As to why Valhalla 2 and not Lyr 2 for me personally is because I wanted to start the Schiit journey from the bottom up and get a taste for their solid state and tube offerings. Savor the Schiit flavor?
I actually started with the Gungnir multibit DAC (Gumby) because I knew I'd be happy with it for a long time and it turns out it exceeded my expectations. Highly recommend the Gumby. Perhaps PumaCat can elaborate more on the Bifrost? I've read some reviews on the Yggdrasil vs Gungnir and it sounded like the Gungnir is the warmer sounding DAC which I like and PumaCat Stephen confirmed it for me.
Getting back to Valhalla 2 and Asgard 2 that I have at the moment. Both are fantastic for the money. I also have the Focal Elear that I decided to keep along with the Utopia. Listening to the Elear as I type this through Gumby and Valhalla 2. Fabulous.
I also wanted to get an understanding of what Schiit house sound is and if it holds through their range of products. The Asgard 2 is Class A solid state, the Valhalla 2 is a Triode OTL. Love them both. The Asgard 2 sounds like a very classy solid state with just the right touch of warmth, forgiveness and musicality without sounding overly mushy/soft in dynamics. No trace of hardness of notes or solid state grain. Pure joy to listen to. I also plan to add a Lyr 2 at some point and perhaps even move up to the Mjolnir. At these prices, this Schiit is addicting and affordable.
Now for the not so great news as far as your setup goes.
These little Schiits run freaking HOT! They are putting out some seriously good music and throwing off some heat in the process. They work hard for
your money.
Would I recommend that you park one of these on your nightstand if you live in Miami and heat is an issue? I can't do that.
You'll be loving the music but you will hate me for not telling you that they run HOT.
There are alternative out there that don't run quite as hot including tubes. If you need suggestions, I can provide a few. Hope this helps.