Lyr 3 Discussion Thread

Black-ground (how quiet the quietest parts sound actually)
Macro-dynamics (how loud the loudest parts sound)
Micro-dynamics (how distinctly and accurately each volume level is reproduced)

These three are often evaluated separately, but indeed they are more related with each other than separated imo.

The combination of these three is where lyr 3 really shines. I have some experiences mid-fi amps ranged up to 2k, but no amp did this combination (note: not every criteria) better than lyr 3. I used to be a small-volume lover, but learned the pleasure of medium to large volume listening. How volume gradation is rendered was freaking me out nearly every second day.

This is why I am very positive about using sources that don't seem well matched price-wise.

Cheap price and small chassis easily fool people including myself at day 1.

PS. Yes, I am still biased, because this combination is the most important virtue that I want from all hifi amps, as literally "amplifiers".

 

Nope, I have the LYR3 side by side with my ECBA, the BA absolutely dwaft the LYR3. Moving back to LYR3 the sound is “boxed” or “roofed”, while the BA is a totally transparent and open window to music. The LYR3 don’t stand a chance against the big boy tube amps. It’s a very good amp with limited tube characteristic, excellent drive, out of the world in value. But saying it perform better than Uber amps is, I’m afraid, an over-statement.

 

You misunderstood my point. I didn't say anything like that lyr 3 is better than above-average (conservatively speaking) big boy uber amps. Nope. that's rather my upgrade target after several years. I don't think BA is a "poor" f1 car, either.

Good sources always do justice. So do good amps. Then the issue is a matter of priority (like I said before, not everybody is super rich to get everything together simultaneously. Upgrading needs months, years, or even decades) and effectiveness.

It's always efficient to focus on the weakest link in the chain (aka bottleneck). My main argument is that lyr 3 won't be the bottleneck until one has really good source components in his or her rigs, let alone headphone synergy. Maybe I am just a source-first guy.

Anyway, now I can understand your points. Didn't hear BA but kinda regard it as a predecessor of af (based on info gained in ecaf threads). Probably located on the very similar level. Again I guess it is not likely to be a poor f1 car.

 

@Vtory just to clear the air a little after that back-and-forth: I take it that you mean that the lyr3 can be kept to determine the best source for the set-up, before deciding to spring for the big boy amps, so that by then you'll have a proper source to tell exactly how good that amp is?

 

^
That.

To be accurate, that's how I hypothesize (and how I plan for myself) an optimal short cut to the temporary audio goals of upstream gears,

EDIT: Of course there are always exceptions. Somethings may do this better than lyr 3. Particularly extremely rare deals/steals in the used markets.. Or maybe upcoming LP? God only knows..

 

There's a guide by Marv about setting up a system at different levels. I mostly agree with that with my own experiences with components of different levels. At entry level, probably more money should be spent on the amp than the DAC. At mid level, the importance of DACs equals of amps. At high level, DACs becomes more important. And at summit level, the source becomes as important as the DACs. At LYR3 level, I think Gungnir Multibit is a bit ahead, cost considered. You will definitely hear the improvement with a Yggdrasil, but then, if I use a Yggdrasil, I might as well hook it up to a better amp.

 

@Vtory Love your Feinman quote.

Any sense of a romantic signature with this amp? Yea, I know that's a subjective question, but I enjoy a bit of romantic, emotion in my amps, and headphones. The DAC I want to give it me straight up, but good with some tuning toward my preferences downstream of that.

 

Wonderful opinion, but it’s just that, one person’s opinion, though you’ve been able to stir things up and garner a lot of attention on the Thread.

 

Wonderful shitpost, but it's just that, one person's shitpost, though you've been able to shitpost quite a bit and shit a lot on the Thread.

 

It’s not my intention to add spice or pour cold water on the subject. I always listen to the component, either I bought with my own money or one lying around in my friend’s hifi store, before giving my humble 2 cents. My take on the LYR3 is very positive, it’s my fav Schiit amp so far. The main strength is, unlike other amps in the lineup, there’s no obvious weakness in the sound. It’s a great all rounder. I enjoyed it with both my modded HD800 and HE1000. Having only one driver tube is a big plus for tube rolling fun. One of my fav two Schiit products. Next... Jason... a Schiit full tube Uber amp at Schiit pricing please.

 

Thank you, think it’s safe to assume that you completely missed the point of said “shit post.”

 

That makes far more sense than my post, and is far more gracious.

