Review of Lyrita Amp and Speakers

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This is released by Times Music. An excellent album and a must for anyone who loves Hindustani Music.

Cheers
i am listening to this..would not really classify this as Hindustani..isnt it actually fusion.
Very good soundstaging..a thoroughly enjoyable album without doubt.
 
i am listening to this..would not really classify this as Hindustani..isnt it actually fusion.

Fusion generally refers to music that mixes two genres. In this album, the numbers are all pure Hindustani Ragas. It is just played differently. The alaps have been cut short and the artists move into the main ragas quite quickly.

In India, we continue to look at music and other arts with a very narrow eye. I always wondered why we cannot have multiple artists perform a Bharathanatyam, or a Kuchupidi. I have seen Zakir Hussain play the tabla with aplomb for both Hindustani and Carnatic music. That means he understand the rhythm of both types of music. Why can't we use a Veena for Hindustani and a Sitar for Carnatic? Why can't we play the two together on stage? Artists egos or cowardice?

Some artists have tried such variations, but such attempts have always been labelled as 'bold' or 'stupid' and quickly forgotten.

I do hope I am not beaten in these pages for these 'bold' statements.

Cheers
 
In India, we continue to look at music and other arts with a very narrow eye. I always wondered why we cannot have multiple artists perform a Bharathanatyam, or a Kuchupidi. I have seen Zakir Hussain play the tabla with aplomb for both Hindustani and Carnatic music. That means he understand the rhythm of both types of music. Why can't we use a Veena for Hindustani and a Sitar for Carnatic? Why can't we play the two together on stage? Artists egos or cowardice?

Some artists have tried such variations, but such attempts have always been labelled as 'bold' or 'stupid' and quickly forgotten.

I do hope I am not beaten in these pages for these 'bold' statements.

Cheers
I couldnt agree with you more..while one argument is that if the "Purity" is lost then the classical pure form will forever be lost :( Funnily the masters of the exponsnt like Zakir Hussain, Chaurasia et al have all done very good offbeat albums.
 
Hi Venkat,

Good to hear from you! And thanks for the writeup.

My intention as a manufacturer is to offer very high quality products at prices that are atleast somewhat reasonable for Indian buyers. I understand that even Rs.1 lakh, for a WHOLE system, is a large sum of money for most families. How to position a high quality system in that, or a lesser range, is a challenge.

Auditioning in a home environment does have one advantage - you can listen and envision something similar in your home. So, the acoustics are done up to reflect a normal listening space at home.

How much sound absorption is required is dependent on the volume of the space. My listening room now, the one you were in, is rather small being 10' by 12'. A stuffed sofa, a carpet, heavy drapes, is probably all that is required to control reflections in such a space. There are drapes, they were just not drawn, since the windows were open. Open windows and doorways, by the way, are the best absorbers, since sound that escapes never comes back!

Again, I maintain that listening to music through a system is the only way of judging sound quality. Written specifications have absolutely no correlation. Listen, and you will hear differences between tube and solid-state electronics.

Regards,
Viren
 
This article is over over due, and my apologies to Viren and Kamal. What pushed me out of my laziness was a PM from SRRamanujam asking for my opinion on the Lyrita amps and speakers.

I visited Delhi on 25th of May to spend two days with Sound Of Music reviewing their Meridian, Avant Garde, Vienna Acoustics and other systems. I spent two days literally being overwhelmed with systems that are out of this world in price, technology, and delivery.

I had sent a PM to Kamal and was hoping to meet with him and just exchange some notes about music, systems and so on. Kamal, decided that we will meet at Viren's place and listen to his amp and speakers. Kamal was kind enough to pick me up from GK2, take me to Viren's place and drop me back after the demo.

