I recently received the Freya Noval PreAmp that I bought on close out from Schiit.
For speaker listening, I was previously using a Solid-State Pre [Topping Pre90] with the R26.
It sounds very nice, extremely detailed... but I had a feeling that although pretty good, the NFCA modules used in the Pre90 could be limiting the soundstage.
That's been a common critique of Topping and their amps that use the NFCA [A90, A90D, etc]. They offer extreme clarity and resolution, but it is a double-edged sword because this seems to contribute to a flatter, 2D presentation.
Also, I previously had an A90. After I bought the Jotunheim 2, in addition to the 2D nature mentioned, I realized just how poor the dynamics were on the A90 and I sold it.
So that was always in the back of my mind with Topping gear.
After listening for several hours to the Freya N in my system tonight here are some of my thoughts:
IMO, Using tubes in the Freya N helps to really allow the R26 to spread it's wings with regards to the soundstage.
Although there might be a hair less detail with the Freya to my ear, it images better and has an almost 3D-sounding aspect to the staging.
I am currently employing 2x Soviet 6N6P on the left [cathode follower output stage], 2x Phillips PCC88 on the right side [voltage gain stage].
Problem is, I have bought several more tube varieties that I should try out. I might just listen to music and compare notes later. Lol...
I have a fun weekend of listening ahead.

Anyways, I really just wanted to mention that I think this R26 + Freya N combo synergizes well with each other.