So this is my third installment of reviews that started when I received the Schiit Audio Lyr 3 Fusion Architecture™ Headphone Amp and Preamp, the Schiit Audio Gungnir 2 Balanced Multiform™ DAC, and the Schiit Audio Skoll F Balanced Discrete Class A Zero Feedback Remote Control Phono Preamp. While the Gungnir 2 has since become my reference DAC, and analog is the core of my musical reproduction being, tubes are where my heart is, and the Lyr+ promises to be one of my favorites.

It is no secret that the Schiit Audio VALI 2++ Tube Hybrid Headphone Amp/Preamp is my favorite headphone amplifier, mostly due to performance for dollar, there has never been a question that the Lyr was a better amplifier as pointed out in my original review of the Lyr 3, so I have been chomping at the bit for years to review the newer revisions of the amplifier.

The Schiit Lyr+ Fusion Architecture Headphone Amp & Preamp

It probably deserves some small explanation for why the Schiit Audio Lyr+ Fusion Architecture™ Headphone Amp and Preamp ditched the modularity in favor of a solid-state option. Back during COVID, tube supplies became harder to acquire due to supply chain issues, in response, Schiit developed a solid-state tube replacement for their tube preamplifiers. Since then, the war in the Ukraine has only exacerbated tube supply issues, so the obvious solution was to incorporate their Fusion Architecture™ tube replacement into the Lyr+.

The base model of the Lyr+ is shipped without a tube and switches automatically to its internal solid-state gain stage, based on exotic depletion-mode MOSFETs. Plugging in a 6SN7-type tube will cause the Lyr+ to switch over to 100% tube voltage gain with the MOSFETs completely out of the picture, which is the essence of Fusion Architecture.
The Lyr+ is Schiit’s first compact headphone amp to offer relay ladder volume control, for ultimate transparency and perfect channel matching, from the lowest to highest volumes. This is coupled with a powerful Continuity™ bipolar output stage, full DC coupling throughout, separate regulated high-voltage and low-voltage supplies, the convenience of remote control, and microprocessor oversight.

Delivering up to 6W RMS per channel through the standard ¼” headphone jack with advanced oversight DC, overcurrent, and tube sensing, ensuring the Lyr+ is safe for every headphone.

As with all Schiit products the Lyr+ is designed and Built in the USA; IE: the vast majority of the total production cost of Lyr—chassis, boards, assembly, etc—goes to US companies manufacturing in the US, chassis and transformers are made in California, PCBs are made in California or Nevada, and it all comes together in their San Antonio facility.

Living with the Schiit Lyr+ Fusion Architecture Headphone Amp & Preamp

My experience of the Schiit Lyr+ Fusion Architecture Headphone Amp & Preamp with the Schiit Audio Skoll F Balanced Discrete Class A Zero Feedback Remote Control Phono Preamp is laid out in that review, so for this review I’ll be sticking to the Schiit Audio Gungnir 2 Balanced Multiform™ DAC as source, but I will run through the gambit for headphones.

The question was where to start, I decided, given the Lyr+’s modest price point, I would begin with equally modestly priced headphones, to wit: the Dan Clark Audio NOIRE X Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphone with the Lyr+ in solid-state and low gain. On the recommendation of a friend, I cued up Of Montreal’s “Lady On The Cusp” (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz), the tonal balance was relatively neutral with a strong, deep bottom end. The soundstage was intimate in-studio, with solid impact from the electronic percussion.

Since switching to tube was simply a matter of pushing a button and waiting for the tube to warm up, I decided to make a comparison before moving on to other headphones, for this I chose “Phantom Island” (16-bit/44.1kHz – Qobuz) by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard who I had seen perform live at the Hollywood Bowl the week before. Wow, just wow, while the timbre of the instruments was pretty much the same, the musicality and soundstage improved remarkably. There was excellent three-dimensionality with the orchestra behind the band, and a greater sense of articulation with the myriad of instruments playing a host of competing melodies simultaneously.

Next up was my Grado Prestige Series SR325x Over-Ear Open-Air Dynamic Headphones and the Steven Wilson Remix of Deep Purple’s legendary “Made in Japan” (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz). Grado’s extreme efficiency is able to bring out the subtlest of noise, but the Lyr+ was dead silent, and the amazing dynamics made for a front row center experience with an excellent feeling of the massive arena. Each musician was clearly defined on the stage: Jon Lord on the right, Ritchie Blackmore on the left, Ian Gillan and  Roger Glover center stage, and Ian Paice taking up the rear slightly to the left.

