[rkindel]

I opted for the black and tan:



I had the OG Freya, and I don't recall all the reasons, hated it. Sold it, and got an XSP-1 from Emotiva, which is a fantastic solid state pre-amp. I remember reading the announcement for the freya + and thinking that they fixed all the stuff I hated. Mainly being the motorized volume, and the tube power off. I run stereo subs off the SE outputs, and the OG Freya would dump a blast into those if you powered off in tube mode. So I had to remember to switch to jfet stage before power off. I tried on the + and it does not pump the woofers when powered off.

It came with JJ's, and I thought I'd get some Russian Tung-sol's, but after listening to these since last Friday, I'm in no rush. The JJ's match up with my ears/system very well. Amp is a Rotel 1592 Mkii, and Tekton Double Impact speakers. Subs are SVS Sealed 2000's. I positioned this on top of the rack to let it have full air flow.

Enjoying this very much so far! Cheers,

Ron

This is the first I’ve heard about the Freya in black. I really like the look! I did get my Mani phono stage in black and I like it in that as well. I’m anxiously waiting on the release of the Loki Maxi and it should take my Freya + stacked on top as they are supposed to be sized the same. Pretty sure I will get it in black.

 

[rkindel]

I opted for the black and tan:



I had the OG Freya, and I don't recall all the reasons, hated it. Sold it, and got an XSP-1 from Emotiva, which is a fantastic solid state pre-amp. I remember reading the announcement for the freya + and thinking that they fixed all the stuff I hated. Mainly being the motorized volume, and the tube power off. I run stereo subs off the SE outputs, and the OG Freya would dump a blast into those if you powered off in tube mode. So I had to remember to switch to jfet stage before power off. I tried on the + and it does not pump the woofers when powered off.

It came with JJ's, and I thought I'd get some Russian Tung-sol's, but after listening to these since last Friday, I'm in no rush. The JJ's match up with my ears/system very well. Amp is a Rotel 1592 Mkii, and Tekton Double Impact speakers. Subs are SVS Sealed 2000's. I positioned this on top of the rack to let it have full air flow.

Enjoying this very much so far! Cheers,

Ron

I just checked the Schiit website and I don’t see the black option listed. How did you order yours?

 

[axle11]

I opted for the black and tan:



I had the OG Freya, and I don't recall all the reasons, hated it. Sold it, and got an XSP-1 from Emotiva, which is a fantastic solid state pre-amp. I remember reading the announcement for the freya + and thinking that they fixed all the stuff I hated. Mainly being the motorized volume, and the tube power off. I run stereo subs off the SE outputs, and the OG Freya would dump a blast into those if you powered off in tube mode. So I had to remember to switch to jfet stage before power off. I tried on the + and it does not pump the woofers when powered off.

It came with JJ's, and I thought I'd get some Russian Tung-sol's, but after listening to these since last Friday, I'm in no rush. The JJ's match up with my ears/system very well. Amp is a Rotel 1592 Mkii, and Tekton Double Impact speakers. Subs are SVS Sealed 2000's. I positioned this on top of the rack to let it have full air flow.

Enjoying this very much so far! Cheers,

Ron

‘I run stereo subs off the SE outputs, and the OG Freya would dump a blast into those if you powered off in tube mode.’

For shutdown I would recommend turning off power amp(s) and powered subwoofers off before turning Freya off.

 

[Balthazar B]

I just checked the Schiit website and I don’t see the black option listed. How did you order yours?

If you had a normal one on backorder, Jason said to call and let them know you'd accept a black one in lieu of silver. It may have been a one time opportunity because of some blemished cases that had accumulated. But you could still try calling if you're in the market for a Freya+.

 

[DrJam]

I opted for the black and tan:



I had the OG Freya, and I don't recall all the reasons, hated it. Sold it, and got an XSP-1 from Emotiva, which is a fantastic solid state pre-amp. I remember reading the announcement for the freya + and thinking that they fixed all the stuff I hated. Mainly being the motorized volume, and the tube power off. I run stereo subs off the SE outputs, and the OG Freya would dump a blast into those if you powered off in tube mode. So I had to remember to switch to jfet stage before power off. I tried on the + and it does not pump the woofers when powered off.

It came with JJ's, and I thought I'd get some Russian Tung-sol's, but after listening to these since last Friday, I'm in no rush. The JJ's match up with my ears/system very well. Amp is a Rotel 1592 Mkii, and Tekton Double Impact speakers. Subs are SVS Sealed 2000's. I positioned this on top of the rack to let it have full air flow.

Enjoying this very much so far! Cheers,

Ron

I run an OG Freya and Vidar and still love it. I run stereo SE from Freya to a single Rythmik sub (with stereo in). If I power off the Freya first it will give a pop through the mains, but if I power off the Vidar first then Freya I don't hear any pop through anything, not even the sub (which I keep set to auto-on.) Also, I'm always in tube mode on Freya and don't change it for power off, so I wonder what's different between our systems such that you get a pop in the sub and I don't?

