[Paladin79]

Can you remind me which pair have a greater impact on the sound? I had thought it was the left side (which I believe are the input pair), more so than the right side (power pair). Is that roughly right / is there a rule of thumb for the different impacts?

Thanks,
John

Going by a Freya + with 6sn7's, the gain side is the right side and should have the most impact.



I used this video since the reviewer loved GE tubes. This should drive @bcowen up the wall. GE power tubes maybe, but these tubes are cheap for a reason.

This is a more realistic review of tube quality IMHO.

 

[belgiangenius]

Do Freya+ and Freya N have the same top cover?

 

[KoshNaranek]

Do Freya+ and Freya N have the same top cover?

No

 

[maheeinfy]

Freya N is black only I believe. Also the holes for tubes gotta be smaller

 

[sahmen]

I finally bit the bullet and picked up one of the Freya N's because the pricing was too attractive for me to resist for too long. Besides, I see that the number of them in stock keeps diminishing and getting replenished, so it seems they're selling relatively fast now, in spite of the earlier spotty sales record which gave rise to the decision to discontinue that Freya N line, according to @Jason Stoddard .I think they say it ships in 2-3 days, and I am happy I overcame my own resistance and pulled the trigger, but I have one nagging question:

Is it a foregone conclusion that the 6SN7 type tubes, along with their variants, and even the Lisst options which normally go with the Freya + (if you like the Octal variety of tubes) will always be better performing on the Freya than the listed Noval types of tubes and their 6922, 6N1P variants? Not trying to stir up any kind of controversy here, nor am I experiencing any kind of "remorse" about my purchase. I have collected a large set of 6922 type tubes over the past few years, many of which would go unused without a preamp such as the Freya N, so all is well on that front. I am just trying to understand the reasons for the apparent price discrimination between the + and the Noval versions, and the relative lack of Noval sales behind the reason to discontinue it

In the meantime, I look forward to the opportunity to tube-roll the living daylights out of the Freya Noval.

 

[Paladin79]

I finally bit the bullet and picked up one of the Freya N's because the pricing was too attractive for me to resist for too long. Besides, I see that the number of them in stock keeps diminishing and getting replenished, so it seems they're selling relatively fast now, in spite of the earlier spotty sales record which gave rise to the decision to discontinue that Freya N line, according to @Jason Stoddard .I think they say it ships in 2-3 days, and I am happy I overcame my own resistance and pulled the trigger, but I have one nagging question:

Is it a foregone conclusion that the 6SN7 type tubes, along with their variants, and even the Lisst options which normally go with the Freya + (if you like the Octal variety of tubes) will always be better performing on the Freya than the listed Noval types of tubes and their 6922, 6N1P variants? Not trying to stir up any kind of controversy here, nor am I experiencing any kind of "remorse" about my purchase. I have collected a large set of 6922 type tubes over the past few years, many of which would go unused without a preamp such as the Freya N, so all is well on that front. I am just trying to understand the reasons for the apparent price discrimination between the + and the Noval versions, and the relative lack of Noval sales behind the reason to discontinue it

In the meantime, I look forward to the opportunity to tube-roll the living daylights out of the Freya Noval.

The Freya and Freya + have been sold for quite a while and many of us have owned one or both of those so for some it meant buying a whole other type of tube. Since you own many of the 6922 type tubes you sound like a great candidate for the N. I have a slight preference for the 6sn7's and have heard most all types made, the 6922's are also a very good sounding tube IMHO so I would not be unhappy with those as well. There are still plenty of NOS choices for that tube.

I am well set on preamps and yet I am still tempted to buy an N myself, that price is incredible.

 

[maheeinfy]

Freya N supposedly sounds bright with stock tubes. Since its basically a Freya + with few tweaks and different tubes, what is the reason for this tuning? Is it the 6n1p tubes?

Did Freya + also sound bright with stock tubes

 

[Paladin79]

Freya N supposedly sounds bright with stock tubes. Since its basically a Freya + with few tweaks and different tubes, what is the reason for this tuning? Is it the 6n1p tubes?

Did Freya + also sound bright with stock tubes

Not that I recall. I gave the stock tubes to my son so he would have a backup set for a Freya + I gave him. I am also listening through tube power amps so there are other tubes in the chain. Had I tried a solid state power amp or headphone amps the results might have been quite different.

I love the ability to tweak the sound to my likes. Once I find that perfect sound I do not tube roll as much, I tend to buy more of the type tubes I like.

 

[AstronomerXI]

Freya N supposedly sounds bright with stock tubes. Since its basically a Freya + with few tweaks and different tubes, what is the reason for this tuning? Is it the 6n1p tubes?

