[sam6550a]

I am still trying to decide if there is actually "something wrong" or not. Don't want to pay to ship it back, and have then say it is normal.....

Suggest you prod their "senior tech' to provide an answer.

 

[purehifi192]

Has Jason commented on this issue at all? I don't recall seeing anything, but easy to overlook. I've sent my Freya in as soon as I got it - early adopter - multiple times actually. Something just didn't seem right with it. Schiit kept on telling me it was fine. I ended up keeping it . My tubes are 14db (presumably) louder than passive/JFET. I have 85db speakers and hear a very low hum when my ear is pressed to the speaker when in tube mode. This is normal, and I don't have a problem with this given my speakers. My concern is if I change my speakers to more efficient ones how bearable would the hum be. If Schitt resolved this issue in a design or firmware update, I'd like to know.

 

[drwlf]

Has Jason commented on this issue at all? I don't recall seeing anything, but easy to overlook. I've sent my Freya in as soon as I got it - early adopter - multiple times actually. Something just didn't seem right with it. Schiit kept on telling me it was fine. I ended up keeping it . My tubes are 14db (presumably) louder than passive/JFET. I have 85db speakers and hear a very low hum when my ear is pressed to the speaker when in tube mode. This is normal, and I don't have a problem with this given my speakers. My concern is if I change my speakers to more efficient ones how bearable would the hum be. If Schitt resolved this issue in a design or firmware update, I'd like to know.

Did you have the 230V or 115V version?

In my case, as the 50Hz hum is so low in the frequency, it's harder to locate in space/distinguish with your ear by the driver - easier if you're away from the speaker, or in the natural room resonance/room mode location, (and with the "noisier" pairs, it's just so evident in any location that you can't miss it).
*edit: My point was that obviously with the higher gain in the tube mode, there's a higher noise floor, hiss etc., which isn't heard from the listening position, as in, it's not a problem, the hum is.

Anyways, I sent an email to Schiit:
Would you be able to look at the measurements and give me an idea if this is normal/working as intended, and my problem with the hum is due to my speaker sensitivity (or some other reason I can't think of), or do the measurements indicate that there's truly something wrong with either Freya and/or Vidar, and I should indeed contact Sonority for a warranty replacement?

 

[jseymour]

Has Jason commented on this issue at all? I don't recall seeing anything, but easy to overlook. I've sent my Freya in as soon as I got it - early adopter - multiple times actually. Something just didn't seem right with it. Schiit kept on telling me it was fine. I ended up keeping it . My tubes are 14db (presumably) louder than passive/JFET. I have 85db speakers and hear a very low hum when my ear is pressed to the speaker when in tube mode. This is normal, and I don't have a problem with this given my speakers. My concern is if I change my speakers to more efficient ones how bearable would the hum be. If Schitt resolved this issue in a design or firmware update, I'd like to know.

I have had my Freya since January 2017 and strongly prefer tube mode. I had Spatial M3 Turbo S (94dB @ 4 ohm) and in 2017 upgraded to M3TM (93dB @ 12 ohm). There hasn't been a noise issue with either speaker. I strain to hear a hum with my ear an inch away from the speakers. A foot away is silence. Any noise issues have been due to tubes and to a lesser extent the Freya's light weight chassis. Good tubes and Herbie's Tube Dampeners (for 6C8G/6F8G) remedied tube noise. Chassis vibrations were tamed by Vibrapod footers and a several pound weight on top.

Other than the very low hum, which you don't have a problem with, what doesn't seem right with your Freya?

 

[purehifi192]

I ordered the Freya in July 2017 when Vidar was announced (120 V model). Just a few too many minor issues that added up for my liking: left right channel imbalance, missing LED, .... Schiit never found any smoking gun type issue and this was over multiple RMA related to the Freya, Yggdrasil (prior to A2, but after Gen 5), and Vidars. I ended up keeping the whole system, but never trusted the Freya. Now there's discussion around tube gain being closer to par to JFET. That's cool. Things get updated, and I'm not worried about that. Just seems like there's enough conversation around this issue that I'm hoping for some kind of update from Schiit.

 

[brad1138]

Has Jason commented on this issue at all?

My guess is he wouldn't want to comment on this in an open forum...

 

[drwlf]

My guess is he wouldn't want to comment on this in an open forum...

