[DacBuddha]

Been using Freya for about 6 months now and loving it everyday. Last week while away on holiday i read on here re Freya+ sounds perfect right.
Rather then burning valves all day you can play passive and then burn valves when you enjoy some quality listening time.

Order placed today for Freya+.

 

[Dan Lee]

Hello all,

Have any of you heard of a freya being used with a KGSSHV Carbon? I would like to be able to inject some tube sound into my Carbon but not sure if its doable or not.

Thanks

 

[skiroe]

Hello all,

Have any of you heard of a freya being used with a KGSSHV Carbon? I would like to be able to inject some tube sound into my Carbon but not sure if its doable or not.

Thanks

if it connects in a typical way to a preamp (which it appears to do--i see out/input on the Carbon) I would think that the Freya will impart tube flavor.

 

[skiroe]

Very interested in hearing those who have just put the plus into their system. Im still debating but only because I would like to have tape in/out,, I would like to displace my full function Sonic Frontiers Line 1 with a 6sn7 based pre. Finding full function not easy to do. I did communicate with Schiit about adding options but not available.

 

[shogo33]

I had the Freya v1 two years ago when it came out and in this form, i felt it had some shortcomings from a design perspective after using it for 6 months, i ended up selling it. The main issue was tube noise, second was the volume pot, which didnt sync with the remote - which was cheap and tacky. Sound wise, it didnt quite match up with my MW LS100, which sounded fuller by comparison. I want to give the Freya + another go, but lets see how this one pans out.

 

[MrTrickle]

Very interested in hearing those who have just put the plus into their system. Im still debating but only because I would like to have tape in/out,, I would like to displace my full function Sonic Frontiers Line 1 with a 6sn7 based pre. Finding full function not easy to do. I did communicate with Schiit about adding options but not available.

New member, first post, but I’m that dude that just put a Freya+ into my system. Before I got the Freya I was running a Decware Zen Torii MK3 without a preamp into Zu Presence speakers. I was looking for more gain/weight/dynamics, plus the ability to add more sources than just phono and tuner. When I got an iPhone without a headphone jack and I couldn’t stream music old school any longer into my main system it was time to get a dragonfly red and start looking for a preamp that wouldn’t break the bank and could play well with the Torii.

I got clued into the original Freya reading the usual forums and ended up wading my way thru this thread. At about page 50 or so, I was ready to give it a shot. Literally the day I was going to pull the trigger on the tubed Freya, 4 new versions popped up. Ridiculous. Especially because it was clear that Schiit listened to the design complaints about the original Freya and made it better while dropping the noise floor significantly. With high efficiency speakers it matters a lot. So thanks to all that have contributed to this thread; the good, bad, and the ugly! The 6NS7 knowledge in here is invaluable to me because I’ve only ever dealt with 6922/6DJ8 and 12AU and 12X7s input tubes.

I’ll add an actual review in a bit.

 

[Ghosthouse]

Hello folks. A quick question (hopefully). Have had a Freya (Gen 1) since early 2017. It's been great. Very flexible. Quiet (other than from the occasional noisy tube). Very satisfied with it.
I mostly use the JFET buffer mode on it and install tubes only occasionally (do have socket savers in place). In addition to the good sound in JFET mode, I like being able to leave the unit powered up (on mute) 24/7 without burning tubes. Is anyone aware of any concerns or downside to running the unit long term WITHOUT any tubes installed? Again, this is for the original Freya.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

[Alcophone]

Is anyone aware of any concerns or downside to running the unit long term WITHOUT any tubes installed? Again, this is for the original Freya.

There has been conflicting information about this, but it's apparently NOT recommended.

Some quotes, not in order:

Not true. For Freya, with no tubes installed, the B+ bus voltage increases to a value where the power supply capacitors are overstressed. Contact Schiit before you decide to try it.

Your quoted post is from 2010. I sent an inquiry and some measurements to Schiit in March 2018 about this and Jason personally replied to me: "I'll investigate further, and in the meantime, let tech know not to recommend running without tubes or LISST". Sometimes issues are overtaken by events.

As of March 28, 2019, Schiit tech support says "[y]ou can run the [F]reya just fine without tubes. Shouldn't be an issue." Perhaps @Jason Stoddard could clarify whether running changes were made to address this issue? We know there have running changes to Freya given the gain in tube mode was 5 (14dB) at launch and is now 2.5 (8dB).

I'll talk with tech support. I don't think we're recommending running Freya without tubes. Sorry for the confusion.

I also got an email from tech support yesterday saying it was ok to run my Freya without tubes.

 

[Ghosthouse]

There has been conflicting information about this, but it's apparently NOT recommended.

Some quotes, not in order:

Alcophone - Thanks so much for pulling those quotes together. I did in fact search in HeadFi and elsewhere. Did not come up with the info you provided. Thanks again.
I'm a bit surprised about this. Wish something had been placed in the owner's manual (or in the Schiit FAQs).

Looks like I'll have to amend my operating practices (forego 24/7 power up).

 

[llamaluv]

I'd say the requirement of keeping tubes connected while running the preamp in non-tube mode should be seen as another major design shortcoming of the v1.0 (or maybe "v0.9"?) version of the Freya. No small wonder that it's not clearly communicated in their materials.