First I would like to talk a bit about perceptions of people that we carry in our minds. My perception of Kamal and Viren were completely wrong when I met them in flesh and blood. I have a college colleague called Kamal Kumar Jain who also lives in Delhi and is a tailor by profession in Kamla Nagar. KK, as we call him, is a tall thin man who cannot put on too much weight as he stands for 8 hours a day cutting clothes that you give him. KK is a fastidious dresser, always wearing new and fresh clothes. My vision of our Kamal was always linked my own impressions of KK, and I was completely wrong. Our Kamal turned out to be very casually dressed, with a bit of a paunch, and a perpetually lost look on his face. Only when he opened his mouth could I match him with our HiFiVision Kamal.

I was even more wrong about Viren Bakshi. Based upon the threads I read about him and his replies, I always visualised Viren to be around 30 of age, short, wearing glasses, moody, US accented, and having his nose up in the air. In reality Viren turned out to be a very pleasant person, quite handsome, tall, and a little older than 30. And as others have vouched, he is a fantastic host.

Viren demonstrated the following equipment to me:

(1) Lyrita 2A3 SET integrated amplifier rated at 3 watts per channel. Single-ended output stage using Shuguang 2A3C valves, input and driver stage using 5687 valves. The rectified power supply is through 5V4G valve. All the transformers have been designed by Viren and manufactured from Delta Transformers, Delhi. The amplifier has just a single knob for volume control and nothing else.



(2) Harmony One single driver, full range speaker system, using 6" Fostex FE167E drivers. Cabinet design is a TWQT - Tapered Quarter Wave Tube - which helps reinforce the low frequencies. These designs are based on work done by Martin King. The cabinets are made from solid Sheesham, similar to Rosewood. To test the cabinets, I knocked on them and nearly broke my knuckles. This was a good sign.



The speakers cabinet are quite tall - nearly 5 feet in height. They are tapered slightly backwards. In essence, since the driver is parallel to the tapered front side of the cabinet, they will be facing a bit upwards and will not be perpendicular to the ground. This design is supposed to balance sharp peaks and dips in frequency as well as remove hearing fatigue completely. I have seen a similar design in a few other speakers and have personal experience with only Rajiv's Lithos speakers. But those are in a completely different league.

The Fostex drivers have cones made from banana pulp. They are completely white in colour. The drivers have been treated with the EnABL pattern invented and patented by Bud Purvine. The technology is a bit complicated to understand, but let me try to explain in layman terms as well as I can. It is believed that two distinct standing waves are present within all drivers. One of these standing waves is inherent to the driver's construction itself, and the other is a transient phenomenon at the outer boundary of the cone. Bud invented a effective solution to eliminate the standing waves by creating small energy gradients along the outer boundaries of the cone. These gradients are small rectangles that are created by using a glossy paint. The thin coating applied at the edges increases the energy density, enables a smoother flow of sound, and thus eliminates both standing waves.






For a full note on the Bud Purvine technology, please visit standingwaves

The source was a Marantz 5001 CD Player. All interconnects and speaker cables were made by Viren himself with spades and connectors imported from Taiwan.

I had forgotten to take my camera, so I had to request Viren to send me some pictures which he did.

Viren had kept the amp on for about 30 minutes before we arrived. This was the time needed for the amp to warm up and deliver to it's full potential. This was the same I heard from Sharath about the Wavac tube based systems.

Let me explain the listening room to make you understand the listening environment. Viren lives in a DDA flat in Sarita Vihar [Corrected (from Saket) after prompting by Amitnoida below. Thanks Amit]. The room the amp and speakers were set up was about 12 odd feet wide and about 20 feet long. The door to the room was at one of the 20 feet wall. As soon as you enter, Viren had placed two chairs along the 12 feet wall. The Amp and speakers were placed diagonally opposite just before the second 12 feet wall. As you are sitting in the chair, the CD player and power conditioning equipment were placed on a rack to your right somewhere in the middle of the 20 feet wall. There were long interconnect cables (again corrected from Speaker cables, thanks to ANM) that ran on the ground from the CD player to the amp.



