning and had a listen. He thought it was a bad power supply. We'll see.
 
I just picked up my trusty Little Dot MK3 (I had already moved it to the office), so at least I don't have to spend the holidays amp-less.

 

[Pirakaphile]

  Thanks.
Since it is less than a week old, according to Dutch consumer law he has to give me a replacement instead of sending mine in for repair. Since Sonority Audio is only about a two hours drive from my home, that's probably what wil happen.
A friend of mine that builds regular hifi amps as a hobby was over this morning and had a listen. He thought it was a bad power supply. We'll see.
 
I just picked up my trusty Little Dot MK3 (I had already moved it to the office), so at least I don't have to spend the holidays amp-less.

Glad you've got the problem sorted out! Happy holidays, and hope you get your new Lyr soon!

 

[Xerber]

Quick update.
The day before yesterday I tested the Lyr 2 with a new set of tubes I bought (a set of EH 6922's) and the noise remained on both channels, meaning that it is an issue with one of the internal components of the amp.

After sending several emails back and forth between me and the distributor for Europe, today I was told that the Lyr 2 I got was the EU distributor's last and he won't be getting any for a while due to flooding and water damage at Schiit's production facility. This has, as one could imagine, halted production for a bit. As of yet, he is uncertain when he will be able to supply Lyr 2's again.

I'm currently considering asking for a full refund and just buying something else (non-Schiit) like a Woo Audio tube amp or a fancier Little Dot. Not sure yet.

In any case, I hope Schiit hasn't suffered too much from the flooding. I experienced it once and wouldn't wish it on anyone.

And of course, to all who read this: Happy holidays to you and yours.:wink_face:

 

[Xerber]

Another update.
Dennis at Sonority Audio promised to let me know as soon as they received new Lyr 2's, so I could switch my unit for a working one. After some weeks of waiting, I decided to check with them today. The answer I got wasn't pleasing to say the least.

A guy named Ralph got back with me. Apparently Sonority Audio has had multiple Lyr 2's which they had already sold in the meantime. The agreement I made with Sonority Audio must have been of little importance to them.
They still have some in stock, but he said that since it will take them at least 5 days to evaluate my claim, these units might be sold by the time they finish the evaluation. Should they be sold, it will take another 2 weeks for me to receive a new unit. He also went back on the agreement that I made with the other employee (Dennis), saying that it is also very well possible that they will ship it back to Schiit USA for repairs (after the evaluation period of 5 days, of course :rolleyes: )

Remember, we're talking about an amp that was 4 days old when it broke down.:mad:

I kind of had it with Schiit. Not because of the product or because of Schiit USA, but because of who they have representing them for Europe. Rarely have I experienced such bad customer service as with Sonority Audio / Schiit Europe. And to think I went into this purchase with the mindset that this would be the first of many Schiit purchases for me.

Instead of mailing them the amplifier like the new guy (Ralph) asked, I will be dropping the amp off personally (like I initially agreed upon with them) tomorrow.

Sorry for the rant. Just needed to vent. :frown:

 

[moriez]

Hey Xerber,
 
For what it's worth I can relate to your experience with Sonority. It's not just you who gets crappy service because let's be honest, that's what it is. Service minded is ''You have a problem dear customer? We're happy to swap your product or refund, immediately!''  Not them. They just don't have their act together and this is going to sound harsh but aren't worthy to represent Schiit in my opinion. If I'm not mistaken I emailed Schiit USA a year ago about my experience because I just wasn't having it. Communication probs, late refund. Not sure if it made any impression. My advice, take your money back

 

[Xerber]

Thanks for the support, Moriez.

I dropped of the Lyr 2 today. I'll give them until Wednesday next week to replace the unit. Any later and I will be demanding my money back.

 

[moriez]

Thanks for the support, Moriez.

I dropped of the Lyr 2 today. I'll give them until Wednesday next week to replace the unit. Any later and I will be demanding my money back.

 

So, what's the outcome Xerber?

 

[Xerber]

The address where I dropped off the Lyr turned out to be another Hifi store (HiFi Studio 79) that they are allowed to use as a pickup and dropoff point and where they display some of the Schiit products. So unfortunately, I couldn't speak to any of the Sonority Audio staff in person.
The owner of HiFi Studio 79 was a great guy, by the way. Already in talks with him about a 'regular' HiFi tube amp.

 
Sonority Audio had it running for a day and said they encountered no issues. Their technical guy had a look at it last weekend and to my surprise he couldn't find any issues either. They suggested it potentially was an issue with interference on the mains. But since I tried multiple locations in my house and multiple filtered power distributors (among which the one I run my studio equipment off of) I can hardly imagine that would be the case. One would expect that my powered monitor speakers and five other (hifi)-amps would also have a hum if there was a lot of noise on my mains; some of them run unfiltered and are far more sensitive.
 
They were supposed to ship the Lyr back to me last Monday, but since I hadn't received anything by Thursday, I dropped them an e-mail and they shipped on Friday. UPS should be dropping off the Lyr 2 this Monday.
Sonority Audio promised me that they would hold on to a new Lyr 2 and that they would swap mine for a new one should I still have problems.
 
From what I've gathered in my e-mail conversations with Ralph and data from the chamber of commerce, I think Sonority Audio is a hobby turned business. The company is registered at a residence in the Hague and run by a father (Ralph) and his son (Dennis). The adress in their letterhead and on their website is the aforementioned other hifi store (Hifi Studio 79) that is owned by someone else. I truly think they mean well, but they treat the company too much as a hobby and not enough as a business. This is apparent in everything from their communication (or lack thereof) to the lack of standard procedures for stuff like shipping, returns and defects. Each time I was the one that had to contact them to get things moving again, like they forgot all about me.
They are also the distributor for MrSpeakers in the Netherlands. I inquired about the Mad Dog Pro's and the Alpha Dog a couple of times during my e-mail conversations with Ralph, but got no response. I might buy them directly from MrSpeakers in the US instead as soon as the Euro appreciates a bit.
Again, I think they mean well, but they still have quite a ways to go.
 
In any case, I will probably be getting the Lyr 2 back tomorrow. I will keep you posted on how things work out.

 

 

[Xerber]

My Lyr was waiting for me when I got home tonight. Turned out it was shipped yesterday and they probably forgot to ship it out Friday.
 
The issue still persists. I tried multiple sockets at multiple locations and multiple power conditioners (among which the one I use for my studio equipment). None of my amps have issues running directly off of mains, so I don't see why the Schiit should have an issue with the quality of the power. I also tried multiple tubes (two sets of NOS Voskhod's and a set of Electro Harmonix), but to no avail. The sound persists on both channels with the volume knob at zero.
 
I recorded the sound this time and sent them an e-mail with the sound attached. If I can clear up my schedule, I'll drop the Lyr off again this week.
 
I sincerely hope that the Lyr 2 will be jaw-dropping enough to make these couple of months of hassle worth it.