2022, Chapter 8:
Curing Tube Nervosa, Part 1
Feeling a bit, ah,
apprehensive about the future of tubes?
Hesitant about jumping in and giving them a try?
Wondering if you should give it all up and go solid-state?
Well, I know how you feel. A while back, I posted a chapter entitled “The End of Tube World As We Know It?” This was in response to our ongoing issues with getting enough tubes for our own production, combined with the topical subject of Russian tubes becoming unobtanium.
Since then, Russian tubes have kinda-sorta become available-ish, as long as you’re willing to pay 2-3x the historic price for them. JJs kinda-sorta go in and out of availability. Chinese tubes are either (a) very expensive, (b) kinda-sorta available, or (c) come from sketchy sources. NOS tube prices have skyrocketed, and some NOS tubes are either becoming unavailable or even more expensive.
So, even though it’s not the End of Tube World, there’s a ton of uncertainty.
And uncertainty ain’t great.
For some people, it means “buy all the tubes you can, Mad Max is just around the corner! Be ready for the coming tube-less dystopia!”
For others, it means “let’s avoid all the tubes, even though I’ve really wanted to see what they’re all about.”
And yes, I know the irony of us introducing a 10-tube OTL/OCL headphone amp in the midst of all of this madness. But to be fair, that had been in process for a long time—literally since before COVID—and we have a bunch of 6N1P/6N6P tubes in stock.
But the uncertainty also meant we decided to make Folkvangr a limited run product. That wasn’t the original intent. Now, for better or worse, we’re sitting back, crossing our arms, and saying, “hmm, let’s make sure that we can make Valhallas for a while, since they use a lot less tubes.”
So the uncertainty has hit even us.
But...
I did mention that tube supply has been limited for a while, at least in terms of the 6SN7s we use in Freya+.
And that supply uncertainty has been stressing us out for a long time.
And we’re not the kind of company to sit around and do nothing about a situation like that.
But instead of just stressing about supply, and empathizing with your uncertainty, we're doing something about it. So here you go. The doctor is in. (Metaphorically speaking, of course, we're not MDs.) Let's get started on curing this tube nervosa.
As of today, we’ve expanded the Freya+ line options to ensure you have more options for more and different kinds of tubes, or at least have access to a reasonable facsimile of tubes—facsimiles that will happily run for (virtually) ever.
Here’s what we got:
The introduction of Freya Noval. Don’t want to deal with scarce 6SN7s? Want a wider range of tubes to roll in Freya? Have a ton of 6922 and similar tubes? Then Freya N is for you. It’s a Freya...that uses noval tubes. Simple as that. Oh, and it even costs a bit less than Freya+!
The Return of LISST. Want a tube-like device that will always work? Then Freya+ with LISST, our Linear, Integrated, Solid-State Tube is for you. We made LISST a few years ago. Lately, people have discovered how good they sound. And, unlike tubes, they don’t wear out. Get a Freya+ with LISST and you’ll always have something for Freya+’s tube sockets. Want to get LISST for your Freya, Freya+, Saga, Saga+, or Lyr 3? Hold on...we're ramping up production. They'll be available separately in a couple of weeks.
Is Gerbil-Like Proliferation Our Future?
Now, with the introduction of yet another Freya variant, and the return of LISST, some of you are undoubtedly saying, “Holy moly, are you guys just gonna keep adding products until we all go insane?”
In short, no. The intent is not to have 467 variations on Freya in the future.
But the current world is the current world, it is uncertain, and we felt that we should give you the maximum number of options to enjoy tubes, and to feel comfortable with tubes, that we possibly could.
This meant changing the operational points of Freya+ and making a Freya Noval that we could offer you, together with the 20,000 or so 6N1Ps we have. Bottom line, we can make lots of Freya Novals. And it offers more tube rolling options for you, if you want to go that way.
This also meant bringing back LISST. Easy decision. Well, except for finding someone who wanted to build them, because the main factor in cancelling LISST is that they were a pain in the rear end to make, and nobody wanted to do it. So we did some redesign to make them easier to deal with (you’ll note the phenolic base, unlike the old LISST), and more attractive (the domed design, rather than the square-shouldered originals.)
Those two changes, we figured, would give everyone enough options to kill that tube uncertainty.
“Well, together with Freya S, maybe,” someone says. “There’s no uncertainty there.”
Which is very true. Heck, I use a Freya S. It’s a great (and maybe a bit overlooked) preamp. So I’ll include it in the following breakdown of preamp options.
Options, Not Uncertainty
So, with these changes, you now have a ton of options for balanced tube or non-tube preamps from us. Here’s a discussion of each.
Freya+. Our current top-of-the-line balanced, differential tube preamp, that also has differential buffer and passive modes for you to choose from. If you go this way, you’re gonna be using 6SN7 tubes, because that’s what it’s designed for. New production 6SN7s are gettable, but pricey. Russian NOS alternates, like 6N8S, are frequently microphonic, so beware. How microphonic? Like picking up the clicking of the relay volume ladder microphonic. Best to stick with premium new production tubes in this one. But now you also have LISST. Add a set of LISST and you’ll have a tube-like device that ensures your Freya+ will run pretty much indefinitely. LISST measure like a tube (similar harmonic profile, lower overall distortion) and many have chosen them in blind listening above new production tubes(!). Freya+ with LISST means you can try real tubes if you have them, or can get them, but you always have a backup.
Pros:
- The one to get if you have good 6SN7 tubes
- Ability to use LISST and end your tube nervosa
- The comfort of a Stereophile review
Freya Noval. This is our other top-of-the-line tube preamp. I say “other,” because it’s exactly the same as Freya+, with the exception of some operational point changes, and the addition of two small resistors to the gain-setting structure. That’s it. Everything else—differential buffer mode, passive mode, volume ladder, etc…all the same. The difference is that this one ships with 6N1P tubes, which we have a zillion of, so you can be assured of supply. The other difference is that you can use a whole lot of different tube combos in this product—6DJ8, 6922, 7308, 6BZ7, ECC88, 6CG7, heck, you can even use 6N6P in two of the slots, combined with two lower-heater-current tubes, because as long as you’re under 2.4A total, you’re fine. (And if all of this crazy heater-current talk makes you nuts, just stick with the 6N1Ps, or try a quad of 6CG7s, or try some premium 6922s as input tubes only.)
Pros:
- The one to get if you have compatible noval tubes or want to go nuts rolling
- Ability to roll a bunch of different tubes—tons of combos!
- Saves some money
Freya S. Done with tubes? Freya S is our other-other top of the line preamp, with Nexus topology, 2 gains, passive mode and relay stepped attenuator, just like Freya+ and Freya Noval. Get this and don’t worry about tubes. Ever. And save a ton of money.
Pros:
- The one to get if you’re done with tube worries and rolling nervosa
- Has a great-sounding Nexus™ gain stage
- Saves a ton of money
So. Yeah. Options are good. Options for tubes of two different types, options for solid-state-like tube replacements, options to say “the hell with tubes” and call it a day. Options are good, and I hope you enjoy at least one of them.
And for the sharp-eyed readers who noticed the “Part 1,” stay tuned.
And not for long…
