[Fatmiddleagedgeek]

I’m wondering about those Marantz T7 clones as a front end to Vidar. Swap the tubes for good ones and let it roll.

No remote but an interesting idea. I have no idea if it would even work.

 

[winders]

You are correct. So ill say the 12AX7 preamp tubes are less susceptible in my experience to noise in my experience when compared to the 6sn7's ive used . Who knows why? Maybe because they are so damn tiny,who knows.

6SN7 tubes are a bit more susceptible to noise than 12AX7 tubes. But, they sound quite a bit better. I'd take the 6SN7 as driver tubes along side KT88 power tubes in an amp any day. I would also take the 6SN7 tubes in preamp circuits over the 12AX7.

 

[Fatmiddleagedgeek]

Both combos are excellent . Slight nod to Schiit on clarity, resolution. I feel the Rogue is better at lower volume levels though in detail retrieval .
Both have a nice and wide soundstage . Even .

For more raucous music like punk or rock , I like the Rogue . It kicks ass . For , jazz , vocals , I prefer the Schiit .

Would you surmise that the Freya might be the weak link when comparing the Schiit stack to the Rogue? Like if you went with a more tube based pre like those Marantz T7 clones with good quality tubes?

 

[hornytoad]

Would you surmise that the Freya might be the weak link when comparing the Schiit stack to the Rogue? Like if you went with a more tube based pre like those Marantz T7 clones with good quality tubes?

No . I do feel the Freya is a little more susceptible to external noise interference than the Rogue though (routers, lighting , etc. )

 

[Mondo Caliente]

Here's a little Freya tale…before the Freya I bought a Loki EQ and the LED was too bright for my tastes. Took the cover off and a careful dab green marker fixed that issue. I get the Freya and the same LED brightness issue is there, albeit there's more if it. I like to take new things apart anyway so off comes the cover, and out comes the Sharpie…no problemo (violate the warranty? uh…). I subsequently go to put the cover back on with all the little LEDs in their little holes…AARRGGG…a mind destroying and insanely difficult task requiring just walking away from it many times to bang my head against the wall…finally got 'em lined up and they popped in…whew…the operation was a success as the LEDs are now rendered unobtrusive, but oh man…I may never recover...

 

[sam6550a]

Here's a little Freya tale…before the Freya I bought a Loki EQ and the LED was too bright for my tastes. Took the cover off and a careful dab green marker fixed that issue. I get the Freya and the same LED brightness issue is there, albeit there's more if it. I like to take new things apart anyway so off comes the cover, and out comes the Sharpie…no problemo (violate the warranty? uh…). I subsequently go to put the cover back on with all the little LEDs in their little holes…AARRGGG…a mind destroying and insanely difficult task requiring just walking away from it many times to bang my head against the wall…finally got 'em lined up and they popped in…whew…the operation was a success as the LEDs are now rendered unobtrusive, but oh man…I may never recover...

Replacing the LEDs into their respective holes is an exercise in extreme patience. How do they do it in the factory without becoming insane??

 

[whatcomfalls]

My Freya has never been noisy, and this is after it replaced an amazingly quiet SS preamp. Like many around these parts I have a noise filtering AC conditioner, a Humbuster III, bespoke regulated power supplies, blah blah to fight against the dreaded hum…and I'm winning seemingly…I recently had an issue with a low hum through my subs that was traced to the SE amp's rectifier tube…swapped to a 274B and the issue went away. Mysterious, but true.

Mine hasn't been noisy either. I've had some noisy NOS tubes, but at no fault to the Freya.

 

[Fatmiddleagedgeek]

I’ve been thoroughly scared off by Freya. I’ve been researching what other pre’s Would work with Vidar.

I think though I’ll go with the Rogue as I don’t have the kind of luck where I’ll receive a good unit. I think Schiit does great things. Maybe when Freya 2 emerges I will be primed to reconsider it.

As an aside those upper end pre’s from Van Alstine look fantastic. Mono button, a low gain button to combat the too high volume control on high sensitivity speakers and I bet it sounds great.

 

[sublime9]

Please note that some on here have said 6SN7 have a greater chance at distortion noise issues than other tube variants like KT120's which the Rogue uses. At low volume levels , this can make a negative impact.

Why are a KT120 and a 6SN7 being compared to each other?

 

[Mondo Caliente]

Here's how I read it…somebody thinks that 6SN7s might have some noise issue beyond 12AX7s (in my experience with the supplied Freya tubes, NOS Amperex and Sylvanias, and new Tung Sol 6SN7GTBs they seem quiet) which could be true in noisy ones which could lead to low level listening issues, and a Rogue with KT120s might not (unless it does). This strains at comprehension for those wanting a linear or relevant logical thread, but as someone who has both no beef with gonzo conversation and has a short attention span, it's fine.

 

[winders]

Why are a KT120 and a 6SN7 being compared to each other?

I tried to call that out in a subtle way......unusual for me I know.

 

[sam6550a]

Why are a KT120 and a 6SN7 being compared to each other?

It is like comparing a 10 oz ball peen hammer to a 16 lb sledge hammer, IMHO.

 

[Boogie7910]

Should I get the Freya for windows volume control or just use the desktop volume? I sit far back from my home theater pc so using the knob on my amp is a pain.

 

[hornytoad]

You're lucky then. My Freya hates any sort of radio waves and most NOS tubes. I had to move my wireless router to a totally different part of the house because it would pickup the waves and turn them into an awful high pitched noise

I have had to move my router as well , further away from the Freya . I could literally move my router closer and further away and hear the surge in noise through my speakers .

 

[Ghosthouse]

Folks - A quick Freya-related question, though a bit off-topic from latest discussions. Would appreciate member expertise...

I just received socket savers from PatsConnexion as recommended elsewhere in this thread. Right now, using them with a quad of new production EH 6SN7s.

The socket savers fit fine in the Freya chassis openings BUT the tubes install very tightly. Took a bit of effort to get the tubes fully seated in the socket saver. So much effort that it seemed wiser to install tubes in socket savers first, and then insert the whole 2 part assembly into the actual Freya tube socket. Haven't tried yet but am concerned removing a tube will simply pull out the socket saver with it. The socket savers go into the Freya tube socket way easier than the tubes go into the savers. Inadvertently pulling out the socket saver seems like it defeats their purpose. Any tips for removing tubes while leaving the socket saver behind (i.e., installed)? Please advise. Thanks in advance.