I did a quick a dirty comparison of the WA2 vs the Lyr using only the LCD2r2s. I chose tracks that I've listened to recently so I wasn't ambushed by new things I haven't heard before on these rigs.
The first point goes to the Lyr for having an actual name rather than a meaningless abbreviation model number. T1, LCD2r2,WA2,****.
Rachmaninoff - Vocalise No. 14 Op. 34
The Lyr gives a clear detailed presentation. The WA2 provides the more emotional experience. Is this a particularly fair piece to use? After all it is a Romantic composer using haunting, sweeping passages. Tough, round goes to the WA2 without reservation.
Ella & Louis Again - Stompin' at The Savoy
Again the Lyr sounds clearer, detailed - if I was re-engineering this track I'd want the LCD2 to work with for sure. And again probably not a fair track to use. Clear detail isn't what you want with this one. The WA2 wins by virtue of scoring highest on the toe tapping metre.
Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues
I was going to award this one to the Lyr as soon as it started playing. It sounds fantastic. Switching to the WA2, it made the Lyr sound like Tom was singing directly into my ear, whereas the WA2 had slightly less edge - Tom moved to the couch across from me. Ultimately I think the Woo would be less fatiguing, but the Lyr is more immediately impressive. I'm going to give this a tie because while I think the Lyr sounds better in the short term, I might tire of the feeling of Tom's nicotine breath on my ear drums.
Katy Perry - MTV Unplugged
That's right Katy Perry, you wanna make something of it?
Actually I was surprised to find out she has a decent voice to go along with her more than decent ..um assets..um I mean earnings.
The Lyr plays well to the in your face edginess of this acoustic sound. On the other hand the WA2 kind of rounded the edges- it sounded almost muted compared to the Lyr. Katy goes to the Lyr.
If I had to choose between these two amps I would definitely base the decision on the kind of music I favoured. There are significant differences in the sound and the experience produced. By the way I used the HM-602 (another stupid abbreviation - they could at least use amusing acronyms) as source for all these because I have been messing with it over the last couple of day and I just Rockboxed it, so I wanted to give it a run. I know this comparison isn't worth a hell of a lot , but this thread got me wondering about the differences and I'm away all weekend so I wanted to satisfy my own curiosity somewhat.