- Salty Freya owner :/

 

[skiroe]

I had the Freya v1 two years ago when it came out and in this form, i felt it had some shortcomings from a design perspective after using it for 6 months, i ended up selling it. The main issue was tube noise, second was the volume pot, which didnt sync with the remote - which was cheap and tacky. Sound wise, it didnt quite match up with my MW LS100, which sounded fuller by comparison. I want to give the Freya + another go, but lets see how this one pans out.

I just had the LS100 in here and frankly after all these years of having a few different tube preamps the LS100 turned out to be the game changer and was the revelation on what a 6sn7 based preamp can do.. I suppose on one level I sold it because it is a quite huge chassis and required either a separate rack or re-position its feet to fit into my main system rack although likely a bit cramped . (the bedroom system as well and that has quite a big top shelf on it) The full functionality of my SF line 1 had something to do with it as well which includes having the very well made hockey puck aluminum remote and that it had been sent to Parts connexion last year for volume control upgrade and a cap upgrade I think possibly. So, difficult to let an old friend like that go. For full functioned 6sn7 preamp that ticks all the boxes I would. The LS100 operates very quietly and has start up mode, input selection on the remote, tape in/out, XLR connects,,etc. The optional metal remote is $200. the stock remote is nothing special but works. Im considering just going for another. It also employs a rectifier tube --5AR4 which is another classic and can be had in vintage form such as Amperex , Mulllard,, et al.

 

[Mike-WI]

Schiit Audio Freya Preamplifier Reviewed
By Dylan Seeger | June 19, 2019
https://hometheaterreview.com/schiit-audio-freya-preamplifier-reviewed/

[[Editor's note: as we were going to publication with this review, Schiit announced two new versions of its Freya preamp: the Freya S, which lacks this model's tube gain stage; and the Freya +, which features a new tube stage with DC heaters and a noise-cancelling semi-circlotron output buffer, and a new differential JFET buffer stage, which converts signle-ended signals to balanced, among other enhancements.]]

 

[belgiangenius]

Schiit Audio Freya Preamplifier Reviewed
By Dylan Seeger | June 19, 2019
https://hometheaterreview.com/schiit-audio-freya-preamplifier-reviewed/

[[Editor's note: as we were going to publication with this review, Schiit announced two new versions of its Freya preamp: the Freya S, which lacks this model's tube gain stage; and the Freya +, which features a new tube stage with DC heaters and a noise-cancelling semi-circlotron output buffer, and a new differential JFET buffer stage, which converts signle-ended signals to balanced, among other enhancements.]]

Megaweird. I don't think I've seen a magazine review a product that isn't available anymore - unless it was clearly vintage. Seems he even found an old one with the plastic remote. No point reading that...

 

[Mike-WI]

Megaweird. I don't think I've seen a magazine review a product that isn't available anymore - unless it was clearly vintage. Seems he even found an old one with the plastic remote. No point reading that...

Sounds like they were already "in [e-]press", but agree, only of historical interest.
And noting the "CON" section now addressed by new pre-amp versions.

 

[Mondo Caliente]

That review is pretty lame in addition to it being rendered instantly irrelevant, but that can't stop me from ranting a bit: Tubes run hot? Really...they're TUBES...the power switch is so easy to locate (my stuff is turned on by a power conditioner, but if I want the tube pre and power amps off and other non tube items left on when I'm out for a bit I reach in there and hey...flip the damn switch...) this can only be seen as a silly quibble. Man...I'm sort of amazed that after all the user reviews and Schiit's own comments that anybody feels the amazingly well designed relay switching volume clicking is an issue as it only makes noise when changing levels...and if tubes are so microphonic that this affects them (which I seriously doubt it can) you're using very bad tubes. By the way, wondering where the volume is on the older Freya relative to what you might have adjusted with the remote requires listening to it, and that design works swimmingly requiring one to turn the knob to where the remote level was before manually adjusting the level...is that really an issue? Hmmm....I keep my "original vintage" (owned since 12/17 or something) on a lot, it doesn't burn through tubes, and I've assembled a pile of 6SN7GTBs anyway because NOS GEs (my fave for this preamp, and there's one in my little single ended power amp) are relatively inexpensive...generally less than new Tung Sols by the way. The issue of warm up time is also pretty funny as, again, they're TUBES and the Freya warm up takes what...40 seconds? I think one buys the Freya because it's a tube amp, and now you can buy one because it's not. It's also not 4 thousand dollars. I don't leave even my non tube gear on 24/7 as I can wait for warm up and don't trust gear to take care of itself. The guy with the Freya+ shipped with a loose LED lens perhaps should have immediately sent it back for a fresh one, although the non-screw case design is kinda strange...glue? Welded? Some inner clamping system? Schiit maybe just dumps flawed ones as they do with their very inexpensive stuff, but I generally open new gear just to look at it (or in the case of my Freya to dim the LEDs) so, meh. If I need a preamp for a second system someday (although I still have the balanced, dual mono, 30 lb SS pre the Freya replaced) I'd buy the Freya+ in a heartbeat mostly because, luckily, my now "classic" version works perfectly, runs humlessly, and sounds fabulous.