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Schiit Freya+ Tube Recommendations

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branden_8091

Member
Hello all!...after much consideration - I've settled on a Schiit Freya+ preamplifier. Right out of the box, one tube was bad and caused some awful static in one channel. Luckily, a local friend had a good Tung-Sol tube that I could swap out with the bad one. I've contacted Schiit and am waiting to hear back about getting new tubes.

So, for now I have 3 of the stock JJ 6SN7 tubes, and one Tung-Sol.

First of all, a question for those who own these: Which pair of tubes (left or right) affects the sound more? I'm not sure I exactly understand the function of a cathode follower output stage (left) or differential voltage gain stage (right).

Secondly, my main question: What tubes sound best in the Freya+? At this point - I'm thinking Electro Harmonix or Tung-Sol. But what about NOS Westinghouse, RCA or GE?

I like very clear bass, if that changes any answers...and my speakers are Focal Aria 936 :)

Thanks!
 
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Not sure in the Freya+, but I had a Freya for a while and NOS vintage GE tubes (from the 50's and 60's) sounded excellent in the Freya.
 
any "trianglular black plate" Sylvania's are very good -- grey plates may be excellent too. i will say that when i've played around with 6SN7 and 6SL7, the differences between 6S_7 variants are often small but absolutely worth experimenting with.

as an example, i have two "cheap" old-stock 6SL7's that i'd pick over one of the more expensive 6SL7 variants, any day of the week, despite all of the chances i've given the more expensive one to win. and yet, the MOST expensive 6SL7 variant i've tried is still my favorite, so there you go....
 
While not a Freya +, I just picked up a used Schiit Saga. It uses the same 6SN7 tube. The previous Saga owner stated that the "Ken-Rad "Black" 6SN7...is my favorite tube for Saga." He's also included a "Rad-Tel "Black" 6SN7", which is his "2nd favorite tube." Unfortunately he didn't explain why these 2 were his favorites?

Now, like you, I'm searching for good 6SN7's too. One that gets mentioned a lot, is a Raytheon JAN-CRP-6SN7GT / VT-231 Black. It's a military version of the 6SN7. A long life tube, reported to have very good soundstaging and image depth. It's on my short list. If you want to try a new tube, the Tung-Sol 6SN7GTB is supposed to be dynamic and full range, with great bass response. Another tube on my list.
 
I had a Saga before the Freya (non+). They were quite different sounding animals to my ears.
While none of this may translate, I've found most JAN tubes to be high level performers, regardless of the tube (I always look for JAN designation when tube shopping). This includes the JAN 6SN7, if you can find. They would be my second choice, close behind the coin-base I mentioned earlier.
I'm currently running reissue Tung-Sol EL84s & EL34s and 5AR4s. While they are not quite up to the reissue Gold Lion tubes to my ears, if looking for a reasonably priced new tube with good sound, the Tung-Sol reissue 6SN7 would be where I would place my $$.
If money is no object, the best sounding 6SN7 I've heard (though was not in the Freya where I did not have an opportunity to try them) is the Sophia Electric cook-bottle tubes. Spendy, but very nice in a Woo headphone amp.
 
StimpyWan said:
While not a Freya +, I just picked up a used Schiit Saga. It uses the same 6SN7 tube. The previous Saga owner stated that the "Ken-Rad "Black" 6SN7...is my favorite tube for Saga." He's also included a "Rad-Tel "Black" 6SN7", which is his "2nd favorite tube." Unfortunately he didn't explain why these 2 were his favorites?

Now, like you, I'm searching for good 6SN7's too. One that gets mentioned a lot, is a Raytheon JAN-CRP-6SN7GT / VT-231 Black. It's a military version of the 6SN7. A long life tube, reported to have very good soundstaging and image depth. It's on my short list. If you want to try a new tube, the Tung-Sol 6SN7GTB is supposed to be dynamic and full range, with great bass response. Another tube on my list.
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Sorry for the late reply - somehow I didn't get any notifications...
I'll look into those that you've mentioned! I ended up buying a used, good testing pair of Sylvania 6SN7GTA's...but one was bad right away (sounded great, but went pspspspspspss all the time), so the seller agreed to send me a pair of ROGERS tubes, which use the exact same tooling as the Sylvanias. They sound great too...as a bonus, he also included some GE 6SN7GBT's...these are what I ended up settling on for now...not that there's anything wrong with the Rogers!
 
branden_8091 said:
Sorry for the late reply - somehow I didn't get any notifications...
I'll look into those that you've mentioned! I ended up buying a used, good testing pair of Sylvania 6SN7GTA's...but one was bad right away (sounded great, but went pspspspspspss all the time), so the seller agreed to send me a pair of ROGERS tubes, which use the exact same tooling as the Sylvanias. They sound great too...as a bonus, he also included some GE 6SN7GBT's...these are what I ended up settling on for now...not that there's anything wrong with the Rogers!
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I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your Freya+. It's a beautiful piece of gear, and if it sounds as good as it looks, the Freya is a steal at it's price.

Also, there's a nice trio of RCA (labeled Magnavox) Blackplate 6SN7 tubes on BarterTown. At a great price. You should become a member in order to access that area. It's definitely worth it.

Oh, I got my Saga up and running too. A few issues with supporting gear, but it's now sounding very sweet. The Saga is currently running into a NAD 2155 amp, then through my AR58S speakers. A lowly Blu-Ray player, as a source. Regardless, it sounds great. A proverbial, I-never-heard-that-before, performer! Now, if I could get rid of the hum, when I patch in my AVR, I'd be very happy!
 
So...I ended up buying a pair of Sylvania 6SN7GTA's through CAM. They sounded lovely, but one was hissy. The very generous CAMmer sent me a pair of Rogers 6SN7's that use the same tooling as the Sylvanias, so had the same pleasant sound, minus some of the holographic effect. He was extra generous though, and also sent me an extra pair, some GE 6SN7GTB's! Wow! Those are what I have in the Freya+ now, very happy...
 
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