The All Purpose Advice Thread

Hmm, these words are worth to think about...

 

Has anyone plugged the Focal Elex/Clear into a WA6?
I've found one for under 500 USD, and I'm honestly curious about WA's amps in general. The reports of WA's amps being syrupy don't bother me much considering the headphone I'll plug into it, but wanted to ask around here if anyone has heard the pairing. I didn't see any discussion from a site search.

Thanks!

 

Few tube amps are optimized for low impedance loads like the Focal headphones (unlike for example, the ECP DSHA3F). So it probably won't be a good pairing I'm afraid. High output impedance + focal will usually result in boomy/muddy boosted bass.

 

I've got a problem which I think is a ground loop, but I'm not too sure about it so I figured I'd ask here for some input. On my desk, I've got:
Bifrost Multibit -> Saga (OG, no tube in the socket) -> Loki -> Jotunheim (Jot)-> headphones
with the Loki on top the Jot on top the Bifrost, and the Saga to the right of that stack. All parts of the chain are plugged into the same power strip.

My problem shows up when I try to use the Loki. When everything is on and the Loki is set to bypass, nothing sounds wrong with and without any sound being played. When the Loki is active however, I get a low hum through my headphones. Sounds like what I would guess is a mains hum. Turning of the Loki, putting the Loki in bypass mode, or removing the Loki from the chain removes the hum.

The point of this post is that lifting the Loki off of the Jot reduces the hum, with ~4" up removing the hum all together. So it seems to me that there is EMI(?) from the Jot transformer (which the Loki sits above) messing with the Loki. Is that essentially what a ground loop is? Additionally, if the noise was affecting the Loki above, then could I reasonably assume that it would also affect the Bifrost below the Jot to some degree as well?

Wikipedia would indicate yes to the first question and maybe to the second, but I'm interested to hear any thoughts on the matter!

 

No. A ground loop is a difference between the ground potential of one component and that of another.

"Ground" is a reference voltage; it's supposed to be the same everywhere -- think of it like sea level. But if it's higher in one component than another for some reason, current will flow between the two grounds whenever they're connected to each other (as they might be through the shield of an RCA interconnect cable, for example). And since that flow is almost always unanticipated by the hardware's designer, it can cause audible problems.

Your problem sounds like exactly what you presumed: EMI from one component being picked up by another.

Sure, it's possible. But some components have better shielding than others, so it's also possible that no significant noise is being picked up by the Bifrost.

It never hurts, though, to move transformers so they're physically distant from any amplification or other circuitry that handles low-level signals.

 

I’ve been coveting the Headamp GS-X mini since I first saw pictures and I will admit my interest is driven almost entirely by looks (flame me for being shallow if you must). However, I do actually want it to sound good too, so if anyone has heard this amp and can offer some informed opinions and answer some questions, I’d be grateful.

What I have now is a Bifrost 2 feeding a Lyr 3. I have a Psvane CV-181 Mk II plugged into the Lyr and I’m feeding the output to one of the headphones in my signature. To my ears this combo sounds pretty awesome so I am not looking for a radically different sound, but I do want “better” sound if I spend that much money on an amp. In other words, I would like to add or improve sound quality without trading off what I like about the Lyr3. I like clarity and detail, excellent head stage imaging, and I listen primarily to instrumental music with a fair amount of layering.

1st question: Is the GS-X comparable with other similarly priced amps in terms of detail, clarity, headstage, and musicality? Much as I admire the looks, a fancy case is not more important than SQ.

2nd question: is the rest of my chain capable of scaling with the GS-X? In other words, am I wasting my money hooking an $1800 amp to much less expensive gear?

3rd question: would I be trading off what I like about the Lyr3 for an amp that may be better in some areas but worse in the areas I really care about (clarity, detail, headstage and musicality)?

Final comment: I know there’s a thread on Head-Fi, but I like the opinions here better. Also, I closed my head-fi account and can’t exactly ask now. In hindsight I should have left it open for access to the sales forums.

Thanks for your opinions

 

As far as "trading up" from the lyr 3, it depends. The lyr is a good amp and one of the best I've owned in the mid-fi category. I bought the Headamp mini just as you are considering and was very happy with the purchase. For me, the upgrade to the mini gave a more natural tone (particularly with male/female vocals) and a more convincing sense of staging where nothing was congested and there was a greater sense of space (this was very important to me). This improved staging is not necessarily an easy feat for a solid state amp.

And then there was an "x-factor" feeling for me. Plugging headphones into the mini cured me from wanting to go amp hopping. The bifrost 2 is an excellent match for the mini headamp. It will also come down to your preference of headphones. I enjoy both high impedance headphones (hd650) and planar magnetics (ETHER 2). The mini was able to do types of headphones equally well. If I was really pressed I'd say that the mini might be a smidgen better with planar magnetic headphones but I'm splitting hairs here.

Even though I've owned some holy grail OTL tube amps, I didn't find myself missing those amps with the mini. It's just a wonderful all rounder. Not cheap, but IMO worth the price tag given the build quality, performance and ability to run most any hp that you throw at it.

