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Tyr

Nexus™ and Continuity™ Choke-Input Monoblock Amplifier

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$1,599.00

Ships 1-3 days

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Forget the technobabble and buzzword bingo for a sec. Here’s what Tyr is: a monstrous, old-skool, crazy heavy, over-the-top mono speaker amplifier. It uses the best of today’s and yesterday’s technologies to create something totally unique—and It has enough power to run almost anything.  

Please note: "mono" means "one channel." You need two Tyrs for stereo. 

Beyond Overbuilt
55 lbs. 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. Sounds like overkill? It is. Tyr is our most insane amplifier ever, designed for driving difficult speakers without breaking a sweat.
 
Unique Nexus™ and Continuity™ Topology
Tyr is the ultimate expression of both Nexus and Continuity. In other words, this is a balanced, differential amplifier with a unique discrete, current-feedback gain stage, coupled with Continuity™ output topology that eliminates transconductance droop. In Tyr, we’ve refined Continuity even further, resulting in a cooler-running amplifier.
 
Back to the Past
One of the keys to Tyr’s performance is it’s huge inductor—literally the same size as the power transformer. This custom-made inductor is the “choke” in the “choke-input power supply.” This is a super old-skool technique you don’t see anymore, because chokes cost a mint and some people think banks of capacitors are more visually impressive.  
 
Intelligent Oversight and Convenience
Like all of our amplifiers, Tyr is managed by a microprocessor running custom firmware. It monitors all operational parameters, from bias to temperature to DC, and protects the amplifier in case of any fault, for near-bulletproof reliability. Add the ability to put the amplifier into low-power “standby” mode on the front panel and switchable balanced and SE inputs, and Tyr is our most convenient amp ever.
 
Designed and Built in California
By “designed and built in California" this is what we mean: the vast majority of the total production cost of Tyr—chassis, boards, transformers, assembly, etc—goes to US companies manufacturing in the US. Our chassis are made minutes from our facility. Our PCBs are done just over the hill from us. Our transformers are also made in California. All of this comes together in our Valencia, California facility, where each Tyr is assembled, tested, burned in for 3 days, and then listen-tested again. 
 
5-Year Warranty
Tyr is covered by a limited warranty that covers parts and labor for five years. That’s 5 years. Yes. FIVE. Which is up to 5X that of our competition, if you weren’t so hot at math. Note the marketing weasel-wording “up to.”
 
15-Day Satisfaction Guarantee
Try Tyr in your own house for 15 days. If you don’t like them, simply send them back for a refund, minus a 5% transaction fee. Try spending 15 days in an audio store. They’ll kick you out. Unless you buy them donuts. Maybe.

Power Output:

8 Ohms: 200W RMS per channel maximum
4 Ohms: 350W RMS per channel maximum
 
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 3Hz-500KHz, -3dB
 
THD: <0.01%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 200W RMS into 8 ohms 
IMD: <0.01%, CCIR, at 200W RMS into 8 ohms
 
SNR: >120db, A-weighted, referenced to full output 
 
Damping Factor: >200 into 8 ohms, 20-20kHz
 
Gain: 22 (28dB)
 
Input Sensitivity: AKA Rated Output (Vrms)/Rated Gain. Or, 40/22. You do the math.
 
Input Impedance: 47k ohms SE, 47k ohms balanced
 
Inputs: RCA for SE input, XLR for balanced input, rear panel switchable
 
Topology: Nexus™ discrete differential current feedback gain stage, no coupling capacitors or DC servos with Continuity™ constant transconductance output stage, all BJT output
 
Oversight: microprocessor-controlled monitoring and management of critical operational points, including DC offset, with standby mode and relay shut-down for overcurrent, thermal, and other faults
 
Power Supply: 600VA transformer with 600VA choke input to main rails, plus boosted, regulated supply to input, voltage gain and driver stages, plus separate, isolated and regulated rails for microprocessor management. 
 
Power Consumption: 750W maximum 
 
Size: 16” x 13” x 3.875”
 
Weight: 55 lbs each
 
 

How can I run this amp to two speakers?
You can’t, it’s a mono amp.