The amp is placed on a small stool and sits squarely between the two speakers. The speakers themselves were a couple of feet from the wall to their rear and had a distance of roughly 7 od feet from each other. The room was completely bare excepting for what I had explained above. There were two small windows to your left as you sat on the listening position. The windows, if I remember right, did not have any drapes. The room was bare of any acoustical treatment whatsoever including a carpet. An ideal environment I would say for someone who wants to buy the amp/speaker combination and just use them in an untreated room. But then, I personally felt the sound stage would have been much much better with minimal acoustical treatment on the room.

Viren played some of his favourite CDs which included some Jazz, some Wind Instruments, and some numbers by Patricia Barber, Unfortunately, I had not heard these before so I could not comment on the delivery. But one things I must say. I was sitting some 10 to 12 feet from the drivers, and with the volume knob at 11 'O' clock position, the drivers were throwing nearly 80dB of sound at me effortlessly. I was stunned by the amplitude that a 3 watt amplifier could generate. I must say this was the first time I had come across a system where the amplifier and speakers were perfectly matched.

Viren, during this demo, was saying that the only thing the system lacked in delivering well was very low frequencies. I found the drums to be good and adequate. After some discussion with Viren, I realised that the system may not be able to deliver the artificially low boomy sounds of electronic drums, but plays real drums quite well. The beat of drums were tight and extremely fast, a feature of amplifier and loudspeakers I simply love.

OK, now was the time to take out my own CDs out and listen to numbers I am familiar with.

We started with Harry Belafonte as somehow I felt the system would be happy with a deep baritone voice. I was right. The 2A3 SET was really happy with my choice. It picked up and Harry's voice, and placed it dead centre between the speakers and surrounded it with the simple instruments played at low volume. The separation of the voice and the instruments was decent, and I could clearly hear the soothing violins that were played. Playing Harry Belafonte got Viren, Kamal and I reminiscing about 'Forces Requests', a radio program that used to be played by Delhi B many years ago at 2100 hours every Monday. It was in Forces Requests that we Neanderthals got close to Harry Belafonte, Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, and singers like that.

Next we played a few numbers from Katie Melua's Piece By Piece. In Shy Boy and Nine Million Bicycles, Katie's voice was silky smooth and caressing your ears. The instrumentals again were very decently separated from the voice, and the same time, working with her to present a good sound stage.

To push the system a little, I decided to play Raga Symphony by Pandit Jasraj and Shaarangadev Pandit. For those of you who are not familiar with this album, let me give a little background. Hindustani and Carnatic numbers are usually a single individual affair. These are either human voices or some instruments such as Sitar, Violin, etc. These are supported by a percussion, and a tampura to set the rhythm. Singers are generally supported by a single violin player, more to give the singer some breathing time than anything else. Some 10-15 years ago, Ravi Shankar attempted to break this mold by using the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to play some classical Indian ragas along with his Sitar. Conducted by Zubin Mehta, the Orchestra created a sound stage that is simply incredible. Called Raga Mala, this is one of the few albums I can listen to hundreds of times without tiring. Pandit Jasraj was the second artist to attempt this on a similar scale. With an ensemble of nearly 60 artists he plays the various ragas using keyboards, drums, chorus, Sitar, Chinese flute, Santoor, Veena, Sarangi, violins and violas. There are some 20 violins that are played together. Like the Raga Mala, the Raga Symphony is a mesmerising album that makes you sit up, listen, and dance to the tune.

When Viren played the Raga Symphony, I really sat up. It was as if the various groups of instruments and singers were lined one beside the other in front of me. The separation of some 15 odd groups of instruments were that clearly done. When a sitar would start, a Veena would step back, and take its place again when called to. When I closed my eyes, I felt I was sitting on the floor with the artists forming a semi circle in front of me. One thing missing was the throw of sound. But I felt this was because of my distance from the speakers. If I had sat some 10 odd feet from the speakers, I am sure I would have been completely enveloped by the sound. In Track 3 - A Faint Flutter - some halfway through the number, the violins start to crescendo the raga set by the Sitar. I was wondering if there was any space the violins could play in the sound stage and whether they would kind of get meshed with the other sounds. I need not have worried. The violins found a space between the amplifier and the left speaker and beautifully rendered themselves. Just imagine 20 violinists standing one behind the other in just two rows. The 2A3 SET was able to create that tight sound stage to give precision imaging of the artists and their instruments.

