• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Schiit Introduces Lyr, High-Power Hybrid Headphone Amplifier

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,244 (7.54/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Schiit Audio introduced the Lyr headphone amplifier today, a high-power hybrid design producing 6W RMS per channel into 32 ohms-10X more power than a typical headphone amplifier. Lyr is aimed at power-hungry orthodynamic headphones, as well as other difficult-to-drive designs.

"The popularity of orthodynamic headphones such as the Audeze LCD-2 and HiFiMan HE-4, HE-5, and HE-6 has created a need for very high-power headphone amps," said Jason Stoddard, Co-Founder of Schiit. "Lyr exceeds the power needs of these low-impedance, low-efficiency headphones, while also being easy on the wallet."



Lyr, priced at $449 direct from the manufacturer, is a hybrid (tube-MOSFET) fully discrete, no-feedback, noninverting headphone amplifier with a unique Dynamically Adaptive output stage. The Dynamically Adaptive output stage allows Lyr to operate essentially like a single-ended Class A amp into high impedance loads or at low volumes, then seamlessly transition to push-pull Class A and Class AB at higher output levels.

"The upshot of the Dynamically Adaptive output stage is that it gives us much higher efficiency," said Jason Stoddard. "We can pack almost 6x the output power of our Asgard Class-A amp in the same size chassis-and, at the same time, have it run slightly cooler."
Lyr's hybrid design uses JJ ECC88 tubes for voltage gain. The tubes are exchangeable ("rollable") for any 6DJ8, 6922, or ECC88 type, up to and including 6N1Ps, which allows owners to fine-tune the sonic characteristics of the amplifier, with literally hundreds of different tube choices, from NOS American to new-build Russian and Chinese tubes.

Other details of Lyr's topology include a single voltage gain stage, and DC-coupling at the input and output, for exceptional transparency and enhanced dynamics. "Lyr shouldn't just be considered a 'ortho' amp," Mike Moffat, Schiit Co-Founder, adds. "It's also a good choice for high-impedance, 300-to-600 ohm headphones that need high voltage output."

Lyr is covered by a limited 5 year warranty, with the exception of the tubes, which are covered by a 90-day warranty. Replacement JJ ECC88 tubes are available from the manufacturer for $40 for a set of two matched tubes, or from many other resellers.

Lyr Quick Reference
  • One of the highest-power headphone amps available: 6W RMS (40V p-p) into 32 ohms
  • Unique Dynamically Adaptive output stage provides high power with high efficiency
  • Tube rollable to permit use of hundreds of different tube types and brands
  • Hybrid tube/MOSFET discrete design, DC coupled at input and output, with no overall feedback
  • Low cost for high performance: $449

The Lyr is available for pre-order now, with a targeted ship date of March 1, 2011.

Like all Schiit products, Lyr is made in the USA, primarily of USA-sourced components. Innovative engineering allows Schiit Audio to keep the overall prices of their products similar to those from Chinese companies.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,244 (7.54/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Please don't ask us how it's pronounced :eek:
 

sneekypeet

not-so supermod
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
29,589 (4.35/day)
System Name EVA-01
Processor Intel i7 13700K
Motherboard Asus ROG Maximus Z690 HERO EVA Edition
Cooling ASUS ROG Ryujin III 360 with Noctua Industrial Fans
Memory PAtriot Viper Elite RGB 96GB @ 6000MHz.
Video Card(s) Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 24GB OC EVA Edition
Storage Addlink S95 M.2 PCIe GEN 4x4 2TB
Display(s) Asus ROG SWIFT OLED PG42UQ
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Realtek on board > Sony Receiver > Cerwin Vegas
Power Supply be quiet DARK POWER PRO 12 1500W
Mouse ROG STRIX Impact Electro Punk
Keyboard ROG STRIX Scope TKL Electro Punk
Software Windows 11
I hope that company name sounds different when you say it:roll:

Sorry but is this really named a sh*t lair?
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2010
Messages
1,644 (0.30/day)
Location
I'm roomates with Corey Feldman
Processor W3520 Xeon
Motherboard Asus Sabertooth X58
Cooling Cool it Vantage
Memory 6gb Dominators
Video Card(s) GTX 460
Storage 60Gb Vertex II 500Gb storage
Display(s) LG 42LH40 42" 1080P
Case 932 HAF
Audio Device(s) Voices in my head
Power Supply Raidmax730/
Software Win7Pro64
Benchmark Scores Pretty High one's. but it's not a contest/ I just read them for the articles.
Maybe it's so the customer rep can hang up on you for cussing if you have a problem?
 