 

Is there a secret to getting tubes out of the Schiit Lyr/Lyr2? I hate to say but I broke a tube in there last month and I've got one stuck in there now I've been gently wiggling for the past ten minutes. The tubes are recessed in a way that you can't reach the side of them at all.

On a related note, any cautions to take when shopping socket savers? I'm thinking of buying a pair simply to raise the tubes in this thing to avoid future accidents. What I see on eBay looks too good to be true price wise.

 

Have you tried rotating clockwise while gently pulling?

 

Thanks Iceman. Nice to hear the perspective of someone who considered and made the same transition.

Right now I primarily listen to my Clear and AFC. At some point in the future I’ll probably pick up some more headphones so having an amp that will work with the vast majority of phones out there is a preference and one of the reasons I bought the Lyr 3. If the staging is improved that’s a big plus- disappearance of the room I’m in is really nice.

How would you say they compare on clarity and musicality (two qualities I really like in the Lyr 3)?

 

Yes, it's just I'm limited where I can place my fingers when the tube barely clears the top of the case, I only have access to the rounded bit on the top. There's no way to grasp it and pull up and judging by the tube I broke it won't take any more pressure than is necessary to rock it/catch it when the socket lets go.
I just realized most of the top pictures when searching show the amp with 5670 tubes in which are easy to remove,

This picture shows how it looks with most common tube types: http://img.usaudiomart.com/uploads/large/905994-schiit-audio-lyr-2.jpg

 

I used to use a 90 degree pick https://www.amazon.com/Proto-90°-Hook-Pick-J2382/dp/B00H1L0VYG (not that one, but you get the idea). I turned off the amp, unplugged it, and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. You can get the tool in and wiggle it under the tube, then lift.

 

@RedFuneral
Get a 2" piece of tape. Fold the top quarter onto itself so you have a non-sticky tab. Gently slip it in and wiggle so it adheres to the tube (use something super skinny like a paperclip or cardstock if you need to press it down). Repeat for the other side. Pull.

 

I recently purchased a GSX-Mini as a solid state option to complement my ZMF Pendant. I have found it to be resolving and dynamic with excellent staging. There is a ton of detail without being too bright, and I can listen for hours without fatigue. I don't always get the same 3d effect that I do from the Pendant, but it's so good in a number of other areas that I've been listening to it almost exclusively. Some of this is probably new toy syndrome, but it's a hell of an amp. I can't compare with the Lyr3 because I haven't heard it, but I think you'd be pretty happy with the GSX-Mini.

 

Thank you for your perspective. One of the things I really like about the Lyr3 is the occasionally holographic soundscape I get. It was actually one of the big surprises when I added the Bifrost 2 to my system and discovered the Lyr was capable of doing so. Iceman above feels the GSX mini is capable of better staging than the Lyr 3 so I’m sure I’ll find it more than acceptable.

I guess it’s time to start saving up. Assuming Daughter’s college doesn’t bankrupt me I’ll probably order one in April or May.

 

Does anyone have a suggestion for a possible upgrade from my DT 1990s?

Traits I like: wide soundstage, good bass but quality > quantity.

Primary usage: PC/gaming

Secondary: Movies/Music.

Music genre: Usually rap, but it changes to any genre but country randomly.

 

Also, hopefully not rude to double post, but as a secondary question.

I'm looking to find a new amp to replace my FiiO E09k that I'm exhausted with. It'll be powering my DT 1990s.

The reason I want to replace my E09k is because when I adjust the volume there is a white noise screeching or whatever that occurs until its set and there is very bad and noticeable Left/Right audio balance that requires adjusting the volume until its fix or fixed enough. No qualms with quality, but my amp experience is limited to it, my AVR, SBZ, E10, and A5 lol.

Source: PC which has a Sound Blaster Z.

I'm considering an external DAC, but I'm not sure its worth it. I am looking at a miniDSP HD tho however as a solution for EQing when I want to. Maybe the Schiit Loki, but unsure in terms of an EQ solution. I'm trying Equalizer APO, but I'm having varying success. Although I haven't looked much into configuring it properly. I basically just want to up my bass in certain listening scenarios.

My current setup is like this:

PC out > FiiO aux in > headphone out/line out for AVR for speakers. So i'd prefer something that doesn't require me to unplug my headphones to use my AVR/speakers. Which I believe the HEL does require. Which is unfortunate because it seemed like a good device for me, although unsure about it as an amp vs the Magni 3+.

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

PM sent

 

Looking for some synergy advice here. I've got the Verite Closed; I plan to have a Bifrost 2 as a DAC (currently have a very original Bifrost Multibit, and figure I'll upgrade before the $100 off deal goes away).

Because I'm a filthy casual, I want my amp to stack nicely with the Bifrost, which in practice means a Lyr, Jotunheim, or Asgard. I've currently got the Lyr 2, which was a great match with my old LCD-X, but I'm not convinced it's the best for the ZMF headphones, which have a very different set of strengths.

Any thoughts as to which of Schiit's current Bifrost-sized amps would work best in this chain, or any surprise votes for the old Lyr 2?

 

Mjolnir 2. Set the BF2 on top. They stack.