[TheSnafu]

Not sure if it's good idea to do that, power switches are there to be used or left on. Yes they are unpractical back there.

Equipment should be turned on in this order: first everything else on (DACs players etc), then preamp and power amps last.

cheers

 

[gsimjansen]

Switching on is not the problem as both units are muted. The problem is switching off. It seems that Freya causes a lot of DC at the Vidar output when not muted at switch off.

 

[jeffrt]

Hi,

I have a Freya for some time now and added 1 Vidar recently. I like the sound I get from this combo after replacing the stock tubes with better ones: one matched pair 6SN7 Sylvania Blackplate and one matched pair 6SN7 Raytheon GTA.

Switching off the power causes some problems and I wonder if this is normal and if not what I can do about it.

As the power switches of Freya and Vidar are on the back I initially used a power strip with power switch to switch both on and off. When switching off I get a loud bang from my speakers (DC?). When muting the Freya before switching off the bang gets less.
I replaced the power strip by one that has a separate switch for each power outlet. Switching off the Vidar first gives a soft plop on the speakers.
I assume the Freya is the cause of the loud bang when not muting it before switching off.

What can be done to stop this behaviour?.

This is true for as long as I have been using separates:

You should never turn a tubed preamp and the amp to which it is connected on and off at the same time. (Actually that probably holds for solid state preamps too.)

The turn on sequence is preamp first, waiting for the Freya's flashing light to go out, assuring you that the tubes have stabilized. Then turn the amp on. Turn off sequence is the opposite. Turn off the Vidar first, waiting maybe 15 - 45 seconds for the capacitors to discharge. Then turn the Freya off. Turning them off simultaneously via any means will almost always mean that sharp pop through your speakers. Eventually you will damage them.

If you must turn off preamp and amp at the same time, buy an integrated amp or a receiver. (no sarcasm intended.)

 

[gsimjansen]

I will keep that in mind. Thanks

 

[Xcalibur255]

Most Schiit gear is microprocessor controlled and goes through a start-up and shut-down procedure. The output is disconnected at these times to prevent what you are experiencing right now. Your surge strip trick is bypassing these protections I'm afraid.

 

[gsimjansen]

I don't see how the 'surge strip trick' can bypass microprocessor controlled protection in the Freya. The output of the Freya is disconnected only when the mute button is pressed. When I power off the Vidar only I hear a soft plop which means that the Vidar output is not disconnected or disconnected too slow I guess.
What I do now is switch off the Vidar first and the Freya second. This way my speakers will survive.

 

[Xcalibur255]

The output is disconnected at initial power-on, and connects after a period of 40 seconds or so. It tells you this right in the manual. No doubt it's to allow the tube gain stage to come on bias properly, amongst other things. If you have the switch on and interrupt power another way you are not allowing the device to go through its startup and shutdown steps. The output will be active the moment the switch is flipped at the surge strip.

As with all things in life, do what works for you. I'm merely providing you with information.

 

[gsimjansen]

Got it. Thanks!

 

[KoshNaranek]

Hi,

This is my first post here. I’m following this thread for quite a while.

I have a Freya for some time now and added 1 Vidar recently. I like the sound I get from this combo after replacing the stock tubes with better ones: one matched pair 6SN7 Sylvania Blackplate and one matched pair 6SN7 Raytheon GTA.
I tried tube savers to reduce heat, but I had to remove them as I got some microphony using these.

Switching off the power causes some problems and I wonder if this is normal and if not what I can do about it.

As the power switches of Freya and Vidar are on the back I initially used a power strip with power switch to switch both on and off. When switching off I get a loud bang from my speakers (DC?). When muting the Freya before switching off the bang gets less.
I replaced the power strip by one that has a separate switch for each power outlet. Switching off the Vidar first gives a soft plop on the speakers.
I assume the Freya is the cause of the loud bang when not muting it before switching off.

What can be done to stop this behaviour?

I hope someone of this community can help me here.

This is what I use

http://www.microcenter.com/product/...rge_Protector_3400_Joules_-_8_ft_Cord_-_Black

Edit: In case I was not clear, this device sequences the power of audio devices. It leaves DAC powered up, turns on preamp first, and there is even an adjustable time delay for turning on the amps. It does the power down sequence in reverse order.

 

[TheSnafu]

Switching on is not the problem as both units are muted. The problem is switching off. It seems that Freya causes a lot of DC at the Vidar output when not muted at switch off.

Sorry, i thought it's clear that turning off goes in reversed order.