Wrigleyvillain

PTFO or GTFO
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
7,702 (1.23/day)
Location
Chicago
System Name DarkStar
Processor i5 3570K 4.4Ghz
Motherboard Asrock Z77 Extreme 3
Cooling Apogee HD White/XSPC Razer blocks
Memory 8GB Samsung Green 1600
Video Card(s) 2 x GTX 670 4GB
Storage 2 x 120GB Samsung 830
Display(s) 27" QNIX
Case Enthoo Pro
Power Supply Seasonic Platinum 760
Mouse Steelseries Sensei
Keyboard Ducky Pro MX Black
Software Windows 8.1 x64
It's a German name I guess but still L-O-L
 
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
1,585 (0.28/day)
Location
Los Angeles/Orange County CA
System Name Vulcan
Processor i6 6600K
Motherboard GIGABYTE Z170X UD3
Cooling Thermaltake Frio Silent 14
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Video Card(s) ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Mushkin Enhanced Reactor 1TB SSD
Display(s) QNIX 27 Inch 1440p
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply Cooler Master V750
Software Win 10 64-bit
Even if it's pronounced "sheeeet", that's still funny. :laugh:

I can be so juvenile sometimes. :ohwell:
 

Kreij

Senior Monkey Moderator
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
13,817 (2.12/day)
Location
Cheeseland (Wisconsin, USA)
... our Asgard Class-A amp

Schiit? Lyr? Asgard? :shadedshu

Anyway ... it looks like a decent little amplifier. A bit pricey IMO.
 
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
2,455 (0.39/day)
System Name PC
Processor i7 9700KF
Motherboard MSI Z390 A PRO
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S
Memory 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000mhz
Video Card(s) PALIT RTX 4070 Dual 12Gb
Storage 2X Crucial MX500 2TB SSD, Samsung 850 pro 512gb SSD
Display(s) DELL C34H89x 34" Ultrawide
Case Corsair Obsidian 550D
Audio Device(s) Audioengine A5+ Speakers
Power Supply Corsair RM750
Mouse Logitech G403
Keyboard Corsair Vengeance K70
Software Windows 10 64bit
Dosent look that shiit
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2005
Messages
11,984 (1.72/day)
System Name Compy 386
Processor 7800X3D
Motherboard Asus
Cooling Air for now.....
Memory 64 GB DDR5 6400Mhz
Video Card(s) 7900XTX 310 Merc
Storage Samsung 990 2TB, 2 SP 2TB SSDs, 24TB Enterprise drives
Display(s) 55" Samsung 4K HDR
Audio Device(s) ATI HDMI
Mouse Logitech MX518
Keyboard Razer
Software A lot.
Benchmark Scores Its fast. Enough.
I wonder if it sounds Schitty?
 

sneekypeet

not-so supermod
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
29,589 (4.35/day)
System Name EVA-01
Processor Intel i7 13700K
Motherboard Asus ROG Maximus Z690 HERO EVA Edition
Cooling ASUS ROG Ryujin III 360 with Noctua Industrial Fans
Memory PAtriot Viper Elite RGB 96GB @ 6000MHz.
Video Card(s) Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 24GB OC EVA Edition
Storage Addlink S95 M.2 PCIe GEN 4x4 2TB
Display(s) Asus ROG SWIFT OLED PG42UQ
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Realtek on board > Sony Receiver > Cerwin Vegas
Power Supply be quiet DARK POWER PRO 12 1500W
Mouse ROG STRIX Impact Electro Punk
Keyboard ROG STRIX Scope TKL Electro Punk
Software Windows 11
is pricey IMO as well. I guess that if you want top notch, you have to pay for it.
 

