[lokerola]

Hey folks, I'm new here (usually over at audiokarma), but I'm loving my Freya plus. I ordered it about 3 months ago. I pulled the JJ tubes and put in four Tung Sol's. It has a beautiful, full soundstage through my Rogue ST100 and upgraded OHM Walsh 2xO's. The Tung Sol's are a great upgrade to the JJ's (IMHO).

 

[Btarr]

Hey folks, I'm new here (usually over at audiokarma), but I'm loving my Freya plus. I ordered it about 3 months ago. I pulled the JJ tubes and put in four Tung Sol's. It has a beautiful, full soundstage through my Rogue ST100 and upgraded OHM Walsh 2xO's. The Tung Sol's are a great upgrade to the JJ's (IMHO).

For me Tung-Sol, the older the better is the only way to go.

 

[EELawson]

Hey folks, I'm new here (usually over at audiokarma), but I'm loving my Freya plus. I ordered it about 3 months ago. I pulled the JJ tubes and put in four Tung Sol's. It has a beautiful, full soundstage through my Rogue ST100 and upgraded OHM Walsh 2xO's. The Tung Sol's are a great upgrade to the JJ's (IMHO).

A similar opportunity exists with your Rogue ST-100. Mine came with 4 JJ's in the small tube sockets (12AU7 & 12 AX7). I replaced them with Genelex Gold Lions. That was a noticible upgrade.

 

[rkindel]

Volume opened all the way up? Sounds like a recipe for disaster while switching inputs to another live incoming stream .. say your music..
Would it not make more sense to crank up the pre outs on the reciever a little? Find a happy sweet spot so as not to accidentally damage your speakers.
If I keep my Freya I will be putting a sticker on the volume knob for a visual indicator of what level its at. This would be handy when switching inputs in a scenario such as described above.

Sure, you could do it that way but you can’t be sure the levels match. If you were unfortunate enough to switch inputs without lowering to volume you could be in for a nasty surprise. You just have to be mindful. Hasn’t happened to me yet.

 

[Mondo Caliente]

The jump in level when using the tube mode might be more extreme in the original Freya (I have one), but I assume it's still significant or maybe the same in the newer Freya +. I use a 12 or 15wpc (or something, depending on the tubes in the thing) Dennis Had single ended tube amp so I'm not in danger of blowing my efficient speakers (moderate power tube distortion doesn't hurt anything, unless your sitting too close to one of my guitar amps). I am completely used to the higher gain of the tubes and welcome it as the other two output settings aren't quite hot enough in my rig...I use those modes to check the "honesty" of my tubes at the same levels (ride that fader cowboy!). As a relatively early adopter of the Freya, supplied with those mysterious Russian tubes I immediately replaced (resulting in a tube roller's drawer full of tubes...NOS GEs being my faves), I can say my Freya to this day sounds beautiful, clear, non microphonic (luck maybe), and musical beyond any other preamp I've owned over many years (I've put it up against other very expensive and well regarded tube preamps owned by friends...it hold up swimmingly)...still a drop dead bargain.

 

[thefitz]

This might sound "extra", but I think I have a tube/headphone pairing. I am mad at myself for being so picky, but it's the truth.

I have an (alleged) pair of Shuguang Treasure CV181 tubes that I love with speakers or with my HE-6SE, but cannot stand with any other set. Almost sold my HEDDphone over it. The tubes are too damn noisy, with a maddening hum and all sorts of cheeps and chirps, on pretty much everything, but they're not particularly bad with the HE-6SE or my speaker setup.

That, and while the tubes have incredible soundstage and detailing, I find them a little hard sounding in the upper mids which actually works in the favour of the HE-6SE. On everything else, I love my orange-label Sylvania 6SN7GTB. Low noise, not harsh at all, good bass presence, liquid mids. Perhaps lacking air and are not the last word in detail, but I'd trade a hint of air for a lack of fatigue any day of the week.

 

[rkindel]

This might sound "extra", but I think I have a tube/headphone pairing. I am mad at myself for being so picky, but it's the truth.

I have an (alleged) pair of Shuguang Treasure CV181 tubes that I love with speakers or with my HE-6SE, but cannot stand with any other set. Almost sold my HEDDphone over it. The tubes are too damn noisy, with a maddening hum and all sorts of cheeps and chirps, on pretty much everything, but they're not particularly bad with the HE-6SE or my speaker setup.

That, and while the tubes have incredible soundstage and detailing, I find them a little hard sounding in the upper mids which actually works in the favour of the HE-6SE. On everything else, I love my orange-label Sylvania 6SN7GTB. Low noise, not harsh at all, good bass presence, liquid mids. Perhaps lacking air and are not the last word in detail, but I'd trade a hint of air for a lack of fatigue any day of the week.

Another good report on the Sylvanias. Maybe I will check them out then I need to replace my Tung Sols.

 

[thefitz]

Another good report on the Sylvanias. Maybe I will check them out then I need to replace my Tung Sols.

I have vintage USA GTB Tung Sols in the cathode follower section and they're doing just fine there. In the gain stage, I found them a little noisier and a little splashier than the Sylvanias, but that might be the ticket with dark headphones.

 

[Mondo Caliente]

I've encountered only one microphonic Sylvania in my small pile...otherwise the "chrome domes" sound great...still second to my preferred GEs, but a great tube anyway.

 

[thefitz]

I've encountered only one microphonic Sylvania in my small pile...otherwise the "chrome domes" sound great...still second to my preferred GEs, but a great tube anyway.

Your comment made me dig out a pair of GE 6SN7GTAs and they're sweet sounding indeed. More open sounding no doubt, a little less warm, but damn they sound good. Still definitely even sounding like the Sylvanias, just tilted towards clarity over warmth.

It's actually crazy how much tubes can do.

 

[Mondo Caliente]

Yeah I don't know if GE GTBs are any different from GTAs, but I have 4 of 'em (GTBs) in the Freya that I keep watching for signs of age...after maybe a couple of years! I have one in the input of my single ended power amp also (it has only 4 tubes, 2 power, an input, and a rectifier in a Dennis Had Firebottle High Output). These things seem to last a while, and I check up on them from time to time...the easiest was is to simply compare the tone to the passive Freya options, or I swap out the tube in the amp...generally it goes right back in.

 

[Will E Vormer]

Hi guys cd anyone with a Freya S comment on the bass quality and quantity? Does it fill out after running in?
Thanks

 

[zoophaugus]

Hi guys cd anyone with a Freya S comment on the bass quality and quantity? Does it fill out after running in?
Thanks

I've had my + now for about a month and it fills out better now or maybe it's just the highs have become a little relaxed now. Found them to be fatiguing at first but it's broken in now. I still find it to be a some what bright sounding pre amp...

 

[davidflas]

Hi guys cd anyone with a Freya S comment on the bass quality and quantity? Does it fill out after running in?
Thanks

I’ve had my Freya S for about a year now, and have never found it lacking in bass quantity or quality. Mine wasn’t brand new when I got it though.

 

[Tension250]

Hi guys,
I am running my Freya+ (2x Tung sol round plates + 2x sylvania 6sn7gtb) and noticed some noise. I can get rid of the noise by lowering the gain of my power amplifier (a NAD c275 BEE). so now I need to turn up the Freya+ to around 14:00 to reach a proper listening level. So I am wondering am I loosing any sound quality by doing this?

Freya+ 10:00 + fixed gain amp
vs
Freya+ 14:00 + low gain amp

which shall give the best sound quality, despite the noise level?

Thanks a lot all!

-T.