[audionics]

I admit I am still working on building up my electrical engineering understanding, but I look at this comment from Jason about turning off the tubes:



You may have a better understanding of this than me, but it seems they tried simple, found issues with it, and their work around was a bit more involved.

Maybe the current design of the Saga+ gives extra problems when switching the tube power, but all tube power amps switch on and off by switching the primary transformer power.
I thought switching to passive mode meant to interrupt all leads going to the tube/ input and output...
Maybe this is not done in the Saga+?

However i can understand the need to avoid a switching click and to mute the output first.
The remark about the grid DC anomaliesI do not understand because if you switch the DC power of filament and anode the tube has not power and therefore can not generate DC voltage on the grid.
Switching the transformer might however.

 

[porchwizard]

I actually find it weird for someone to request to remove something and get a lower price. What’s next? Someone asking for Schiit to not ship the power cable and a reduced price because they have their own ?

This seems to be a bit of a Reductio ad absurdum argument given that the tubes are a much larger proportion of the price.
On the one hand one can understand Schiit not wanting to complicate their shipping and not wanting to ship an incomplete non-working product, opening themselves up for more support calls.
On the other hand, if no one asks for it how will they know the demand for it.
And finally, @belgiangenius, was commenting on the lack of a response to the request more than anything else.

 

[belgiangenius]

I sincerely wanted to know why it was weird in the genius mind.
I see it like this: I pay and click for something with tubes and after I am asking if the tubes can be left out and the price reduced ... So I pay for 1KG of oranges and after I request to take out 200 grams and refund me. Most likely there is no response from the orange seller just a jaw dropping face scene. Ask beforehand and you know what you are up to, i'd say.

That's a bizarre comparison.

But if you'd like my rationale: tubes are a consumable peripheral, one for which most serious hobbyists (i.e., like Freya customers) would have strong preferences for. They are also very expensive. So probably 10% + of the cost of that Freya is the tubes.

Many Freya customers probably have a box full of tubes. Many Freya+ customers probably have the original Freya and the same damned tubes Freya + comes with.

Mine are all unused now because I don't like those Tungsols.

I thought it was a reasonable request. I would have no hard feelings if the company would decline the request with such a response. That didn't happen.

 

[Ableza]

Maybe the current design of the Saga+ gives extra problems when switching the tube power, but all tube power amps switch on and off by switching the primary transformer power.
I thought switching to passive mode meant to interrupt all leads going to the tube/ input and output...
Maybe this is not done in the Saga+?

However i can understand the need to avoid a switching click and to mute the output first.
The remark about the grid DC anomaliesI do not understand because if you switch the DC power of filament and anode the tube has not power and therefore can not generate DC voltage on the grid.
Switching the transformer might however.

You are assuming that the power for the tubes is independent of other functions in the device. AND that there would be physical room for the necessary relays in Saga. Neither of which are good assumptions, based on what Jason Stoddard wrote.

I recommend simply not using super expensive tubes in it, or accepting that they might fail sooner than expected if you do. Audio is all about trade offs and compromises.

 

[Derrick Swart]

That's a bizarre comparison.

But if you'd like my rationale: tubes are a consumable peripheral, one for which most serious hobbyists (i.e., like Freya customers) would have strong preferences for. They are also very expensive. So probably 10% + of the cost of that Freya is the tubes.

Many Freya customers probably have a box full of tubes. Many Freya+ customers probably have the original Freya and the same damned tubes Freya + comes with.

Mine are all unused now because I don't like those Tungsols.

I thought it was a reasonable request. I would have no hard feelings if the company would decline the request with such a response. That didn't happen.

Your question is very valid and actually they could offer a tubeless tube amp in the thunderdome to see how your proposal goes. Question of course is the pricing (matched quad is 120 bucks) 779 is 180 higher than the Freya S with less functionality (for those that do not have tubes yet). I just wanted to point out that asking before click and pay probably would be a better option.

