Quick question regarding the pre-outs for the Lyr 3. Do they mute when you insert headphones?
I know I could check this myself on my Lyr 3, but thought I’d ask before I dig out cables and test it.
Can I turn off the headphone outs when I’m using the preamp outputs?
The preamp outputs are automatically turned off when you plug in your headphones. Unplug your headphones to use the pre outs.
From here:
https://www.schiit.com/products/lyr-1
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Thanks. I was looking at the manual and forgot to read the FAQ. Guess RTFM doesn’t always apply.
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No worries. They tend to hide the good tidbits, I’ve noticed. Hehehe
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@Audio_Prom After a few months use of my Lyr3 I still have the issue of occasional “cut out” where I hear a click from the amp and about 15 seconds of no sound before it resumes. I can still reproduce with the songs mentioned above but I have new info to share. I recently added a laser printer to my home office environment and my daughter recently returned home from college. This click/pause behavior sill repro if A: I print to the printer or B: My daughter turns on her curling iron or hair dryer. The common thread here is all of those electrical appliances are wired on the same circuit as the Lyr so my thinking is that certain songs may product a heavier power demand on the Lyr that my circuit cannot cleanly supply. When anything that heats is turned on on the same circuit the same thing happens.
@Audio_Prom have you noticed a similar behavior or is your amp still not repro’ing the behavior?
I am not audio prom but I have never been able to replicate any of what you are describing and have listened to thousands of songs with my LYR3… maybe get it looked at by Schiit or further investigate power it’s getting? Not sure, sorry I can’t be of more help.
Appreciate the reply and I have interacted with Schiit about the issue. They replied immediately and were unaware of any issues like this known with the amp as you suggest. I really think it’s likely the power being supplied to the amp. I’ll run a test with an extension cord plugged into a different circuit in the house to see if there is a difference.
If that doesn’t verify anything I’ll follow up with them.
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I always run my audio equipment through either a monster power strip or pannamax strip so that might help too, it almost sounds like you are getting some kind of surge or spike of some kind.
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@stshields91, if you have your Lyr 3 plugged into a regular 15A circuit, then the hair dryer is probably causing the voltage to drop because it’s pulling close to 15A. So your daughter should be using the bathroom for her appliances, as it is probably on a 20A circuit.
Note that I’m not an electrician, I’m just repeating what I just read. I was going to plug in a hair dryer next to my Lyr 3 to see what would happen, but thought it best to do some research first before I do that, and I found multiple articles on hair dryers overloading 15A circuits, and sometimes causing lights to dim in old houses that share outlets and lights on the same circuit.
[Edit] I have a regular Epson printer on the same desk as my audio equipment and I’ve never had an issue when listening to music when the printer is going.
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I’d suggest getting a Kill-A-Watt. It’s cheap and handy for many other D2D issues.
It’ll be very easy to read how many Watts your system is consuming, or if there is any voltage fluctuation which may be triggering the internal safety mechanisms of your Lyr, assuming there is any.
Cheers.
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Just when I thought the LYR 3 was done showing me all of its versatility and performance, now using it via the Bluesound Nodi2i with Roon as a Pre-Amp into my Denon receiver in my 2-Channel set up! 
Terrible iPhone photo
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It’s definitely the power. Don’t underestimate the quality of power going to your devices… I don’t mean blow your wad on crazy power cleaning stuff but really it’s basics to not run any audio equipment on a circuit that has high draw or noisy appliances and other devices plugged into it. If you absolutely can’t change where your audio setup is or what’s on the circuit then get a half-decent power conditionter/rectifier or even better, a pure sine wave UPS to run your equipment on.
If you want to get serious and run a new clean line to your audio equipment it’s actually pretty cheap to hire a local electrician and have him fish some wire through your walls (it’s an even better idea to help so you don’t have to pay for his apprentice as well). I ran a couple new dedicated 20A lines to my home theater because it could draw 3kw+ and plenty of current at peaks. This was in a 1970’s bungalow but plenty of slots & capacity left in the basement 100A panel. Totally worth it without spending stupid money trying to correct polluted power after-the-fact. I’d imagine the returns are even better with a sensitive headphone setup.
