Same here, MJ3 as pre, big improvement when compare with FreyaSMJ3 as a preamp...
...is a worthy experiment, IMHO. The sound is incredibly tube-like, but massively detailed at the same time.
No remote. Who cares, bc when fed by OG Yggy and driving an OG Aegir, it sounds absolutely fantastic. YMMV.
I'm aware of that but the reviews of the 3 that I've seen put it as a definite downgrade from the Plus. For a first tube amp the Plus is excellent. The next time I'm in the market, a stepped attenuator is going to be a deal breaker. The thing that gave me more pause was reading through the Lyr+ thread and seeing all the amps failing and needing to be sent in for repairs..repeatedly. Definitely would have passed on the Plus in favor of the 3 then. I foolishly assumed that the Plus wasn't a problem child when I bought. Caveat Emptor
It's an Apos Select, but honestly, the Tung Sol that comes with it really isn't bad at all, in spite of what the reviewers all say about it.
Somehow you read about failing repeatedly and also never read about a stepped attenuator? I think you’re full of Schiit. YMMV I have an 8k generator that fails all the time and never starts during an emergency, contact me for pricing.
Yes, it's a fun road to travel. I still remember my start back in '91 shortly after purchasing my first tube amp. Stopped by a small, locally owned electronics shop that had a pretty good quantity of tubes for sale. Didn't know a thing about tubes at that point (let alone substitutions or adapters), but spied some NOS RCA 5AR4's that were direct replacements and bought 4 of them for $5 each. Many would argue (including the amp's designer!) that of all tubes, a rectifier tube wasn't going to make any difference in the sound. My ears didn't agree -- the RCA's were a clearly audible improvement over the stock Chinese tubes. So I went back and bought the other 10 they had on the shelf. Didn't see any real need for rolling andI envy your ability to start the journey!!! I got to a point where I needed to design amps specifically to my needs and hear every tube money could buy to arrive at a sound that blows my hair back, or what little is left of it.
And this is how the journey begins.Yes, it's a fun road to travel. I still remember my start back in '91 shortly after purchasing my first tube amp. Stopped by a small, locally owned electronics shop that had a pretty good quantity of tubes for sale. Didn't know a thing about tubes at that point (let alone substitutions or adapters), but spied some NOS RCA 5AR4's that were direct replacements and bought 4 of them for $5 each. Many would argue (including the amp's designer!) that of all tubes, a rectifier tube wasn't going to make any difference in the sound. My ears didn't agree -- the RCA's were a clearly audible improvement over the stock Chinese tubes. So I went back and bought the other 10 they had on the shelf. Didn't see any real need for rolling andhoardingcollecting to be separate activities.
I was well aware of the stepped attenuator when I bought it. The Lyr+ is such a good value(used especially) that I bought it ANYWAY.
I started working with tube gear as a teen, then later during college friends and I would mess around with mostly Dynaco tube gear, RCA still used some tubes when I hired in there but my work was in solid state. Eventually I bought several solid state amps but none were as appealing as some of the modified Dynaco's I was used to so I eventually made my way back. A master chess player from Latvia whom I competed against regularly would turn on his Dynaco ST 70 with Klipsch speakers as we played and suddenly I was hooked on the sound again but tube gear was less readily available so I had to wait.Yes, it's a fun road to travel. I still remember my start back in '91 shortly after purchasing my first tube amp. Stopped by a small, locally owned electronics shop that had a pretty good quantity of tubes for sale. Didn't know a thing about tubes at that point (let alone substitutions or adapters), but spied some NOS RCA 5AR4's that were direct replacements and bought 4 of them for $5 each. Many would argue (including the amp's designer!) that of all tubes, a rectifier tube wasn't going to make any difference in the sound. My ears didn't agree -- the RCA's were a clearly audible improvement over the stock Chinese tubes. So I went back and bought the other 10 they had on the shelf. Didn't see any real need for rolling andhoardingcollecting to be separate activities.
I've grown to love the clicks of my Freya N. It's such a cool tactile mechanical sensation. Granted, it's on a shelf some distance from me. If it was sat on a desk almost at my elbow, maybe I'd think differently.
I certainly can appreciate the technical improvements that it brings, but I really dislike how adjusting it during playback causes the sound to breakup. It's a hell of a good amp anyway so...I'll take my medicine and just keep listening because any HiFi product that's good enough to get you digging through your library is a winner. I also appreciate that it only needs a single tube so rolling is relatively painless(something which was one of the main reasons I've stayed away from tube gear so long).I've grown to love the clicks of my Freya N. It's such a cool tactile mechanical sensation. Granted, it's on a shelf some distance from me. If it was sat on a desk almost at my elbow, maybe I'd think differently.
There's some breakup with stepped attenuators, it's par for the course. I happen to also have a Saga+ as well and it also does this. It was something I actively avoided when I bought a Violectric amp awhile back. The Lyr+ is worse than others because of the lag issue that it also has due to the microprocessor controlled relays. I think Wavetheory pointed this out in his review. The lag exacerbates the breakup when making bigger adjustments during play. But it's a really good amp for the money so I'll deal with it.