Viren opened the 2A3 SET and showed the internals to me. There was literally nothing inside excepting the power transformers and wiring that led to the tubes in the front. At the back were the good looking input connectors and binding posts. Very simplistic and very elegant. The 2A3 SET may not have the sophisticated finish of some imported tube amps, but they perform very well indeed.

The amp/speaker combination do have some short comings. If you are looking for earth shaking bass, you will be disappointed. As I said before, they cannot render electronic music, particularly drums, well, so hard rock lovers should look elsewhere. For all other kind of music, the combination is very good indeed. It will be particularly good for vocals and Western Classicals. Another area where the Lyritas may struggle with is extremely high pitched voices. I would like to hear a few Lata and Asha numbers to see how the 2A3 SET handles them. I did discuss this with Viren who was quite confident he could tune the system to individual tastes, if required. That is a great advantage from mass market players.

A couple of impressions that I would like to add, and these are purely my personal opinions. For one, I think Viren must do up his demo room a little in terms of acoustics. It will vastly improve his demonstrations. In a properly treated room, the amp/speaker combination can be heard at low volumes with really good clarity. This combination must be heard at some 40/50dB to be really enjoyed. With collateral noise, you may be forced to increase the amplitude bringing the possibilities of distortion, particularly in complicated albums.

Second in HFV and elsewhere I have often read people say the sound of tubes is more analog'ic' and more lifelike. I expected the Lyritas to sound completely different from a vast number of SS amps I have heard. This did not happen. I could not differentiate the Lyritas sound from a number of good and expensive SS amps that I have heard. I personally felt that a well constructed tube amp, and a well constructed SS amp would sound quite similar, at least to my ears.

Well done Viren.

Cheers


Great analysis.
But how did this set up compare
with the high end stuff at Sound of Music
Thanks
 
Great analysis. But how did this set up compare
with the high end stuff at Sound of Music

As I mentioned about Lyrita and Audire, comparing Lyrita with Sound of Music Equipment will be even more unreal and meaningless. Most of what Sound Of Music sell have lots of processing in both the digital and analogue domains. In addition, they process multiple channels as against two of Lyrita. Most important they are made for a different market and vastly different pricing.

Cheers
 
great to see viren's SET amps and single drivers getting so much notice. a lot of people could pick this system up and be satisfied.

i'd like to add only one counter point to your review - rock music with this system. since a few people might be rock music lovers and be put off.

i think people who don't listen to rock music have the impression that rock music is listened to at concert headbanging levels at home. if you're a listener who does this then the system would not do it for you.

if however you love rock music and are willing to forgo some of the volume for emotion you could rock with the system.

lets look at rock music. most seventies bands had great vocalists and great guitarists. deep purple (gillan and blackmore), iron maiden (dickenson and smith/murray/gers), led zep (page and plant) ac/dc (bon scott/brian johnson/angus young). now this is music that is firmly in the midrange and single drivers excel at midrange.

i listen to seventies rock mainly and i've had the single drivers and SET amp for a few years now. i'll mention my experience with them so a potential rock music lover can judge whether to take a chance and ask for a free home audition or not.

what i love about the system is the emotion it conveys. deep purple's highway star you can feel blackmore bending the strings to get those fluid notes in his legendary solo, the separation between the guitar and organ is clarity itself. most other systems i've heard i had to strain to separate them. in iron maiden's rime of the ancient mariner you can hear evil glee in bruce dickenson's voice when in the middle of the song, the music dies down and he's narrating how the sailors are stuck on the boat and they're waiting for redemption, jimi hendrix in all his songs you can hear him pour his sweat and blood into the guitar work. that guy is all soul. whooooo. ac/dc the live double album you can almost see angus young hopping around like a mad dervish all around the stage punishing his guitar and making it howl.