While it may be a bit risky, I've had good luck on ebay. Have a collection of RCA, Sylvania, Raytheon, GE, and RCA. They all sound better than the stock Russian tubes I received with Freya, but admittedly I haven't tried those in quite a while. The only problem I've had is that one of the RCA tubes went bad after a few weeks, but that's not a bad percentage on tubes that are 55-75 years old.

 

[rkindel]

If you had a normal one on backorder, Jason said to call and let them know you'd accept a black one in lieu of silver. It may have been a one time opportunity because of some blemished cases that had accumulated. But you could still try calling if you're in the market for a Freya+.

If that is the case, you probably have a collectors item.

 

[Paladin79]

@RonO
Nice. I really enjoyed my Freya+.. but don't use it anymore (I got much costly stuff and .. hrmm.. knowing that makes me use the fancier one...)
Two suggestions,
1) replace the JJ
Their quality control is poor it is unlikely the tubes are matched. They also don't sound great.
If you want to use a modern 6NS7 - i'd suggest the Tong-Sol tubes. (as you said you were)
Always get your tubes from a place that tests them. Really. It is a big deal to make sure they are quality and matched. <--
I'd suggest tubedepot.com or upscaleaudio.com. Not ebay or amazon or some other place.
good video about tube testing (K150s.. but it applies to tubes in general)



2) if you want to get fancy with tubes. The biggest impact is the tubes on the right side. Gain tubes.

If you start tube rolling - i'll save you some time and just go right to the CBS 5692 tubes. They are amazing!
Yes, costly, but only get them for the two on the right. (again, get them from a legit place. Test and matched.)
https://upscaleaudio.com/products/cbs-hytron-5692



note on the gungnir. Your XLR output is much better than the RCA. (Also the Freya+ takes XLR input too)
So use the XLR.
Even if you didn't use the Freya and had to end up with an RCA connection - use the XLR out.
You don't need to go crazy. Get a bluejeans cable XLR cable or mogami.
I super miss my full XLR chain.. but so i life

I run the CBS/Hytron 5692's myself on the right side and often Melz 1578's from 1963 on the left. I was fortunate enough to buy enough of the Melz to do all matching myself, I even got quads from the large group I ordered. Most all are sold now except for some I kept for myself but they are wonderful in amps requiring amps using a single driver tube such as those I designed myself. Just beware, some of the older tubes, especially Russian made, have issues with solder inside the pins so I generally replace that.

 

[PoMarantz]

I just checked the Schiit website and I don’t see the black option listed. How did you order yours?

..Black units are available....I put in an order to Schiit yesterday (but of course before I ordered the Freya + I put an order in for Two Pairs of NOS, Matched, Tested, General Electric GE 6SN7 6SN7GTB Vacuum Tubes Valves with Copper Posts, like a good audioholic! )...There is currently a 6-week backlog on The Freyas....but... a few hours after I placed my order Jennifer from Schiit sent me an eMail asking if I wanted a black model and if so, it would ship IMMEDIATELY. ...but...Jennifer sent me no photo and there is still nothing on the website??? ...So I found you guys here, and was able to see Ron O's photo of the black model.. I immediately jetted off an eMail to Jennifer at Schiit with a big giant "YES"!
Now my only issue is will my tubes or my Freya get here first! ...well...also...I have another unknown...will my 40-Year-Old Bob Carver C-500: 250wpc@8ohms Amp (yes...I am the original owner), fire up my Dynaudios with the Freya steering it? I did some simple testing and the caps test out on The Carver as OK, and they are not leaking...so...I have my fingers crossed...otherwise it will be a 4-5 month wait on the amp refurbish. We'll see!

 

[RonO]

I came across the same note from Jason in a different thread, about the availability of the black model. I went and looked at the order form, I didn't remember the option. Anyhow I emailed over to orders@ and just said I was fine with black. I was about 4 or 5 weeks into the wait already. Besides, all my other stuff is black components aside from my DAC, and I thought the stack might look good with the opposing colorway. They literally shipped next day after my email.

I appreciate all the feedback from everyone. I do actually run everything balanced on my system, and the funny thing is I already run the cables that were suggested. All my XLR's are mogami with neutrik connectors from Markertek (pro audio), and my turntable and digital cables are all blue jeans varieties.

> PoMarantz, I've got an old Carver also, an M-400 cube that ran for over 30 years. The last cycle of use was as a subwoofer amp for some passive SVS cylinders. It finally let go, but I still have it, because it was such an unusual design, and served so well. I'll have to google the C-500, as I'm curious if it's the same model my oldest brother has. Whatever the model he has actually still works!

 

[PoMarantz]

I came across the same note from Jason in a different thread, about the availability of the black model. I went and looked at the order form, I didn't remember the option. Anyhow I emailed over to orders@ and just said I was fine with black. I was about 4 or 5 weeks into the wait already. Besides, all my other stuff is black components aside from my DAC, and I thought the stack might look good with the opposing colorway. They literally shipped next day after my email.

I appreciate all the feedback from everyone. I do actually run everything balanced on my system, and the funny thing is I already run the cables that were suggested. All my XLR's are mogami with neutrik connectors from Markertek (pro audio), and my turntable and digital cables are all blue jeans varieties.