I've read this thread while it progressed, and once again in full a couple of months back, I think there's a guy, or two? who might've thought there's not that much difference between the tube and rest of the modes?
How many are actually reporting this, as in, is this even a thing

 

[Mondo Caliente]

Since the Freya has been a gigantic success for Schiit, I think you would have to know how many of these preamps had issues relative to the totals sold...certainly you could get the impression that a lot of 'em had issues from reading this forum, but you have to wonder about the totals (1%?...10%? What's normal?). I might not have bought one if this thread had existed and I'd read it before ordering the thing, but mine sounds great...so far...nearly an entire year...If it died today I'd think I got my 700 bucks worth (maybe).

 

[Noldir]

I've read this thread while it progressed, and once again in full a couple of months back, I think there's a guy, or two? who might've thought there's not that much difference between the tube and rest of the modes?
How many are actually reporting this, as in, is this even a thing

Well, at least two. I contacted Schiit about it and they said it was normal. I asked if they will update the site and they'd pass it on to the higher ups.

 

[TheSnafu]

I had "bad" Freya and this "tubestagehum" is something you notice right away. It isn't small issue and it isn't tube related. Worst thing is there is nothing you can do about it.

Stacking weight on it or new tubes might help some, but those don't fix that original humming / hyper sensitivity problem. Also i'm pretty, pretty sure Schiit knows what the problem is but they have decided not to fix it for good.

Freya is one sexy mofo preamp and i'd like to get one that works perfectly, but as it is, nope,

 

[dieslemat]

Im assuming that the Freya owners who are having hum issues all have good clean power sources(?)

 

[drwlf]

Well, at least two. I contacted Schiit about it and they said it was normal. I asked if they will update the site and they'd pass it on to the higher ups.

OK, thanks for confirming this! I'll certainly keep this in mind - as I speculated (with the friend) in my measurement post, My friend thought that perhaps an RCA -10dB attenuator would get rid of the hum as well, in my case. I might have not noticed the hum without the gain. And I do have a quite the difference between passive/JFET vs. tubes.

 

[Noldir]

I made a video of my Freya, if people could chime in how their Freya gain sounds / differs? https://photos.app.goo.gl/x1iurjrYpbZ21jLWA

 

[Synergist969]

I purchased my Freya within about a year(?) of it first becoming available ...so, it was probably their first iteration...and yes, the tube/balanced mode did/does exhibit significantly greater gain than the passive and JFET modes...(which are for all intents and purposes equal in gain...perhaps the JFET mode is very slightly greater in gain(?)...)...

I began with the stock Russian tubes, upgraded to a "quad" of the NP Tung Sol's, and eventually purchased and use the Octal LISST's when they came out...(I just desired a relatively foolproof and maintenance/worry free system that still possessed balanced mode qualities...)
I found that I preferred the "3D"/spatial rendering qualities of the the tube mode, however, with tubes, my system always sounded very slightly edgy...regardless of the tubes...the LISST's ameliorated that effect nicely, (mildly initially, and then more so as they "burned-in"...), though with the LISSt's I believe I did notice some loss in that amazing sound-stage breadth and depth presentation...Regarding noise, I never experienced any genuinely significant noise issues...though the tube mode WITH actual tubes was mildly more touchy/sensitive to any environmental/up-stream component...(vibration/electronic interference...)

Peace/Namaste,
T.A.K.

 

[Mondo Caliente]

Coming out of PS Audio Power Port wall plugs, my ancient Adcom ACE power conditioner runs everything in my rig, so that's fairly basic "conditioning" compared to more modern devices…it works perfectly and makes me wonder how long that thing is gonna last. The Freya is essentially "ground-lifted" with a 2 prong power cord, the phono preamp and DAC use bespoke filtered and regulated power supplies instead of wall warts so that's a good thing, and both of the power amps, the main SE class A tube amp and a SS mosfet amp (used only occasionally for deck speakers) are both plugged into a PS Audio Humbuster III. The Freya doesn't show any sign of environmentally related hum, all of the tubes I've used (original Russian 6N8S, new Tung Sol 6SN7GTs, NOS RCAs and 2 NOS pairs of Sylvania Chrome Domes) in it were are quiet and non microphonic, and it performs flawlessly with the gain boost of the tubes working very well into the amps with very low level nearly inaudible "shushing" tube noise barely there and only when at max volume as previously described. The tube stage displays the increased detail tubes are famous for, and the whole thing is just clear as a bell in all modes.