[PoMarantz]

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 .

I took delivery of the black Freya this week...It is beautiful! Better choice for me!...and II also have some NOS GE tubes to roll...I have not implemented the pre-amp yet...as I am working thru some logistics issues. I planned on using The Freya with my 40-year-old Bob Carver C-500 Amp. That's at 250wpc@8ohms! It has not been used for over 30 years..and I fired it up today using the pre-outs from my Marantz AVR...It sounds great! DEFINITELY put a smile on my face!...Running with the original capacitors. Go figure. I had a repair/engineer tell me that most likely it would be fine...("experts" were telling me: "No Way!” LOL!).
Can't wait to hear The Freya tube section running this powerhouse amp. I have some logistics to sort out ...but maybe this weekend. We'll see!

 

[RonO]

One week ago today, I received a matched quad of the new Russian mfg. Tung-sol 6sn7gtb's. I listened to those for 6 days, and found they have a lot more detail than the JJ stock tubes. With the JJ quad, I thought there was a bit of roll off on the highs, but it wasn't horrible. Switching to JFET always reveals this. So after the past week, last night, I rolled the JJ's in the left hand slots, and am trying this out now. It retained the clearer sound of the Tung-sol, but is just a little different sounding. More tooby! I'm going to leave it like this all week and see what I think next weekend.

 

[PoMarantz]

Hey Ron....Jeez...I FINALLY got The Freya+ up and running yesterday, as my Marantz SACD Network player finally arrived...and that is my source for this set-up! I have it feeding into The Freya+ and the Freya+ is hooked up to my Bob Carver (it's STILL working! LOL!). Am running a pair DynAudio Contour 20s from the amp. I am so tickled to have The Freya!...it gives some nice options for different sound I actually like the leanness of the solid state for some of the source material that I am playing. THAT surprised me!...so COOL! So far I have just been using the stock tubes (I am a little overwhelmed with all this new and old gear up and running!), but this weekend I plan to use a set of NOS GE tubes in The Freya+. I REALLY love the look of the black Freya with the silver accents...It is super cool. I will report back about the tubes....

 

[rkindel]

Hey Ron....Jeez...I FINALLY got The Freya+ up and running yesterday, as my Marantz SACD Network player finally arrived...and that is my source for this set-up! I have it feeding into The Freya+ and the Freya+ is hooked up to my Bob Carver (it's STILL working! LOL!). Am running a pair DynAudio Contour 20s from the amp. I am so tickled to have The Freya!...it gives some nice options for different sound I actually like the leanness of the solid state for some of the source material that I am playing. THAT surprised me!...so COOL! So far I have just been using the stock tubes (I am a little overwhelmed with all this new and old gear up and running!), but this weekend I plan to use a set of NOS GE tubes in The Freya+. I REALLY love the look of the black Freya with the silver accents...It is super cool. I will report back about the tubes....

Your Freya will sound even better as it burns in. Took my tube stage a couple on months to sound it’s best. I turned mine
on in the morning on buffer stage and left in on all day. I love the 3 different flavors. My default is passive but buffer is great for just a little more weight. Really great with CDs that have that dry lean low end. When it matures, tubes are great when you just want a bit of that bass bloom and mid range magic. I am forever entertained with this outstanding preamp.

 

[FredoIsFishing]

Just ordered a Freya+ from Schiit’s b-stock list. There is another one left.

 

[thefitz]

I got a C-stock original Freya from Schiit last week. The manual mentions that it won't "convert single ended to balanced" without being in tube mode, yet I can output my single ended phono to the XLR jacks in all modes. What's that about?

 

[cakewalk101]

One week ago today, I received a matched quad of the new Russian mfg. Tung-sol 6sn7gtb's. I listened to those for 6 days

, and found they have a lot more detail than the JJ stock tubes. With the JJ quad, I thought there was a bit of roll off on the highs, but it wasn't horrible. Switching to JFET always reveals this. So after the past week, last night, I rolled the JJ's in the left hand slots, and am trying this out now. It retained the clearer sound of the Tung-sol, but is just a little different sounding. More tooby! I'm going to leave it like this all week and see what I think next weekend.

Interesting! I just received my Freya+ from Schiit yesterday and the four tubes that came with are those!

 

[cakewalk101]

Question for all Freya+ owners and/or Schiit product experts: anyone know the difference between Freya+ version 1.01 and 1.00? Must be minor is my assumption but curious nonetheless. I noticed mine was 1.01 when I unpacked it.

 

[rkindel]

Question for all Freya+ owners and/or Schiit product experts: anyone know the difference between Freya+ version 1.01 and 1.00? Must be minor is my assumption but curious nonetheless. I noticed mine was 1.01 when I unpacked it.

News to me that there was a version 1.01. I will check mine when I replace my tubes.

 

[rkindel]

I saw interview on YouTube yesterday where they mentioned that they may bring back the Freya S temporarily as Schiit is having a hard time getting supplies of the 6SN7 tube for Freya +.

 

[PoMarantz]

I did not know there were version numbers…I purchased about a month ago and there was no wait if I took a black and silver unit. I think that it is smarter looking than the silver!