Phxprovost

Xtreme Refugee
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
1,217 (0.21/day)
Location
Pennsylvania
System Name Result of Boredom
Processor AMD FX-6350
Motherboard ASUS M5A97
Cooling Enzo Tech Extreme-X
Memory 16gb ddr3
Video Card(s) XFX R9 290
Display(s) Asus 24in (1920X1080) X 2 @144hz
Case NZXT S340
Software WIN7 64bit HP
im gonna get this for my $20 sony headphones :rockout:
 
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
901 (0.17/day)
Location
NYU
System Name Baby Box
Processor i5 4670K @ 4GHz
Motherboard Asus Z97I-PLUS
Cooling Corsair H100i
Memory 16GB Kingston HyperX FURY DDR3 1600MHz @ CL10
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX 780 Dual FTW w/ EVGA ACX Cooler
Storage Crucial M500 240GB SSD (Boot Drive); Seagate 7200.12 1TB 7200RPM (Storage)
Display(s) ASUS VH222H 21.5" 1920x1080
Case Corsair 250D Mini ITX
Audio Device(s) Audioengine D1 DAC/Amp
Power Supply Cooler Master GX RS750 PSU
Mouse Corsair SCIMITAR RGB
Keyboard Corsair Vengeance K70 RGB
Software Windows 10 Pro x64/ Linux Mint 17.3
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
1,374 (0.24/day)
System Name Hakase
Processor Ryzen 7 3700X @ Stock
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-F
Cooling Noctua NH-U12S
Memory 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 @ 3000MHz 18-18-18
Video Card(s) Asus GTX1070 Dual
Storage 250GB 860EVO - 2x600GB Cheetah 15k7 - 2x2TB Constellation ES - 2+3TB Green - 500GB Deskstar
Display(s) Viewsonic VX2476-smhd
Case Fractal Design Define R5
Audio Device(s) Fostex PC100USB > Altec Lansing ATP-3
Power Supply Corsair CX750M
Mouse Logitech G Pro X Superlight - Razer ExactMat Control
Keyboard Leopold FC750R, MX Blue
Software Win 10 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores not benching anymore...
this amp is pretty beefy btw
6W at 32ohms
can blow all your headphones in an instant

i wonder how its sounds, is it better than the b22 SE?
 

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,244 (7.54/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Messages
1,308 (0.19/day)
this amp is pretty beefy btw
6W at 32ohms
can blow all your headphones in an instant

i wonder how its sounds, is it better than the b22 SE?

I doubt it will be better than a two channel beta22 but it is also about half the price and you do not have to do any assembling your self.

Cheers,
Fred
 

Cheeseball

Not a Potato
Supporter
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
1,997 (0.34/day)
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
System Name Titan
Processor AMD Ryzen™ 7 7950X3D
Motherboard ASRock X870 Taichi Lite
Cooling Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO CPU
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 2x16GB DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) ASRock Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB GDDR6 (MBA) / NVIDIA RTX 4090 Founder's Edition
Storage Crucial T500 2TB x 3
Display(s) LG 32GS95UE-B, ASUS ROG Swift OLED (PG27AQDP), LG C4 42" (OLED42C4PUA)
Case HYTE Hakos Baelz Y60
Audio Device(s) Kanto Audio YU2 and SUB8 Desktop Speakers and Subwoofer, Cloud Alpha Wireless
Power Supply Corsair SF1000L
Mouse Logitech Pro Superlight 2 (White), G303 Shroud Edition
Keyboard Wooting 60HE+ / 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard (N Edition) / NuPhy Air75 v2
VR HMD Occulus Quest 2 128GB
Software Windows 11 Pro 64-bit 23H2 Build 22631.4317
So, if you're looking for some sweet Schiit to improve your headphone listening, this Schiit sounds worth checking out. Plus, with a 15-day money back guarantee and a 5 year warranty, you won't have a lot of Schiit to worry about. And you know what they say; if the Schiit is it, if the Schiit is legit, then you know that this Schiit is the Schiit.

