John
Tyr (pronounced “tear”, not “tyre”) is the name lent by California’s Schiit Audio to its latest creation: a differential monoblock loudspeaker amplifier promising 200wpc into 8 Ohms and 350wpc into 4 Ohms. Schiit is calling this new amplifier “overbuilt”.
“Tyr is our end-game speaker amp,” said Jason Stoddard, Schiit’s Co-Founder and head of analog design. “Mike Moffat has been wanting to make a choke-input power supply amp for years—literally 30 years, we were playing with them in the early 1990s—and now we’ve finally done it.”
Things get complicated pretty quickly so I’ll let the press materials do the talking: “55 lbs (25kg). 12 lb choke. 160,000uf filter capacitance. 24 150W Toshiba output devices. 7 internal power supply rails, including HV boost rails that uses unique discrete CFP regulators.”
“Choke-input power supplies are an old technique, largely abandoned due to the cost and weight of the choke. The choke in Tyr, for example, is the same size as the power transformer, and weighs about the same–12 lbs. Chokes store energy, like modern capacitor banks, and help provide for large reserves of power in Tyr.”
“Tyr’s power isn’t just the result of a choke, though—a 160,000uF capacitor bank backs it up as well, and 24 15-amp output devices are used per channel, in a differential, Schiit-proprietary Nexus™ and Continuity™ configuration.”
“Nexus is our flagship discrete, differential topology. It allows Tyr to seamlessly accept both XLR balanced and RCA single-ended inputs without conversion of either, preserving the integrity of the original signal. It’s coupled with a refinement of our constant-transconductance Continuity™ output stage that extends the benefits of Class A operation outside the Class A envelope. That said, Tyr is biased at 5W of Class A standing current, so it remains in Class A for many applications.”
We covered Class A biasing only yesterday.
“Tyr also includes convenience and protection features befitting a modern amplifier. It provides switchable single-ended or balanced inputs, as well as a front-mounted standby switch that de-biases the amplifier, mutes the inputs and outputs, and reduces standing current draw to only 5-6 watts. Protection for overcurrent, over-temperature, and high DC conditions is managed by Schiit’s custom, microprocessor-controlled intelligent operating system, for superb reliability.”
Tyr is available now for US$1599 a piece. You’ll need two for stereo. Your choice of black or silver.
Why such a heavy lean on Schiit’s press release for this news story? Simple: we’ve got a Tyr video coming in a week or two.
Further information: Schiit Audio
Photos: Lee Shelley