Did Freya + also sound bright with stock tubes

I’m guessing it’s a combo of the tubes and tweaks needed to accommodate their characteristics. From an article or marketing piece that I saved in Microsoft OneNote:

“Stoddard pointed out that the Freya Noval isn’t just a Freya+ with different tube sockets. It has different operating points, and a different gain structure, to accommodate the needs of 6922, 6N1P, and other popular noval tubes.”

@Jason Stoddard, can you comment?

 

[maheeinfy]

Thanks. Would also love to know if passive and buffer stage are exactly same between N and +

 

[AstronomerXI]

Thanks. Would also love to know if passive and buffer stage are exactly same between N and +

From another q and a from this forum from last week or the week before:

“Okay quick question : How different in terms of value is the Freya Noval from the Freya + with Lisst Tube replacements? There seems to be such a big price gap between both, and yet, if I were to get either of them, I can easily see myself rolling other tubes, so what gives? Could someone explain to me what makes the Freya + seem so exceptional even if I expect to replace the Freya Noval's stock tubes with my own 6922 tubes?”

Jason Stoddard: “Simple: Freya Noval didn't sell, despite being the same preamp as Freya+ with 6N1P tubes. Get one now if you want one, it's a great deal. We won't be making any more, but of course you get full warranty and support”.

 

[433521]

The Freya and Freya + have been sold for quite a while and many of us have owned one or both of those so for some it meant buying a whole other type of tube. Since you own many of the 6922 type tubes you sound like a great candidate for the N. I have a slight preference for the 6sn7's and have heard most all types made, the 6922's are also a very good sounding tube IMHO so I would not be unhappy with those as well. There are still plenty of NOS choices for that tube.

I am well set on preamps and yet I am still tempted to buy an N myself, that price is incredible.

No kidding. All the prices are incredible. I mean, Schiit already sells for 50% off ... now another 20% off? That's like 60% off (math dude, I know my maths).

I've held off and went for a new crossover for my s400s.

Where the f do I put 4 Vidars? Those Tyrs are HUGE.

Freya N supposedly sounds bright with stock tubes. Since its basically a Freya + with few tweaks and different tubes, what is the reason for this tuning? Is it the 6n1p tubes?

Did Freya + also sound bright with stock tubes

I feel like the Tung Sol new production sound brite in +, but NOS tubes are fine.

 

[ThorCorps]

The Texas location is on top of their shipping. My Black Friday Lokius was handed to me (in Georgia) this morning at 10:15am.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Magni+/Modi+ is putting a smile on my face with a set of ATH-A990Z today. While they aren't famously hard to power as such, IMO the ART series does benefit from amplification for their big drivers especially in the tightness / clarity of low frequencies, and keep things swift in the upper frequencies also. Man, this is cool. Cool Schiit. I bet the Loki+ is going to be fun with these when it gets in later this week - I remember the older A700 and A900 predecessors responded pretty well to EQ, some range to tune them to preference.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

I’m guessing it’s a combo of the tubes and tweaks needed to accommodate their characteristics. From an article or marketing piece that I saved in Microsoft OneNote:

“Stoddard pointed out that the Freya Noval isn’t just a Freya+ with different tube sockets. It has different operating points, and a different gain structure, to accommodate the needs of 6922, 6N1P, and other popular noval tubes.”

@Jason Stoddard, can you comment?

Yep, same exact preamp, same passive, same differential buffer, different tubes, different operating point. Sounded good to me. Odd it didn't take off. Ah well, you don't win them all.

The Texas location is on top of their shipping. My Black Friday Lokius was handed to me (in Georgia) this morning at 10:15am.

Texas worked--voluntarily--Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (and today, LOL). Alex probably would have been there on Thanksgiving if we'd let him. Heck, I've been building products to help keep up with demand (Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday, today.) A breather from dev...and also a nice check-in to see how the chassis changes really ended up. Did they speed up production? Heck yes, in the case of Magni+. Modi+ is a bit fiddly, and needs a couple of adjustments to make things fall into place easier, but also yes. Just a smaller yes. Going from 4 screws on Modi+ to 16 on Lokius is a big shocker, but unfortunately I can't do a ton about that, due to connectors. Again, can't win 'em all!

Aside: this isn't to crap on CA. I'm sure they worked too. I know they were processing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It's just I'm in CC right now, so I only have first-hand experience here.

Editorial: and, we have moved to a much better position thanks to this clearing-out of product. Puts us in a much better place for next year. Don't expect this kind of sale again. Well, unless there is another unprecedented global disruption/stimulus/supply chain disruption/purchasing lock-ins to compensate for supply chain probs/unsustainable exuberance/inevitable hangover/ongoing disruptions/us screwing all of this up because hey this schiit has been crazy the past couple years/etc.