My next step was to go the opposite direction and pick one of the harder to drive headphones, the HIFIMAN SUSVARA UNVEILED Planar Magnetic Headphone. Switching to high gain, I selected “Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 “The First of May” & Scherzos, Opp. 1 & 7” (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz) as performed by the Hallé Choir, along with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and John Storgårds. Luckily I was able to turn the volume all the way up without any noticeable clipping which probably indicates that even in high gain the Lyr+ won’t go into overdrive (a musician’s term for a mismatched gain structure designed to give the illusion of greater power output which is common among most integrated amplifiers, IE: full power is usually ¾ volume). As it turned out, as I reached the louder passages, this was actually too loud, so I turned down a bit. The sound was glorious, with a massive soundstage, pinpoint imaging, excellent dynamics, and a totally realistic timbre to the instruments.

Conclusions on the Schiit Lyr+ Fusion Architecture Headphone Amp & Preamp

As a solid-state amplifier, the Schiit Lyr+ Fusion Architecture Headphone Amp & Preamp is easily competitive with anything in its price range, truth is, there just aren’t that many discrete amplifiers under a thousand dollars; they almost all implement some chip-based op-amp or other. On the other hand, once you stick a tube in it, the Lyr+ knocks it out of the park. While it is not the most powerful amplifier in my arsenal (my reference amplifier puts out 35Watts per channel), it appears to have enough go juice to drive most any headphone to levels that will satisfy most listeners.

For a tube amplifier, the Lyr+ has an epically low noise floor, which means it can deliver reference-level detail and soundstage, the only limit being the headphone you choose to listen with. For those who are hung up on push-pull amplifiers (“balanced”), again, the Lyr+ has plenty of power to do the job, and retains the sonic advantages of single-ended amplification (a bridge amp requires two perfectly matched amplifiers, and no such devices truly exist, which means low-level details are lost).

So in conclusion, though I miss the versatility of the modular design of the Lyr3, the improvements in sound quality more than make up for that, and I believe the Lyr+ could easily stand as the end-point choice for most headphone enthusiasts.

Price: $599 (with tube as reviewed $649)

Manufacturer’s Website: https://www.schiit.com/products/lyr

Specifications:

Solid State Mode, Low Gain

THD: < 0.0015%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS, 32 ohms
IMD: < 0.001%, CCIR at 2V RMS, 32 ohms
SNR: > 115db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -72dB, 20Hz-20KHz, 32 ohms
Output Impedance: 0.4 ohms

Tube Mode, Low Gain

THD: < 0.003%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS, 32 ohms
IMD: < 0.003%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 111db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -70dB, 20Hz-20KHz, 32 ohms
Output Impedance: 0.4 ohms

Solid State Mode, High Gain

THD: < 0.003%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS, 300 ohms
IMD: < 0.003%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 102db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -85dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 0.6 ohms

Tube Mode, High Gain

THD: < 0.004%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 1V RMS, 32 ohms
IMD: < 0.005%, CCIR at 1V RMS
SNR: > 97db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -85dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 0.6 ohms

Preamp Output, Low Gain, Solid State

THD: < 0.0003%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: < 0.0003%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 118db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -95dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 75 ohms

Preamp Output, Low Gain, Tube

THD: < 0.0025%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: < 0.002%, CCIR at 2V RMS
SNR: > 112db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
Crosstalk: < -90dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 75 ohms

All Tube and Solid State Modes

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, +/-0.08db

Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 9.0W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 6.0W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 4.0W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 900mW RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 450mW RMS per channel

Gain: High 5.7 (15dB), Low 1.2 (1.35dB)

Topology: Coherence ™ fully discrete, current-mode noninverting 6SN7/bipolar hybrid with constant transconductance output stage with Fusion Architecture™ depletion MOSFET gain fallback, 64-step relay ladder volume control

Protection: microprocessor oversight for high DC, over-current, and tube presence; mute on any fault and management of tube and solid state gain modes

Power Supply: two internal power transformers with 72VA total rating, plus with over 55,000uf of filter capacitance; two discrete regulated +/-100V supplies, two high-current +/-26V supplies, four regulated oversight supplies—20V, +/-15V, 5V

Power Consumption: 30W

Size: 9 x 6 x 2”

Weight: 6 lbs

APx555 Report for Lyr+

Lyr+ is covered by a 5-year limited warranty that covers parts and labor. And if you don’t like your Lyr, you can send it back for a refund, minus 5% restocking fee, within 15 days of receiving it.