 

[dieslemat]

Hello folks,
Anyone else had this weird double pre authorization on their credit card from Schiit or any other merchant before?

Disclaimer: i already emailed Schiit yesterday and they promptly replied (a few times and with great courtesy) on what they saw on their end but i’d like to know if anyone else had this. Please feel free to pm me.

 

[Ableza]

Your question is very valid and actually they could offer a tubeless tube amp in the thunderdome to see how your proposal goes. Question of course is the pricing (matched quad is 120 bucks) 779 is 180 higher than the Freya S with less functionality (for those that do not have tubes yet). I just wanted to point out that asking before click and pay probably would be a better option.

If it was my company I would never sell a device that was not functional as shipped. But that's just me.

 

[Derrick Swart]

If it was my company I would never sell a device that was not functional as shipped. But that's just me.

does it need tubes to function? Or do the passive and differential buffer stage work when tubes are out? (like new option: tubes turned-off)

 

[Ableza]

does it need tubes to function? Or do the passive and differential buffer stage work when tubes are out? (like new option: tubes turned-off)

I don't know, but my comment remains my opinion, along with my earlier comment that if it was an option the company wanted to offer I suspect they would. If you own a Freya take the tubes out and see if it functions.

 

[ThorCorps]

Wanted to share a few quick observations... Received a Freya S late Monday.

I swapped it in place of my existing Freya (octal LISST) in my main 2-channel system and have been running it in Nexus +1 mode. It sounds at least as good as my original Freya (which is currently replacing a SYS in my bedroom setup, so now I have remote volume control in that single-ended system). I haven't done any direct A/B comparisons and don't really intend to.

The system where the Freya S is uses a Squeezebox Receiver as primary source (lossless rips) to Gumby balanced to Freya S balanced to Emotiva XPR-1's to Swans F2.2F speakers.

The light tubes are probably about half as bright as the old LED method. Or, you could consider it more like a color temperature change from 5000K to more like 3000K. Not nearly as harsh.

Now that the volume control tracks with the remote, each up/down on the remote changes the volume about 4 clicks (of the 128-steps). So, maybe you don't have quite as much control as with the original remote/volume control method, but I'm happy with roughly 4-steps per up/down.

Overall, very pleased with the new Freya S (Thanks for the option, Jason!)

 

[purehifi192]

A precedent was set with shipping original Freya without tubes and that was for a device that required tubes more so than the "+". Not offering this option on the newer model is totally within Schiit's rights, of course, but an explanation would be welcome by Jason or the person handling the order. That's not asking too much.

 

[mp29k]

I sincerely wanted to know why it was weird in the genius mind.
I see it like this: I pay and click for something with tubes and after I am asking if the tubes can be left out and the price reduced ... So I pay for 1KG of oranges and after I request to take out 200 grams and refund me. Most likely there is no response from the orange seller just a jaw dropping face scene. Ask beforehand and you know what you are up to, i'd say.

I think a slightly more apt metaphor would be if you bought 1KG of oranges, and asked them to remove the peel and give you a discount.

 

[belgiangenius]

Your question is very valid and actually they could offer a tubeless tube amp in the thunderdome to see how your proposal goes. Question of course is the pricing (matched quad is 120 bucks) 779 is 180 higher than the Freya S with less functionality (for those that do not have tubes yet). I just wanted to point out that asking before click and pay probably would be a better option.

Well, I would've ordered it regardless, so....

 

[belgiangenius]

I think a slightly more apt metaphor would be if you bought 1KG of oranges, and asked them to remove the peel and give you a discount.

Why don't we go in whole-hogg and say it's like asking your liquor store to distill the water out of the whiskey??

 

[Paladin79]

i own the 1st-gen Freya, looking to upgrade to the Freya + for sure.

Lower noise floor + tube shutdown when running other modes alone sealed the deal for me, tho the other upgrades are nice too.

I will receive a Freya + tomorrow and will compare it to the original Freya if I get time.