Researched around the web and only really found one other instance of a Lyr 3 frying a pair of Clears and the amp had issues. Emailed Schiit to get their thoughts and have yet to hear back. Hoping some of you will tell me i;m crazy and have nothing to worry about...
As most of my headphones have been converted to balanced cables with 4-pin Neutrik connector I use a TRS plug to 4-pin XLRF adapter cable for Lyr3. This makes an easy disconnect at the 4-pin Neutrik connectors while Lyr3 or other TRS output amps in my lab warm up. After a few minutes I reconnect and have had no troubles. Not taking chances with either Focal Clear or HD-800-Jmod. With any amp for that matter.
@atomicbob Yeah that was the one thing I was thinking would be smart and even the dealer suggested was to turn the amp on let it warm up for a few minutes and then plug in headphones. Think that's the safest course of action? And thanks for the responses, it is very much appreciated.
It was strange... About a week in one night was listening Lyr 3 + Clears and right ear made a sound like it had a loose connection then got really quiet. Unplugged them and plugged into ZDT Jr same thing... would sound okay for a few minutes then do same thing. Plugged HD650 into both amps to troubleshoot no issues. Clears have been replaced but only been using with ZDT Jr until now...
...oh and it wasn't the cable on the clears or the physical connection at the earcup. Was the first thing i checked... wiggled the 3.5mm at cup then swapped cables...
hah yeah it was a bummer but now a replacement pair of Clears and all appears to be well... and it made me feel better to have a few people (especially someone like atomicbob who I trust and have nothing but respect for) tell me i really don't have much to be worried about. Must have just been a faulty pair of headphones.
Owning an inexpensive ($10) DMM is handy. You could check amplifier offset after warmup to verify close to zero volts. DC offsets in DC coupled amplifiers can be hard on electro-acoustic transducers.
@atomicbob is this a statement that "normal" consumers of a relatively mid-level product like Lyr3 should be waiting for some level of warm-up before it's a lower risk to plug in headphones? if so, that's too nuts to expect IMO.
IIRC there have been other examples of "Lyr3 with my headphone was playing music fine for awhile until <frazzle> headphone channel failed". which if true, is a different case, all together.
If I'm understanding correctly what the tech guy at TSAV is telling me to wait for warm up in this specific case because the Lyr 3 puts out roughly 4w at ~55 ohms and Clears being a fairly sensitive dynamic headphone... he seems to think makes it more dangerous to leave them plugged in while you turn the amp on. I actually meant to ask @atomicbob what his reasons are for waiting amp warm up...
Maybe it's just me being paranoid, but I always let all of my amps warm up for at least a minute before I plug headphones into them. Volume off, unplug headphones, power down amp is the reverse procedure I use. I've been doing that for years.
@jexby : DC coupled amps (any vendor) have always given me pause during power up before servos have stabilized. Formed the habit of waiting several minutes prior to connecting and now it is routine in my lab. There may be no reason to worry, especially with amps employing protection relays. But I'm set in my habits.
I’m also cautious and turn on amps before plugging in my headphones, then unplug my headphones before turning off the amp. It may be unnecessary in most cases, but it’s two seconds out of each listening session and saves me a ton of money if it was useful even just one time.
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