[winders]

Blah, blah, blah....

Just as an example, did Jason use an Aikido buffer circuit in his design for Freya? The Don Sachs Model 2 Preamp does. I am not saying the Aikido buffer is any better or worse, but it certainly is different. All preamps are not the same and changing a few caps and transistors is not going to make Freya sound like a Don Sachs Model 2. Freya can be a passive preamp or an active solid state preamp. The Don Sachs is dual mono and has a lot of point to point wiring using Deuland wire. Freya is all circuit boards. The designs of these two preamp are significantly different.

DACs and amps have the same kinds of differences. You are making assumptions that just done work in the real world.

Have fun in your world.....

 

[whatcomfalls]

For $699 their performance cannot be touched even with much of the more costly preamp, none that I have found using the 6SN7 tubes.

What are some of those more costly preamps you've listened to?

 

[LouS]

Just as an example, did Jason use an Aikido buffer circuit in his design for Freya? The Don Sachs Model 2 Preamp does. I am not saying the Aikido buffer is any better or worse, but it certainly is different.

Have fun in your world.....

Yes, blah, blah, blah indeed! Thanks for proving my point! You should really study logic. As I said, off the shelf. As I said, not identical, but generic and good. Blah, blah, blah beyond proving my point for me, thanks!

Your world is the one grounded in "feelings" not facts, hence it is most certainly your own.

 

[socklosk]

What are some of those more costly preamps you've listened to?

I've used a Blue Circle and a good passive preamp and the cheap $699 Freya with good tubes blew them both away. I'm being forced to listen at a lower volume level because my neighbor complains, but I do not mind too much and I listen for many hours per day so there's no fatigue.

 

[JohnBal]

Ghosthouse, back in the day I listened to Stereophile's guru, Julian Hursh <sp?>, but he swore that cables didn't matter. I went to a hi fi store on St. Johns Newfoundland and they talked me into trying some $200 Monster speaker cables promising to take them back if I didn't hear a difference. I think Monster may have been the only high end cables back then. I really wanted to take them back because $200 was one hell of a lot for speaker cables back then, but I ended up keeping them...

Julian Hirsch wrote for Stereo Review. Never a guru for Stereophile. He was all about measured performance. I'm not sure if he ever listened critically to anything.

 

[LouS]

Julian Hirsch wrote for Stereo Review. Never a guru for Stereophile. He was all about measured performance. I'm not sure if he ever listened critically to anything.

Good catch, I nearly couldn't remember his name either it was so long ago. I initially paid attention to him, but after that experience I never again paid any heed to what he said. Thanks for jarring my memory!

 

[JohnBal]

Good catch, I nearly couldn't remember his name either it was so long ago. I initially paid attention to him, but after that experience I never again paid any heed to what he said. Thanks for jarring my memory!

When I was on my teens I read Stereo Review. That's all I knew. It wasn't until I discovered Stereophile on the mid 80's that I realized that stereo equipment was supposed to sound different. This is when they would actually give negative reviews. Then I began to actually LISTEN to different equipment and wow. My eyes opened. I wonder what he would think of the Freya. A tube section that measures well. Hmmm.

 

[LouS]

When I was on my teens I read Stereo Review. That's all I knew. It wasn't until I discovered Stereophile on the mid 80's that I realized that stereo equipment was supposed to sound different. This is when they would actually give negative reviews. Then I began to actually LISTEN to different equipment and wow. My eyes opened. I wonder what he would think of the Freya. A tube section that measures well. Hmmm.

For me it was The Absolute Sound. Audio was better than Stereo Review, but not by much. The stores I went to didn't have Stereophile, that or they were sold out when I was there.

 

[jseymour]

Today I did an inexpensive tweak by putting Vibrapod Isolation Feet - Model 2 under the Freya's factory feet. I have a pair of Tung-Sol 6F8Gs in the gain position and if I walked towards my stereo rack you could hear them vibrate. Not horrible, but audible. This is with a heavy mortar & pestle on top and Herbie's Tube Dampeners. The Vibrapods did not completely eliminate the noise, but cut it at least in half. For $24.00 with Amazon Prime, it is a bargain: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003P4SOVU/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

Another treat came today. A pair of NOS Tung-Sol 7N7s. All of my Sylvania 7N7s are completely non-microphonic, so I hoping the same for this T-S pair.

 

[whatcomfalls]

I've used a Blue Circle and a good passive preamp and the cheap $699 Freya with good tubes blew them both away. I'm being forced to listen at a lower volume level because my neighbor complains, but I do not mind too much and I listen for many hours per day so there's no fatigue.

I'm also very impressed with the Freya. Having never owned a preamp before, it's good to know it compares favorably with other good preamps.

 

[LouS]

I'm also very impressed with the Freya. Having never owned a preamp before, it's good to know it compares favorably with other good preamps.

No matter what you have, there will always be something that does better in one aspect or another, all designs are a compromise, even all out assaults usually have minor issues of some sort. That said, Freya plays well against many major players. winder's preamp is in a different league because the manufacturer didn't skimp on parts. The Freya didn't use all the best parts available, but then neither do most because it would drive costs through the roof, and only a few could afford them. For me it boils down to listening fatigue. If a component is sufficently flawed so that it becomes tedious to me, I replace it. The Freya isn't in the very top tier, I'd suggest It's bang for the buck fantastic. The critical thing for me though is that I have a very hard time listening to it critically, with the Yggdrasil, which is what convinced me to try the Freya, the music sounds so good that I am drawn into it, I simply enjoy it so that I forget that I am trying to be critical when listening, and for me, that's what listening should be about. If you are not there, it could be that you are more into live music than I, or that you have other components holding you back. It's possible that the Freya is an issue for you, but I suspect it likely that other components are the issue. If you want the ultimate, IME, you are in for a lot of tail chasing and a lot of money down the drain, but if you just want to enjoy the music, you can get there. I have a friend who owns an 8K system which uses open baffle speakers, which I would love to use if I had room for them, but his DAC is baked into the system, thus I am pretty sure the Yggdrasil is better. My B&W 801M Series II's with modified crossovers are not going to sound as good as well executed open baffle speakers. He loves his system though his DAC isn't a Yggdrasil, so what if X is better? The point is, do you get listening fatigue, or do you just love to listen to your system? Screw the rest of it!

 

[whatcomfalls]

It's possible that the Freya is an issue for you, but I suspect it likely that other components are the issue.

I have no issues with the Freya. I have no desire to replace it.

 

[LouS]

I have no issues with the Freya. I have no desire to replace it.

I didn't think you were, I was just speaking of my experience in general terms. YMMV.

 

[whatcomfalls]

I didn't think you were, I was just speaking of my experience in general terms. YMMV.

Got it, and thanks.

 

[hornytoad]

I like the Freya quite a but and the only squabble I have is it seems overly sensitive to vibration allowing a little more tube noise in than I would like.

In Jfet mode it is dead silent.