LOL.

They use Alps Blue Velvet potentiometers. Top-class, so the price is even.
 
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
794 (0.14/day)
Location
Madrid, Spain
System Name Rectangulote
Processor Core I9-9900KF
Motherboard Asus TUF Z390M
Cooling Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora 280 + Eisblock RTX 3090 RE + 2 x 240 ST30
Memory 32 GB DDR4 3600mhz CL16 Crucial Ballistix
Video Card(s) KFA2 RTX 3090 SG
Storage WD Blue 3D 2TB + 2 x WD Black SN750 1TB
Display(s) 2 x Asus ROG Swift PG278QR / Samsung Q60R
Case Corsair 5000D Airflow
Audio Device(s) Evga Nu Audio + Sennheiser HD599SE + Trust GTX 258
Power Supply Corsair RMX850
Mouse Razer Naga Wireless Pro / Logitech MX Master
Keyboard Keychron K4 / Dierya DK61 Pro
Software Windows 11 Pro
xD

What is this marketing bullschiit known as a Dynamically Adaptive Output Stage?

It’s an ancient Teutonic magic trick, known only to 4 people in the world. It was passed down by Dieter Burnhard III to Mike Moffat through direct mental transfer.

I don't know if they do good products, but their faqs are epic.
 
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
3,565 (0.66/day)
Location
By the Channel Tunnel, Kent, England
System Name Benny
Processor Phenom II 1055t @ 3.3GHz; 300x11; 1.380v; NB 2700; HT 2400
Motherboard ASUS Crosshair IV Formula (2002 BIOS)
Cooling Thermalright TRUE 120 Black + 2 Xilence Red Wing PWM 120mm (push/pull) + polycarbonate fan holders
Memory 8GB GeIL Ultra 2133MHZ C9 running at 1600MHz @ 7-7-7-21 1T 1.5v
Video Card(s) MSI Twin Frozr II GTX470 @ Stock w/CPU fan cable-tied on, as one of the GPU fans broke.
Storage 60GB OCZ Agility3 (OS);500GB WDC Grn; 1x1TB WDC Blk (Backup)
Display(s) ASUS PA823Q
Case Silverstone Raven 2 (all cables custom sleeved with velcro mod on side panel...)
Audio Device(s) X-Fi (Onboard) + Harmon Kardon HK6100 amp powering JVC HA-RX700's with Zalman mic
Power Supply Corsair HX650W
Software Win7 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores No benchies so making this space useful! Corsair M90, Logitech G19. Phobya FlexLight LED's (gawjus)
Well, they've certainly got my attention. Job done.
 

HillBeast

New Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Messages
407 (0.07/day)
Location
New Zealand
System Name Kuja
Processor Intel Core i7 930
Motherboard Gigabyte X58A-UD3R
Cooling Corsair H50 HB.o Special Edition with Koolance CHC-122 NB Block
Memory OCZ Extreme Edition 4GB Dual Channel
Video Card(s) Sapphire Radeon 5870 Vapor-X Rev. 2
Storage 2x 1TB WD Green in RAID
Display(s) BenQ V2400W
Case Lian Li PC-A17 HB.o Special Edition
Audio Device(s) Onboard Realtek 889A
Power Supply Gigabyte Odin Pro 800W
Software Windows 7 Professional
Benchmark Scores 93632 sysPoints in sysTest '09 47 FPS in Star Tales Benchmark
I love how the first 10 or so comments are all about the company name, and not the product...