 

[schneiderdn1974]

Just noticed that Schiit recently updated the Freya+ page on their website. Price has increased to $949, and there is now an option to ship without tubes (lowers price to $849). I'm assuming they may have made "no tubes" an option because they are having trouble keeping 6SN7 tubes in stock (as rkindel mentions above). The black version also now shows up as the default/main photo when you access the Freya+ listing. https://www.schiit.com/products/freya-1

 

[PoMarantz]

The black one is sah-weet!

 

[schneiderdn1974]

I finally made the decision to purchase a Freya+ and placed my order on Sunday 06/13. Schitt sent me a shipment notification the next day (Monday 06/14) and the unit arrived this morning with four Tung-Sol 6SN7GTB tubes (note: I purchase one in black, so I'm assuming Schiit currently has these in stock). My current system consists of all Schiit components in a fully balanced setup: Bifrost 2 > Freya+ (previously Jotunheim 2) > Aegir (x2 as balanced mono blocks) > KEF LS50 Meta + dual REL T/7X subs.

Although I can't comment on the specific sound signature intricacies of the Tung-Sols yet (i.e., I've only been running the Freya+ for about an hour), what I can say is that right out of the box (w/tube output stage engaged), it immediately provides a much wider/deeper 3D soundstage and greatly enhances overall dynamics (i.e., brings the music to life) compared to running the same setup with the Jotunheim 2 as the preamp. Similar to my tube headphone amps, instruments sound more lifelike/natural, and the music is more engaging overall.

So, . . . two HUGE thumbs up so far!! Although my system sounded quite good/clean/accurate with the Jotunheim 2 (no complaints), the Freya+ with tubes engaged is the icing on the cake. A BIG thanks to Schiit for designing such great products!!

 

[richard_hing]

I recently purchased a Freya + as a B-stock item, and it arrived within a week of ordering the preamp. I just couldn't wait the long lead time at the time for a new unit. Anyway, I can't find any blemishes on the chassis and it was packed like a brand new unit with what looks like a new quartet of JJ 6SN7 tubes. It must have been a return.

Instead of using the stock JJ 6SN7's, I installed two matched OS GE gray plate side flat D getter 6SN7GTB tubes in the differential voltage gain positions (right side) and two matched new production Tung Sol 6SN7 tubes in the output buffer positions (left side). I initially used octal socket savers from Eurotubes in Portland, OR to elevate the tubes above the chassis to keep the chassis from any additional heat radiating from the tubes. Later on, I took them out as most of the heat generated using the Freya + in tube mode radiates from the regulated power supply underneath the top cover, and not from the tubes themselves.

For connections, I wanted full balanced connections from my DAC to my power amplifier. I used two pairs of DIY Mogami 2549/Switchcraft XLR balanced cables to connect my SMSL SU-8 Version 2 DAC to the Freya +, and the Freya + to my Pass DIY Aleph J Class A power amp that drives my modified Klipsch Forte II speakers.

I have a Raspberry Pi 4 running Volumio connected via USB to my SMSL SU-8 DAC. I started off with the Freya + running in the differential JFET buffer mode, and I really like the clarity and large, deep soundstage. the bass response is very good and I really appreciate the black background with the all-balanced connections. Operating the Freya + with the nice metal bodied remote is very straightforward. I am not sure why some people have complained about the clicking noise of the 128-step volume attenuator. I found that it works very well with excellent channel balance. Overall, the differential JFET buffer mode presents a musical presentation with great tonality, timing, and great detail.

After running about two hours, I switched the Freya + into differential tube mode, and the sound was initially a little edgy in the upper midrange with some sibilance, but over the course of 30-60 minutes, the sound smoothed out significantly. The soundstage started to open up to extend beyond my speakers side-to-side and well beyond the back wall. The tone took on a creamier richness if I can call it that. As others have said, the Freya + in tube mode will get warm--literally. I could place my hand over the power supply area where most of the the heat is emanating and keep it there, so it wasn't scorching hot, but definitely warm. But then, I also have a Pass DIY Aleph J with some hefty heat sinks radiating a lot of heat too. The combination of the Freya + driving my Pass DIY Aleph J sounds beautiful. I can play anything from blues to jazz, to rock to symphonic classical, and the music is so engaging and organic.

I have listened to lots of vinyl playing on my Denon DJ VL12 Prime direct drive turntable connected to my Audio Research PH5 tube phono stage and the Freya +. It just gets better with an analog source. Separation between performers is excellent and the fine detail and tonality of the music comes through very clearly. I hate to say it, but music sounds better playing through the Freya + compared to my Audio Research LS7 tube line stage using ARC-matched and tested 6922 tubes. With the balanced connections, I have a black background, and maybe this is what allows me to hear things in recordings I hadn't heard before. Maybe it's because the LS7 only has single-ended RCA connections. I also have a refurbished McIntosh MC240 tube power amp to connect to the Freya + using RCA single ended interconnects. I have yet to try that combination.

In my experience, the sound really settled in nicely after 20+ hours of cumulative playing time. The jury is still out on long term reliability. For now, I have to say I am very impressed with the build quality, the Schiit aesthetics, and more importantly, what I am hearing from this $899 preamp.