most seventies bands had great individual performers, unlike todays' cookie cutter bands which to me sound so much alike. for me, the SET amp and single driver bring out that individuality, the soul, the artist's essence that he/she put into the song. for that i'm more than willing to forgo ultra loud volumes. i rarely have to play it at full volume. i'd go deaf even with 2 watts. i'm more than willing to also forgo that sheer wall of sound rock concert type sound which i'm sure i could not take for extended listening sessions anyway.

a lot of people abroad use a SET amp and single drivers for rock music, lots of reviewers too have listened to rock albums as part of the review.

so if you're a rock lover and are willing to trade 'wall of loud sound that thumps you in the chest' for what i've mentioned above, you can ask viren for a free home audition. the max that would happen is you'll return the amp/speakers. at least worth a shot. the bass with the 2A3 is tight enough so you're not entirely unhappy and with the 45 tube you forget about wanting tighter bass :)

this past weekend i listened to ac/dc live on vinyl, iron maiden 'a real live/dead one', uriah heep, blondie. rocked all the way through!

regards
 
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Here they are:

(1)
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A few copies of this album are available in Landmark, but they disappear very fast. Please be aware that since this is a very old album, the recording may not be upto the mark.

(2)

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(3)

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This is one of the best albums of Katie Melua. The songs that I really love are Shy Boy, Nine Million Bicycles, Piece by Piece, and Halfway Up The Hindu Kush.

(4)

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This is released by Times Music. An excellent album and a must for anyone who loves Hindustani Music.

Cheers

Hello Venkat,
thanks for this information and landmark suggestion. I straightaway ordered it from them and today I received Raga Mala and Raga Symphony cd. I am really impressed by the prompt service offered by Landmarkonthenet.com website. I have a vinyl of Raga Mala i will see how the recording comapres between the cd and vinyl.
Thanks.
 
Venkat - this was a feast of information and a well written review at that. Thanks a bunch and I second Asit's idea about a separate thread about your visual impressions of various members here:)
 
Venkat ..... and I second Asit's idea about a separate thread about your visual impressions of various members here:)

Yah, Vortex, not just his impressions though. Everybody can post their impressions of other members, just for good fun. If we can do it that way, that will be great, without offending anybody. I loved the part where Venkat described Kamal, first his mental picture before seeing him, and then once after seeing him. Great stuff!
 
Yah, Vortex, not just his impressions though. Everybody can post their impressions of other members, just for good fun. If we can do it that way, that will be great, without offending anybody. I loved the part where Venkat described Kamal, first his mental picture before seeing him, and then once after seeing him. Great stuff!

Sure thing Asit. It would have been nice to have Venkat's impression of me just through my online presence but unfortunately he has seen me in person:)
 
Hi Viren
i am from Delhi and looking forward to upgrading my av setup. currently i have a panasonic HTiB. is it possible that i come down to your place and demo what you offer. waiting for your reply.
thanks

Mukti

Hi Venkat,

Good to hear from you! And thanks for the writeup.

My intention as a manufacturer is to offer very high quality products at prices that are atleast somewhat reasonable for Indian buyers. I understand that even Rs.1 lakh, for a WHOLE system, is a large sum of money for most families. How to position a high quality system in that, or a lesser range, is a challenge.

Auditioning in a home environment does have one advantage - you can listen and envision something similar in your home. So, the acoustics are done up to reflect a normal listening space at home.

How much sound absorption is required is dependent on the volume of the space. My listening room now, the one you were in, is rather small being 10' by 12'. A stuffed sofa, a carpet, heavy drapes, is probably all that is required to control reflections in such a space. There are drapes, they were just not drawn, since the windows were open. Open windows and doorways, by the way, are the best absorbers, since sound that escapes never comes back!

Again, I maintain that listening to music through a system is the only way of judging sound quality. Written specifications have absolutely no correlation. Listen, and you will hear differences between tube and solid-state electronics.

Regards,
Viren
 
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