Schiit Freya Preamp Review (Episodic)

Discussion in 'Preamps' started by purr1n, Jan 14, 2017.

  1. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    That's some unfortunate QC going on. The new remote is much nicer though
     
  2. khragon

    khragon Acquaintance

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    Schiit 6sn7 sockets leave a lot to be desired. Large opening allowed for higher chances of incorrect insertion, I practically have to pull the unit out every time to make sure I insert the tubes correctly. Removing the tubes is also more difficult without access to the base, I think schiit should consider installing a permanent socket saver.
     
  3. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    All due respect, most people aren't attempting to do so with speakers with a 98+ dB sensitivity. Do you have support for your statement from other user experiences besides your own?
     
  4. Darren G

    Darren G Friend

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    Tape works well (e.g., a few inches of packing tape). Wrap, pull up on the tape with one hand, wiggle guide with the other.
     
  5. winders

    winders boomer

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    Vidar, all by itself, without Freya turned on, generates an audible hum from my 95dB @1w @1m speakers. Factor in the nominal 14dB gain from Freya and you don't need 95dB @1w @1m speakers to hear a hum. Maybe someone that knows more about audio mathematics can tell us what efficiency range might be problematic. My new (old) amp, a Pioneer M-22, generates no hum in my speakers with Freya off or when on in passive or JFET mode. There is hum with Freya in tube gain mode but it is a lot less with M-22.

    So you are right. I was speaking without practical experience using less efficient speakers than mine. It's something to be aware of though!
     
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    • Vidar and other high gain amps like the Hegel H2 (which I reviewed earlier) are NOT good for high efficiency speakers. Freya gain compounds the problem. HE speakers love amps with simple circuits (which tends to translate to less power and less gain).
    • Saga could be better than Freya, even with gear that takes balanced connections. By better, I mean committing less sins of omission and less sins of commission. I need to explore this with further comparison. I suspect the Saga might be a world class sounding pre-amp.
    • Power and gain are different. Gain is simply a measure of how much an amplifier multiplies the voltage of the signal going in. Power, measured in watts, is the limit of what the the amplifier can put out, keeping in mind this: (power = voltage^2 / resistance*) *load or impedance.
    • An amp that has more power doesn't necessarily mean that it has more gain, although it very well could.
     
  7. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    Could volume controls on a power amp avoid some of these problems, mentioned earlier?
    [​IMG]

    [Edit] I am referring to pre-amp, power amp and speaker matching problems.
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Yes, these help, if the preamp has more gain than needed in some instances, as on the Freya balanced outs with use on high gain power amps. I was actually running 4db stepped attentuators to pad down the signal from the Freya into the Hegel.
     
  9. winders

    winders boomer

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    I looked into getting a couple of RCA attenuaters but balked when I read too many testimonials saying they compromised the sound quality. I would have gone with 5dB attenuaters.

    @Marvey What has you experience been with inline passive attenuaters? Did they alter sound in a negative way?
     
  10. skikirkwood

    skikirkwood New

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    I have a pair of B&W 803 speakers I picked up 17 years ago or so. I have really loved my Bryston 3b amp for 25 years now, but would be interested to see if I can hear an improvement with a Vidar or two. I would start with one.

    It was interesting that when I first got the Freya my wife came into the music room and I played some of her favorite music. She said "no" and shook her head. I was playing in tube output mode. I switched to JFET mode and she said "yes"! Both of us strongly prefer the JFET output mode for my setup.
     
  11. Garns

    Garns Friend

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    What do you prefer about the JFET mode? I find it is definitely tighter and stronger in the bass.

    Bear in mind that the stock tubes seem to sound horrible until you have run them for a while. So be sure to revisit later on. For about the first 25 hours the stock tubes have no soundstage and have very rough treble and are obviously worse than JFET. There seems to be a clear improvement around the 25 hour mark, and the treble may continue to improve a bit for a while longer. This burn-in time is not normal for most 6SN7 tubes (which generally seem to come to equilibrium in a few hours) but seems to be the case for Russian tubes like the stock ones. I found they never quite get completely smooth in the top end, though.
     
  12. skikirkwood

    skikirkwood New

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    I wish I could articulate why I prefer the sound of the JFET output, but beyond tighter bass I can't explain it well. Perhaps greater clarity/resolution, along with sounding more "natural". It's definitely not confirmation bias though. I expected I would prefer the tube out, which is why I was listening to that output first. But, this was just a few hours after getting the Freya, so no tube burn-in.

    I was really excited to hook up the third Freya yesterday, tubes went in with no problem, all 4 lit up when I powered it up, and the JFET output sounded great. A couple of hours later I switched to tube output and I heard some crackling sounds. This was a huge bummer as I thought I might have to exchange the Freya once more. But I just checked and don't hear any crackling today. Of course I just got out of the pool and have water in my ears, so may need to check later. Hopefully it was a burn-in issue and not a defect.

    I'll post an update in a few weeks after a proper tube burn-in, and ask my wife for her impressions of the A/B comparison as well.
     
  13. winders

    winders boomer

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    You live petty close to me. I would be happy to lend you a proper set of NOS 6SN7 tubes to try in Freya for a while. I also have a Vidar just sitting in a box you could try too.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2017
  14. Dr. Higgs

    Dr. Higgs Boson - Member

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    Should just be the tubes breaking in. Same thing happened with my NOS Tung-sols for a couple days after installing them, and they've been quiet ever since.
     
  15. skikirkwood

    skikirkwood New

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    Good news on two fronts. I tested the Freya tube output after 36 hours and they are now silent - no more crackling. But what was quite surprising is I was playing music in JFET mode and my wife asked to hear the tube output so we A/B'd the output mode on some of our favorite demo songs. Guess what - we both really preferred the tube output of this third Freya. So it looks like the third time was the charm here.
     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2017
  16. skikirkwood

    skikirkwood New

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    Thanks Winders! My tubes seem to have burned in ok now, but definitely might take you up on a Vidar demo if can make it down south to your area sometime soon.
     
  17. skikirkwood

    skikirkwood New

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  18. Dr. Higgs

    Dr. Higgs Boson - Member

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    I need to get me one of those (or figure out how to control my Freya with a harmony remote).
     
  19. e.schell

    e.schell Friend

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    I just shot schiit an email to confirm that if i were to order a replacement remote for $18 if it would be the new style.
     
  20. mkozlows

    mkozlows Friend

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