 

I will not describe lyr 3 (at least with new TS) is good at romantic reproductions (not very poor though). To me lyr 3 lacks not only bad romanticism (e.g. tube bloom / warm poo /...) but also good ones (e.g. air, body, meat, wet). It had some such thing, but really very little. If these things are particularly important, my recommendation is to go for other amps, or try different tubes.

On top, gears I usually regard as being "romantic" are associated with "tastefully tuned" exaggerations in dynamics (both micro and macro). This kind of gears such as Woo WA5 with uber options (extreme case) play some tracks magically while sacrifice some recordings. Decware or ampsound do this with more balanced and subtle ways.

IMO lyr 3 is rather doing basic things perfectly and accurately. This may be a bit funny, but I want to say that sonic-wise lyr 3 is a good SS amp to me.

 

Much thanks @Vtory

Great answer. LOL at warm poo, but exactly what I was looking for regarding positive romantic traits. Some extra air, wetness, lushness, not to excess, but some of those traits, I enjoy. It's probably time for me to save up for a TOTL tube amp.

 

Total bollocks - it's always the source at whatever level - shit in - shit out. A wonderful post on another forum, a guy with a seriously expensive rig, did a mod, if I remember to his amps (he bi-amped). He did'n't want to risk his uber expensive speakers, so cabled in a pair of cheap speakers. The mod was good but he was shocked at just how good the sound was coming out of cheap speakers.

 

Lyr 3, I don't have it, so can't possibly comment on it's sound but the layout looks very good indeed. I always have a problem with chassis wiring but that can't apply here, the designers have taken care of that.

Signal input + volume control - these will determine what you hear. No matter how good the rest of a design is or how judiciously the components chosen and applied, ignore those two and you've wasted your time.

For the price of the Lyr 3, the Alps Blue had to be used. People don't lay out serious money for the best stepped atts. for nothing - well thought out signal wiring + transparent volume control + great design and components, which doesn't have to mean stupidly expensive components = excellent sound. The future could see Schiit address this - vamos a ver.

 

Apologies if this was touched on earlier in this thread, but how is the preamp on the Lyr 3? Currently using a Saga in front of JBL x MD LSR3XX’s and while it sounds great, it might be overkill for these budget monitors.

Also, does the preamp output mute when headphones are plugged in?

 

Define "Cheap Speakers". As far as I'm concerned, to people with seriously expensive rigs, that can range all the way from 100$ to 1000$, and the performance range in that price range goes from tin can to really good, so pretty much a crap shoot. The point of putting more money into transducers when you're starting out is because the differences are gross and easy to pick out even for a newbie. As you've gone through headphones and zoned it on whichever you like the best, then you can go on and pick amps and then DACs. However, some headphones really come into their own when used with good amps and DACs, and some headphones are just badly priced for their performance.

As for @zeissiez 's advice, I think It should be rephrased as this :"If your experience is at entry level, probably more money should be spent on looking for a good headphone than amp. A bit above entry level, more money should be spent on looking for a good amp than the DAC. At mid level experience, the importance of DACs equals that of amps since now you have a decent but probably solid state only amp and a decent but most likely delta-sigma DAC, and here is where you start discovering cool stuff like tubes and multibit, and then you're gonna have to weigh em up to see which is the bottleneck in your system (more likely to be the amp but highly resolving amps for great prices like the Lyr 3 or Cavalli are coming out all the time these days so debatable). At high experience, DACs become more important since you probably already own an amp that's resolving enough for summit DACs and have enough training to detect DAC upgrades. And at summit level, where you've already gotten all the main stuff, the transport/cable/power conditioning/picking out good masters/other small stuff becomes as important as the DACs."

But honestly, best is to not assume anything about the entire chain from just one or even two components. That's why people bring their own gear to events often, to try out what they already have and like with other things. Look at the big picture and see what itches you and what you can do about it. The goal is to be at the point where changes to the stuff you own become sidegrades and you have good synergy (even the best gear can still synergize badly).

 

Thanks for that rephrased content, glad u know what I meant

 

Spending some time with the Russian NOS and more acoustic-oriented music (e.g. Norah Jones, Clapton) has tilted me in favor of the Lyr3. Easier for me to now recognize the difference especially with placement of vocals in space that makes it sound a little more correct and therefore satisfying compared to LC. It's a keeper.

(I do usually give the amp about an hour or so to warm up before listening.)

This has been educational, a little frustrating. I don't enjoy comparing amps as much as headphones, and I don't think I'll look into another amp until you bastiches find the next Golden Schlong winner that significantly improves on the Lyr3 and presents a likewise solid value proposition.

I still dig the LC with the LCD-X balanced.