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Three Years With The Schiit Freya + Pre-amp

Yamaki

Yamaki

Living In A Firepit
Subscriber
Three years ago today I took delivery of my Schiit Freya + tube pre-amp and I must say I've been impressed.

It brought a different dimension to my system and my listening experience. It's performance has been flawless and, suffice to say, I am very happy to have purchased it.

Schiit Freya + front panel.jpg

Schiit Freya + back panel.jpg

Schiit 26.jpg
 
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I never had the problem but that probably is due to the fact that all system volume is handled by my MX-151.
 
I'm very happy with the nine pin version, the Freya N. Black with silver knobs. it comes stock with Russian 6N1P's but I put some Raytheon 6CG7's in the gain side. It matches very well with my Coda amp.
 
I'm still running the original Tung Sol 6SN7GTB quad that were provided by Schiit when I got it. They don't have excessive hours on them but I suspect it will be time to get a new quad soon.
 
lokerola said:
Still loving mine. Just wish it had a headphone amp/jack built in. I stole the gold feet off of dead Parasound amp and added them to the Freya for airflow and to make it match my other Parasound gear.
Click to expand...

I did much the same thing. I had some old Pioneer Elite feet that I installed on mine after I noted how close the bottom was to the top of my Salamander wood rack. :eek:
 
I pulled the tiny rubber feet off of all my pieces of Schiit (4 each) and put 1" round, 1/2" high silicone anti-vibration feet in their place... they stick right on and allow more airflow underneath the equipment. They also don't leave a mark like the stock ones did.

 
Yamaki said:
I'm still running the original Tung Sol 6SN7GTB quad that were provided by Schiit when I got it. They don't have excessive hours on them but I suspect it will be time to get a new quad soon.
Click to expand...
I just did a tube shoot out with the various tubes that I have- the new production Tong-Sol won:
See post #583

Schiit Fans ?

(doing my best to stay away from money/price discussion) 1x Freya + 2x Vidar (Mono blocks) In that ^ realm which other maker's pre/amp or integrated would be in the same league SQ wise? Also... Schiit Fans. Do you like (happy with) those products? Thanks Have owned schiit modi for a few...
audiokarma.org
 
Adding feet to tube with ubs for feet is something I do also.
I just won't feel 1/16" to 1/8" is enough.
I used speaker spikes on one of my amps. The rubber nubs were very short.
The pointed ends of the spikes can be unscrewed and adhesive cork or felt pads can be used.
 

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krautmaster said:
I just did a tube shoot out with the various tubes that I have- the new production Tong-Sol won:
See post #583

Schiit Fans ?

(doing my best to stay away from money/price discussion) 1x Freya + 2x Vidar (Mono blocks) In that ^ realm which other maker's pre/amp or integrated would be in the same league SQ wise? Also... Schiit Fans. Do you like (happy with) those products? Thanks Have owned schiit modi for a few...
audiokarma.org
Click to expand...
I have a quad of them that came with my preamp. They've been going strong and sounding good for at leased 4 years now.
 

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Ordered my Freya+ two days ago!, I chose the Matched 6N8S...
The Mrs not big on swapping out loose RCA cables, needed an integrated solution, and the remote volume is exactly what my monoblocks need...

I asked the schiit AI about 2nd order harmonics between the Freya+ Vs the Saga+ and another question about warmth...
The AI responded with both questions that the Freya+ had much warmer sound...
(Im absolutely positive the price had nothing to do with the answer!)

Question, would you folks say this a neutral sounding preamp, slightly tuby or tuby ?
 
Not really "tubey"..I like to describe it as "alive". Excellent sustain and decay with a big wide sound stage once the tubes break in. My used "NOS" tubes took an hour or two to come to life, the Tong-Sol about 12 to 15 hours (not all opened up at the same time). I turn the system on and play classical FM station in background for an hour before I have a seat and start some critical listening- the old tubes like a bit of a warm up, the modern ones about half of that.
 
AudioFanMan said:
Ordered my Freya+ two days ago!, I chose the Matched 6N8S...
The Mrs not big on swapping out loose RCA cables, needed an integrated solution, and the remote volume is exactly what my monoblocks need...

I asked the schiit AI about 2nd order harmonics between the Freya+ Vs the Saga+ and another question about warmth...
The AI responded with both questions that the Freya+ had much warmer sound...
(Im absolutely positive the price had nothing to do with the answer!)

Question, would you folks say this a neutral sounding preamp, slightly tuby or tuby ?
Click to expand...
I've had the Saga and currently have a Freya+. Both do neutral, the buffer on the Saga is "slightly tuby" and the Freya+ I would rate somewhere between "slightly tuby" and "tuby". It certainly has a much warmer sound and a more detailed sound stage than the Saga. I liked the Saga quite a bit, but the Freya + is more better-er.
 
krautmaster said:
Not really "tubey"..I like to describe it as "alive". Excellent sustain and decay with a big wide sound stage once the tubes break in. My used "NOS" tubes took an hour or two to come to life, the Tong-Sol about 12 to 15 hours (not all opened up at the same time). I turn the system on and play classical FM station in background for an hour before I have a seat and start some critical listening- the old tubes like a bit of a warm up, the modern ones about half of that.
Click to expand...
I found the same thing. At first I didn't like the Tung-Sol's. They sounded harsh. But to be fair the company I bought the preamp from stated it took a few hours for them to settle in. Once they did I really like them.
Are there better?, I'm sure there are. But I don't like paying 1/2 or more of the cost of the equipment on tubes. There are really good sounding new production tubes to be had without breaking the bank.
 
Lavane said:
I have a quad of them that came with my preamp. They've been going strong and sounding good for at leased 4 years now.
Click to expand...
How do you like your Erhard Aretha MKII? Was looking at one to pair with a MC2205. Appears to be a nice build just not a lot of information about them.
 
AudioFanMan said:
Ordered my Freya+ two days ago!, I chose the Matched 6N8S...
The Mrs not big on swapping out loose RCA cables, needed an integrated solution, and the remote volume is exactly what my monoblocks need...

I asked the schiit AI about 2nd order harmonics between the Freya+ Vs the Saga+ and another question about warmth...
The AI responded with both questions that the Freya+ had much warmer sound...
(Im absolutely positive the price had nothing to do with the answer!)

Question, would you folks say this a neutral sounding preamp, slightly tuby or tuby ?
Click to expand...
To me, the Freya is slightly “tubey“. Detailed with a slight tube bloom and great soundstage. It’s a great sounding preamp and the new Tung Sol’s are an excellent match for it. I’ve had Tung Sol’s in mine for a few years now and I’ve never felt the urge to roll them.
 
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