[rkindel]

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.

Trust your ears. Sounds like you are getting less noise running with a lower gain power amp. Don’t be afraid of running your Freya with the volume knob cranked. I run mine routinely between the 1 and 4 o’clock positions when I am in passive mode. I listen to passive most of the time. After all, the volume control is a attenuator. You’re just not attenuating as much there.

 

[Tension250]

Thanks rkindel,
Lowing the gain of my amp and increasing the knob indeed eliminate the noise (seems from the tubes) without losing any sound quality (to my ears). I am just trying to double-confirm this finding with other users. I am still too new to this.

 

[OneEyedHito]

Got a like new Schiit Freya+ today and need some assistance with tubes and setup for a better sound.

I have had several Woo Tube headphone amps and an Octave V 40 SE in my 2-channel setup, I rolled tubes in all of them so I am not totally a newb but would really appreciate some guidance for anyone getting great sound out of their Schiit Freya. I have the 4 stock JJ tubes, but also picked up 2 Smoked RCA's and 2 Gold Pin Electro Harmonix all matched in pairs and low on Microphonic's. I originally had the 2 EH in the left ports and the 2 RCA's in the right and it sounded too thin, soundstage was wide for certain but lacking body, I have swapped the L to R pairs and now it is euphonic but still lacking body.

Amp is a Benchmark AHB2 fed from the Freya+ which is fed Roon via an ultraRendu into a Holo Audio Spring 3 so the chain is solid and without the Freya+ tubes much more impactful in sound signature.

Any guidance or help on tube setups that you have had success with is appreciated.

 

[rsbrsvp]

There are so so many tube recommendations and mixes mentioned in this thread. It is very confusing.

Could someone please do me a favor and tell me what the most commonly recommended two or three tubes are for the Freya +? I am a fan of clarity, transparency, speed, and detail with minimal warmth and euphonics.

I would be interested in both recommendations of cost no object options and also best new issue tube options.

 

[mantraone]

There are so so many tube recommendations and mixes mentioned in this thread. It is very confusing.

Could someone please do me a favor and tell me what the most commonly recommended two or three tubes are for the Freya +? I am a fan of clarity, transparency, speed, and detail with minimal warmth and euphonics.

I would be interested in both recommendations of cost no object options and also best new issue tube options.

I'm using 4 x 6SN7-GTB Tung-Sol (new, not-NOS) and I think is one of the best choice in this way.

 

[prosnowboarder]

I have a single aegir , a freya+, and a yggy a2 and am wondering if running balanced from the yggy to the freya+ (in tube mode) and then single ended to the aegir is better or worse for the signal compared to se out of the yggy. To me they present slightly different sound signatures but I can't pick which sounds correct.
Maybe that's just placebo?
Also wondering if adding another Aegir and going fully balanced would be my best bet as my interconnects are 15 ft from the freya to the aegir.
Oh yeah I love my freya+ btw

 

[433521]

They have a strong presence in old analog communication receivers where a certain audio "punch" is required to understand audio with much rf noise in the background.

Hey Mike! Sorry to dig this up from years back but: do the similar cv4003, 5751 and other types suffer from this 'punch' effect.

....

Probably the balanced from the Yggy is more correct but not so much that it matters. I meant to suggest running your Aegir in mono to compare balanced vs s/e. Follow the instructions with the cable connections, it's not just a simple disconnect the left or right.

tube options?

The best I've found is the 6sn7wgt 3 hole Bad Boy plates from Sylvania, at $75 each when they were around.

There are plenty of matched tubes on ebay, I bought a pair of Bad Boys and 4x cheaper pairs -- $50 per pair -- matched tubes of various types from Bullz Tubes on ebay. He'll give you a small discount if you're buying a few and of course save on shipping. The cheaper NOS tubes sound a little more closed in, less bass than the bad boy tubes, but more honest overall than new production Tung Sol which have peaky treble to these ears.

Expensive? Bad Boy seems expensive to me.

CBS 5692 is the $250 Mililtary spec of the 6sn7 and it's rather 'built up' which can result in better resistance to microphonics. I don't hear a lot of noise in Freya but they say big glass is noisier than the smaller glass, 9 pin replacements that came later (and some say sound like azz)

The most expensive you can buy right now? $300 Brimar that Bullz calls holy grail. Others might tell you better how those sound. I like the Bad Boys fine. I wish I'd purchased 4.

For fun, there's a guy in Taiwan on ebay selling USA made NOS NIB Tung Sol at $20 a pop!

 

[prosnowboarder]

I am definitely liking certain nos tubes MUCH better than the harsh stock tubes in my system. I will be looking for some more nos tubes with better defined bass and still open clarity without the harshness.