> PoMarantz, I've got an old Carver also, an M-400 cube that ran for over 30 years. The last cycle of use was as a subwoofer amp for some passive SVS cylinders. It finally let go, but I still have it, because it was such an unusual design, and served so well. I'll have to google the C-500, as I'm curious if it's the same model my oldest brother has. Whatever the model he has actually still works!

Yes...I turned it on and tweaked the volume knobs, no smoke and no cracklings...so the pots seem good. This was a normal solid state amp...not one of the crazy designs....i had a holographic pre-amp, but not the amp. My Freya shipped today and so did my vintage tubes! If the Carver is working the Freya should be the perfect modern preamp for it, I am thinking. The C-500 has Sideways cascading red LEDs instead of meters. Was really advanced for that era. I am doing this because I really want to try pumping some raw power thru my brand new DynAudio Contour 20s...I am curious tohear the difference between my Marantz and the Freya/Carver combo....
I also have an 18WPC Yaqin MC-550B 300B tube amp that I run thru my speakers, too. Variety is the spice of life.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AnXRtxc58vhYEE4v6 (beauty shot I took of my Yaqin).

 

[rkindel]

..Black units are available....I put in an order to Schiit yesterday (but of course before I ordered the Freya + I put an order in for Two Pairs of NOS, Matched, Tested, General Electric GE 6SN7 6SN7GTB Vacuum Tubes Valves with Copper Posts, like a good audioholic! )...There is currently a 6-week backlog on The Freyas....but... a few hours after I placed my order Jennifer from Schiit sent me an eMail asking if I wanted a black model and if so, it would ship IMMEDIATELY. ...but...Jennifer sent me no photo and there is still nothing on the website??? ...So I found you guys here, and was able to see Ron O's photo of the black model.. I immediately jetted off an eMail to Jennifer at Schiit with a big giant "YES"!
Now my only issue is will my tubes or my Freya get here first! ...well...also...I have another unknown...will my 40-Year-Old Bob Carver C-500: 250wpc@8ohms Amp (yes...I am the original owner), fire up my Dynaudios with the Freya steering it? I did some simple testing and the caps test out on The Carver as OK, and they are not leaking...so...I have my fingers crossed...otherwise it will be a 4-5 month wait on the amp refurbish. We'll see!

Congratulations on scoring your black Freya. I run mine through a vintage Adcom GFA 5500 and they sound great together. Did have it recapped a few years ago. I think they must have increased the bias as well as it runs much hotter now, but sound it die for. Where dI’d you get your GE tubes?

 

[PoMarantz]

R...I got my tubes from Lowtechelec on ETSY....He seems legit....paid $95 for all 4 shipped. Seems OK...It’s a LOT cheaper than 300B tubes!
I think that the black Freya is stylin' with the silver controls! Are the ends of the box silver, too? I see that they do that with some of their models. I have a Marantz SR6015 which puts out 110wpc @8ohms....the DynAudios sound REALLY good, but these speakers are 4 ohm load....some reviewers say the Dynaudios open up with some power...so I think that The Freya and The Carver should be interesting. Hell...the speakers aren't even broken in yet and I have an auxillary set-up and tubes coming!!! This is all good fun and enjoyment.

 

[rkindel]

R...I got my tubes from Lowtechelec on ETSY....He seems legit....paid $95 for all 4 shipped. Seems OK...It’s a LOT cheaper than 300B tubes!
I think that the black Freya is stylin' with the silver controls! Are the ends of the box silver, too? I see that they do that with some of their models. I have a Marantz SR6015 which puts out 110wpc @8ohms....the DynAudios sound REALLY good, but these speakers are 4 ohm load....some reviewers say the Dynaudios open up with some power...so I think that The Freya and The Carver should be interesting. Hell...the speakers aren't even broken in yet and I have an auxillary set-up and tubes coming!!! This is all good fun and enjoyment.

The sides and back panel are both grey. My Freya is my only brushed aluminum component, all the rest are black. I’m OK with that as the preamp is really the heart of the system so I kind of like having it stand out from everything else. As a side note, I recently was reading issue 116 of The Absolute Sound that contains a review of Bob Carvers Sunfire Classic Tube Preamplifer. Issue was from February 1999. What a hoot. He came right out and stated accuracy was not a design goal. He just wanted it to sound good. It even had a line level input that RIAA equalized the input and attenuated it so you can run it into the MM phono input for RIAA EQ back to flat. He felt that records sound the way they do because of the RIAA and it’s inverse and all the amplifying that goes into the process. Definitely someone who follows this own path.

 

[nanosword]

Hi,
Excuse me for the question, I am very beginner and do not know if these tubes are working on schiit freya.

2x Tung-Sol 5998 power + 2x 1MP JAN CTL- 6C8G VT163 Tungsol Black .

 

[RonO]

Freya uses 6SN7 and variants.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6SN7

Wikipedia has a list of a lot of variants, but still you may need to verify that these will work in place of 6sn7. I recall 5998's from Bottlehead Crack experience I have, it's a 6080 variant, and would not work to my knowledge.