Also, it’s not just old houses. I see the lights dim when I run the microwave and kettle in my now less than 6-year old house. Luckily my stuff is on a separate circuit than that of course but I still chase noise from my outlets, mostly thanks to whole-home AC and other 1st world noise issues…
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I acquired the Lyr 3 about a week ago, and am getting to know it. I hope to write a review in context of a broader “what do you get for the money” amp comparison. This will happen down the road, but not soon.
Initial findings:
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Obviously the Lyr 3 is not as technical as solid state amps, but absolutely impressive in terms of power delivery. It is full, rich, and impactful. None of my headphones are left wanting for power. I don’t hear the subtle dynamic details and separation possible with a SS amp (or even the balanced Loxjie P20 tube hybrid). Still, the smoothness and fullness of the Lyr 3 is often superior for everyday use.
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Tube swaps have a subtle impact, with high range definition most affected (tried so far, Sylvania, Foton (2 samples), Ken-Rad, and Westinghouse). I’m finding I like a ribbed-plate Foton and the black glass Ken-Rad the best so far. They seem tighter and more balanced to my ears (In @TylersEclectic speak I’m a neutral-head).
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As expected, I do indeed experience a bit of high-end noise/piercing feel with my dynamic driver headphones (e.g., Clear, HD-600). I’m very treble sensitive and have to use either a balanced amp or turn down the treble via EQ. For me this is par for the course with singled-ended amps paired with dynamic drivers.
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The Dan Clark AEON Flow Closed (first generation in blue) absolutely LOVES the Lyr 3. The AFC and related headphones are seriously power-hungry for best performance. With a notebook PC jack or weak amp the AFC is shaky and congested. With a clean SS amp (THX AAA 789) they are thin and rough. With the Magni 3+ they become smoother but need a low-mid EQ boost for fullness. The Lyr 3 brings the AFC to another level. Smooth, clean, non-fatiguing, much more bass and low-end presence. No EQ needed. I’m slipping into unexpectedly long listening sessions even with these closed headphones.
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Looking forward to your Amp review. I’m thinking of getting a separate amp for the DEVA, the headphone amp in my uDAC-5 gives it’s all in order to get good sound out of them.
For The Record, @TylersEclectic would probably call me a Treble-Head.
I do like Smooth & Clean sound, so the Lyr 3 is tempting, yes indeed it is.
Mark Gosdin
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Tooooobbbbssss!!! This is the way!!! Is just plain enjoyable! Like you said SS is great for getting all the details etc… but, tubes just enrich and fill in the sound so well for pure enjoyment it’s hard not to listen with them!
Great write up neutral-head! 
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Now that Schiit has updated to the Jotunheim 2, I’d love to see a Lyr 4 that has balanced inputs and balanced HP (basically a Jot 2 w/tubes). It’s the only thing missing - and it’s purely so I can feed my BF2 via balanced to a Lyr 4 and then the single-ended to my Crack without using splitters, switchers, etc.
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In comparing the Lyr 3 tube hybrid to the Loxjie P20 as a balanced tube hybrid, I think balanced might really change its character – for good or bad. The P20 retains an awful lot of neutral/clean SS details, especially in the high end. The Lyr 3 has a bit of flatness and rolled-off highs, but a stronger middle range and vastly more low-end grunt. I’d be interested in trying it for dynamic driver headphones.
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Focal Clears and Lyr 3 are a very very nice pairing!
A.
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Did you notice the rolled-off highs using all your tubes? When I was comparing the Burson Soloist to the Lyr 3 and Asgard 3 this week, I noticed the flatness of the L3 but the Soloist and L3 didn’t seem to roll-off the treble whereas the A3 did slightly. I’m wondering if my L3 tube (Treasure Globe) allows a little more treble to get through, or maybe the roll-off was there and I just didn’t notice it, which is just as likely. I’m still new to this “critical listening” game.
My Lyr 3 is unplugged right now because I don’t have enough cables to support my amp habit, otherwise I’d listen to it again.
I know we both live in Chicagoland, so when the world is a safer place, I’d be happy to drop the Treasure Globe off if you want to try it.
I know the Clear and Stellia don’t sound the same, but I have to say that the Stellia and Lyr3 are also a very nice pairing.
I found better definition in the highs with the Treasure Globe tube as well. The Sylvania “bad boy” was also good. There was slight roll-off with both the TungSol and the RCA, although as I tried those first, I wasn’t terribly aware of it.
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