On another note I am thinking of upgrading my 14ft blue jeans rca's to audioquest evergreen rca but they only sell 3m or 5m not 4m.

I'm thinking the 5m would be too long of an interconnect from the freya to the aegir being more than 15ft and the 3m is too short to reach the amp where I like it.

I could split the distance though by moving the freya closer to the amp but then I'd have to get longer balanced interconnects from the yggy to the freya.

Any other options or ideas here?

 

[433521]

I am definitely liking certain nos tubes MUCH better than the harsh stock tubes in my system. I will be looking for some more nos tubes with better defined bass and still open clarity without the harshness.

On another note I am thinking of upgrading my 14ft blue jeans rca's to audioquest evergreen rca but they only sell 3m or 5m not 4m.


Any other options or ideas here?

I'd ask the fine people at Schiit but if you can't hear a difference between a short cable and a long one, you're probably better off with the money in your pocket. Over at audioscience review Amir compared several cables from monoprice and amazon and some other and there were basically identical and no noise was present. I don't know if that means anything or not frankly.

 

[prosnowboarder]

Yeah I'm hesitating about the whole thing already as I'm looking at cable prices and thinking the possible small benefit if any is probably not worth it for me... Especially since I'm using pretty long cables and on a budget.

You are probably right and I'm trying to fix what's not broken. Thank you for the reassurance and the ability to put the money toward something better like some nice nos tubes for the freya.

 

[lokerola]

Well, I'm still enjoying the sound of my Freya+, but man I hate the remote. You have to have it pointed EXACTLY at the Freya and the little buttons are annoying. If they had given this a usable remote I would rate it a 5 out of 5. But the annoying little remote makes me give it a 3.5 out 5 stars.

Still rocking new Tung Sols in all 4 sockets and it makes lovely music.

 

[paradoxper]

Hey Mike! Sorry to dig this up from years back but: do the similar cv4003, 5751 and other types suffer from this 'punch' effect.

....

Probably the balanced from the Yggy is more correct but not so much that it matters. I meant to suggest running your Aegir in mono to compare balanced vs s/e. Follow the instructions with the cable connections, it's not just a simple disconnect the left or right.




The best I've found is the 6sn7wgt 3 hole Bad Boy plates from Sylvania, at $75 each when they were around.

There are plenty of matched tubes on ebay, I bought a pair of Bad Boys and 4x cheaper pairs -- $50 per pair -- matched tubes of various types from Bullz Tubes on ebay. He'll give you a small discount if you're buying a few and of course save on shipping. The cheaper NOS tubes sound a little more closed in, less bass than the bad boy tubes, but more honest overall than new production Tung Sol which have peaky treble to these ears.

Expensive? Bad Boy seems expensive to me.

CBS 5692 is the $250 Mililtary spec of the 6sn7 and it's rather 'built up' which can result in better resistance to microphonics. I don't hear a lot of noise in Freya but they say big glass is noisier than the smaller glass, 9 pin replacements that came later (and some say sound like azz)

The most expensive you can buy right now? $300 Brimar that Bullz calls holy grail. Others might tell you better how those sound. I like the Bad Boys fine. I wish I'd purchased 4.

For fun, there's a guy in Taiwan on ebay selling USA made NOS NIB Tung Sol at $20 a pop!

Would you mind sharing where the Brimars are available for purchase please?

 

[paradoxper]

Any group consensus on, say, top 10 variants? I've picked up Brimar, Hytron, MELZ, looking for quads so I may play with direct comparison of gain and output stage.

I'm sure I'll find myself reading most of the 6SN7 thread.

Ok, back-reading the last 49 pages to + announcement, I've added RCA grey glass and Kenrad black glass. Very difficult to find quad - not matched.
I think I'll add some Jan and go from there as a starting point.

 

[433521]

Would you mind sharing where the Brimars are available for purchase please?

I have no idea the authenticity of these tubes, but I did buy 5 pairs (of cheaper non-Brimar tubes from Bullz) of $50 - $150 per pair and they seem like a fair deal for what I received. Ebay is hit or miss overall. Be careful. I assume ebay as I assume gambling: the game's rules are designed to give eBay money, and have the seller and buyer fight each other to see who loses less money.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265464109896?hash=item3dcee4db48:g:RUIAAOSwwCNhwn~K

 

[paradoxper]

I have no idea the authenticity of these tubes, but I did buy 5 pairs of $50 - $150 per pair and they seem like a fair deal for what I received.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265464109896?hash=item3dcee4db48:g:RUIAAOSwwCNhwn~K

Thank you. I'd be careful buying from eBay unless established with the seller or can test for confirmation which I recommend always.