Looks alright so me, but if you're needing a headphone amp, then I think you should probably:

A: plug your headphones into a higher power socket
B: Get USB headphones.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
2,361 (0.46/day)
Location
Marlow, ENGLAND
System Name Chachamaru-IV | Retro Battlestation
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | Intel Pentium II 450MHz
Motherboard ASUS ROG STRIX X570-F Gaming | MSI MS-6116 (Intel 440BX chipset)
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4
Memory 32GB Corsair DDR4-3000 (16-20-20-38) | 512MB PC133 SDRAM
Video Card(s) nVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 FE | 3dfx Voodoo3 3000
Storage 1TB WD_Black SN850 NVME SSD (OS), Toshiba 3TB (Storage), Toshiba 3TB (Steam)
Display(s) Samsung Odyssey G5 27" @ 1440p144 & Dell P2312H @ 1080p60
Case SilverStone Seta A1 | Beige box
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster AE-7 (Speakers), Creative Zen Hybrid headset | Sound Blaster AWE64
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 750 G2 | 250W ASETEC
Mouse Roccat Kone Air| Microsoft Serial Mouse v2.0A
Keyboard Vortex Race3 | Dell AT102W
Software Microsoft Windows 11 Pro | Microsoft Windows 98SE
Valves? On a modern piece of equipment? Ooh la la...
 

HillBeast

New Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Messages
407 (0.07/day)
Location
New Zealand
System Name Kuja
Processor Intel Core i7 930
Motherboard Gigabyte X58A-UD3R
Cooling Corsair H50 HB.o Special Edition with Koolance CHC-122 NB Block
Memory OCZ Extreme Edition 4GB Dual Channel
Video Card(s) Sapphire Radeon 5870 Vapor-X Rev. 2
Storage 2x 1TB WD Green in RAID
Display(s) BenQ V2400W
Case Lian Li PC-A17 HB.o Special Edition
Audio Device(s) Onboard Realtek 889A
Power Supply Gigabyte Odin Pro 800W
Software Windows 7 Professional
Benchmark Scores 93632 sysPoints in sysTest '09 47 FPS in Star Tales Benchmark
Valves? On a modern piece of equipment? Ooh la la...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't valves incredibly inefficient? What was wrong with transistors? Why are they going back in time to this old stuff for?
 
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
7,662 (1.20/day)
Location
c:\programs\kitteh.exe
Processor C2Q6600 @ 1.6 GHz
Motherboard Anus PQ5
Cooling ACFPro
Memory GEiL2 x 1 GB PC2 6400
Video Card(s) MSi 4830 (RIP)
Storage Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320 GB Perpendicular Recording
Display(s) Dell 17'
Case El Cheepo
Audio Device(s) 7.1 Onboard
Power Supply Corsair TX750
Software MCE2K5
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't valves incredibly inefficient? What was wrong with transistors? Why are they going back in time to this old stuff for?

sweetest sound i ever hear in jamaica as a little boy used to play tube amps
 

somestranger26

New Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
44 (0.01/day)
Processor AMD Phenom II 1090T
Motherboard ASRock 890GX EXTREME4
Cooling Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer
Memory G.Skill 2x4 GB 8-8-8-24-1T DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) Crossfire HD 5850
Storage 6x Seagate 7200.11 1.5TB in RAID 6 + Dell Perc 6i Controller
Display(s) Dell U3011
Case Antec 1200
Audio Device(s) Audio-GD Digital Interface + NFB-10ES
Power Supply Corsair 750HX
Software Windows 7 x64
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't valves incredibly inefficient? What was wrong with transistors? Why are they going back in time to this old stuff for?

They might be inefficient, but they have very suitable characteristics for use in audio/signaling applications. They sound good, so the hifi market has plenty of room for tube, hybrid, and solid state equipment depending on one's preference.

I love how the first 10 or so comments are all about the company name, and not the product...

Looks alright so me, but if you're needing a headphone amp, then I think you should probably:

A: plug your headphones into a higher power socket
B: Get USB headphones.

...You're suggesting to someone who would buy a $450 headphone amp to get USB headphones instead? Plug them into a "higher power socket" ?? What is this fabled higher power socket, an outlet in your wall?

The market this product caters to are people that have nice $400+ headphones and want to get the most out of them, and to do that you need a headphone amplifier. There's no magical solution like plugging into a higher power socket, and no USB headphones will ever come close in performance.
 
Last edited:
Top