You mean I have to buy two of these?
Absolutely. Unless you’re using one for a center channel or something. Which is pretty crazy, but we’ve seen crazier schiit out there.
 
Like what?
No comment.
 
Okay, fine. What about this 350W rating into 4 ohms? Why doesn’t it double into 4 ohms? I thought that was good.
Here’s a horrible truth: no amp doubles its output into 4 ohms. None. Nada. Zip. Some might get close, but when you factor in transformer resistance and saturation, choke resistance, emitter resistance (especially in a differential amplifier where that’s 2X a factor), then an actual doubling into 4 ohms aintgonnahappen.com. 
 
I didn’t understand a bit of that. Please simplify.
Hey, we don’t understand interior design or how to design something that goes to Mars. Why don’t you summarize those for us in 200 words or less, too?
 
Okay, I get it. But take a stab.
Fine. Here we go: we chose to rate Tyr nearer its actual output into 8 ohms to get that magic 200W number. Usually we take the 4 ohm result and divide it by 2 to get the 8 ohm rating. The reason we chose to do this is largely because of the choke, which, although it has other benefits, adds some DC resistance to the power supply. This, combined with Tyr’s differential topology, means we don’t quite get 400W into 4 ohms. We’re OK with this.
 
Does it run into 2 ohms?
Sure. Eventually you might hit the thermal or overcurrent protection, but Tyr doesn’t care too much what it’s connected to. 
 
So if the choke limits output, why’d you put it in there?
Because it stores a ton of power for transient needs, and smooths the power supply dramatically. In fact, running the output rails thru a choke means a 20+dB reduction in ripple. We didn’t really need to put much output filter capacitance on it at all, but we chose to do so, because, you know, overkill is overkill.
 
No switching supplies?
No.
 
No Class D?
No.
 
Class A or AB?
Neither. Continuity™.
 
What is this Continuity™ thing, really?
Continuity is our way of compensating for transconductance droop when the amplifier transitions out of Class A operation and into Class AB, and to help solve the mismatch between NPN and PNP output devices.
 
Huh? I didn’t understand all of that.
Okay, let’s break it down like this. Continuity allows us to run less bias than Class A, and yet still have the amp act more like Class A even once it’s outside the Class A operating region. 
 
So this is like Aegir and Jotunheim 2?
Kinda in-between, but closer to Aegir. The implementation of Continuity on Tyr is unique, using a single output “corrector” with a more efficient “sense” device so that Tyr doesn’t have to run as hot as Aegir, but it’s not the “supercharger” arrangement used in Jotunheim 2. This gives us both higher efficiency and higher linearity, which we think is a pretty neat trick.  
 
Okay, so it’s a sliding bias scheme.
Nope, it is a unique output stage that uses both NPN and PNP devices on both rails, and selectively turns on additional devices to compensate for transconductance droop outside of the Class A bias region.
 
Okay, so it’s a Sziklai output stage.
Nope, the output stage has no gain.
    
Why is this amp so expensive?
Big transformer. Big choke. Big heatsinks. Lots of output devices. Lots of weight. Stuff like that. But see below for a different perspective.
 
Are you guys nuts? Fully linear power supply, choke-input, 24 output devices, this is super-cheap for what you get! How do you do it?
By making lots of them and not overcharging. And direct sale. Same as all our other stuff.
 
Do I need to run a balanced input to this thing for max output?
Nope, nor do you need a balanced input for best quality. Nexus™ is input-agnostic. Feel free to run single-ended all the way up to the amp; it won’t make any difference.
 
Can I run both balanced and single-ended to the amp?
Yes, and you can select one of them via a rear switch.
 
I bet the power switch is on the rear too.
Yes, it is, but you can put Tyr in Standby using the front button. This Standby mode de-biases the output stage and reduces the standing power requirements to only about 5-6 watts.
   
Who is Tyr in Norse mythology?
Tyr is sometimes thought of as a Norse war god, but also the god who presides over law and justice. We thought this appropriate for this over-the-top, powerful, impactful…and yet still controlled and composed, amplifier.
 
Schiit Audio Tyr monoblock power amplifier
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Tyr Manual