I previously had Freya and i returned it because of high floor noise (specially with tubes). I recall that it gave some kind of "thump" when turning off but it wasn't like bad way or alarming sound that something is wrong.
When i turn off my power amps they still let signal through a while (Nelson Audio Image M9) until front panel leds dim away. Don't have this "thump" with current pre amp Copland CTA301mkII.

cheers

 

[dave615]

I received my Freya yesterday. Here is what I have in my system:

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player
Adcom GFP-710 Preamp (to be replaced by the Freya obviously)
Adcom GFA-5400 Amp (I know, will be next upgraded. Good for driving 4 ohm speakers though). The amp specs are at the bottom of this page: http://www.users.interport.net/a/d/adcom/manuals/gfa5400.html
Monitor Audio Silver 10 speakers (4 ohm). These are 90 dB sensitivity.

The Freya was packed well, perfect condition, great build quality. Not a mark on it. The stock Russian tubes I got were very clean and looked new. I cleaned the pins on them with alcohol anyway. The Freya sounds great after a few hours even with the NOS Russian tubes. There are no noises or pops - very quiet. Only a very slight hiss you can hear about a foot away from the tweeter. Even lightly tapping on the tubes with a pencil - no noise at all.

The only thing is, to get to a moderately loud volume, I have to turn the volume knob on the Freya to about 3 or 4 o clock. This is pretty loud though - as loud as I would ever listen. I think the limit on the volume knob is about 5 or 5:30. I could get the same volume with the Adcom preamp at about 10 or 11 o clock. Does anyone know why this is? Is the Freya not a good match in this system or is it going to be a problem? Also the GFA 5400 is running a little hotter with the Freya, but not super hot. A noticeable difference when I put my hand on top of it though after pretty high volume. With the Adcom preamp it would get barely warm at all.

The Freya sounds good even after only 12 hours break-in, and the stock tubes. I was just wondering about the volume difference. Is it a gain issue with the amp? I sent Schiit an email yesterday afternoon but might not hear back until Monday.

Thanks, David

 

[jeffrt]

I received my Freya yesterday. Here is what I have in my system:

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player
Adcom GFP-710 Preamp (to be replaced by the Freya obviously)
Adcom GFA-5400 Amp (I know, will be next upgraded. Good for driving 4 ohm speakers though). The amp specs are at the bottom of this page: http://www.users.interport.net/a/d/adcom/manuals/gfa5400.html
Monitor Audio Silver 10 speakers (4 ohm). These are 90 dB sensitivity.

The Freya was packed well, perfect condition, great build quality. Not a mark on it. The stock Russian tubes I got were very clean and looked new. I cleaned the pins on them with alcohol anyway. The Freya sounds great after a few hours even with the NOS Russian tubes. There are no noises or pops - very quiet. Only a very slight hiss you can hear about a foot away from the tweeter. Even lightly tapping on the tubes with a pencil - no noise at all.

The only thing is, to get to a moderately loud volume, I have to turn the volume knob on the Freya to about 3 or 4 o clock. This is pretty loud though - as loud as I would ever listen. I think the limit on the volume knob is about 5 or 5:30. I could get the same volume with the Adcom preamp at about 10 or 11 o clock. Does anyone know why this is? Is the Freya not a good match in this system or is it going to be a problem? Also the GFA 5400 is running a little hotter with the Freya, but not super hot. A noticeable difference when I put my hand on top of it though after pretty high volume. With the Adcom preamp it would get barely warm at all.

The Freya sounds good even after only 12 hours break-in, and the stock tubes. I was just wondering about the volume difference. Is it a gain issue with the amp? I sent Schiit an email yesterday afternoon but might not hear back until Monday.

Thanks, David

Are you sure the Freya is set to tube (output) mode? There are 3 output modes: passive, JFET, and tube. Each is louder (more amplification) than the previous. Check the manual. Before hitting the mode (output) button, make sure the volume control is set to very low. If it's on high, because it was in passive mode, setting the output to tube could damage the speakers and your ears!

 

[dave615]

Yes, it was in tube mode. That's another thing I noticed - there wasn't a huge jump in volume between JFET and tube mode. Yes, there was a difference, just not as much as I thought. You can almost switch between them without turning down the volume, I turn it down to be safe though.

 

[jeffrt]

Yes, it was in tube mode. That's another thing I noticed - there wasn't a huge jump in volume between JFET and tube mode. Yes, there was a difference, just not as much as I thought. You can almost switch between them without turning down the volume, I turn it down to be safe though.

I cannot do that; for me there was a big jump in volume. Unless someone has a better idea, I'd drop Schiit note. They answer emails fairly well.

 

[dave615]

Thanks for replying....I will send them an email about that also. I went back and listened again, between passive and JFET there is very little difference. Between JFET and tube - not as big a difference as that review on youtube where the guy switches his between the modes.

I am still concerned that it is not a good match for this amp though. I don't know if that has to do with the input sensitivity of the GFA 5400 (1.125v).

Thanks, David