Thank you so much Cynthia for such a wonderful review! Wow that's some effort into producing this video huge props! I have had a Freya + and a Freya S (with upgraded op-amps) for several years now. My listening environment is a small highly-treated recording studio. 32 sound blankets up. 200lb concrete block stands for high-end studio monitors and separately for the audio gear. A set of Isopucks for every piece of gear as well. Yeah I know OCD overkill, but tested a number of configurations over many years it really works. :-) Nothing in the sound chain escapes my ears. My first tip with the Freya + is this: Isopucks under the Freya+, when in tube mode make a significant audible difference when audio volumes are medium to high. So my platform statement is that all preamps change the sound. Without exception every single one of them 'changes' the sound.. What makes the Freya + so wonderful, is the Freya + is three preamps in one. That's a big deal. Three choices of sound in one piece of gear. And it gets better, with tube rolling experimentation every single tube setup sounds very different. This creates a whole other world of playing with different sounds from the Freya+. And hey is there is no such thing as 'premium tubes', lol that is such much c***! Tubes just sound different from each other that's all. Objectively the cleanest clearest sound I have found for Freya+ tubes are cheap $15 Russian military tubes from the 1970's. Think of the Freya + as a preamp platform. My second tip is: the left side two tubes are the input buffer, they don't much affect the sound, but they do really really affect how much dynamic range can get through the preamp, think of them as the doorway that the sound walks through, bigger doorway the better. The right two tubes are the output gain stage, and they really really affect the sound signature. Identically matching four tubes for 'best sound' with the Freya + is objectively complete nonsense. The bottom line for me depends on what kind of music I am listening to. My mood, how hydrated my ears are, the time of day (I live in a big city), and what is happening on a given day electrically in my building. I get to quickly switch between three preamps. I even have the Yggy dac and Freya + plumbed down into the living room TV & tower. The acoustics are beyond horrible in the un-treated sheetrock weird-shaped loft living room. Crazy how different movie soundtracks work way better with the different preamp choices with the Freya +. Pretty much switch it up for every movie, just a couple clicks on the remote. (Final note, just like Jason Stoddard mentions, the Freya S is also my personal fave for highly critical listening to extract the most detail from a recording.) Thank you Cynthia!
@peterroy6801, You are most welcome!! I appreciate the compliment and the feedback! So cool that you have both the Freya+ and Freya S. I have not had the opportunity to hear the S. I use hocky pucks under my rack stands, and some sort of isopuck things for the VPI turntable (it came with). Hadn't thought of putting any under the Freya+. What is the audible difference you hear? Premium tubes. Hmm. Why do you think they are called premium? I have no idea lol. Thank you for the reply about the tube sockets. The manual vs. what is on the PCB was confusing. What tubes do you use for the gain stage? Are you using the Russian tubes in those sockets? My living room is oddly shaped as well, so I know the feeling haha. Appreciate your comment and you sharing your experiences! 🙂 ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Love my Freya+ also and completely agree with your assessment: I'm currently using two LISSTs on the buffer stage and enjoy the matched $15 NOS tubes in the gain stage (as much as my $75 tung sols) when pushing my solid-state power amp through the xlr outputs. Hybrid sound is amazing! When controlling my tube amplifier through the single-ended outputs, however, it's passive mode all day! Great review and comment!
@S.G.N.713, That's awesome! I had thought about trying the LISST and tubes at the same time just to see how it would sound, but didn't end up doing so while I had the LISST. I did read online after doing this review something about RCAs with differential buffer mode making the sound softer, whereas it was reported that XLRs did not have this issue. No idea why and if that is normal. So glad you are enjoying!! ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
I've had the Freya+ for over a year, mine came with stock JJ tubes. Until recently I listened in tube mode almost exclusively. Unlike what I believe she said, you can run two different types of tubes, just put matched pairs in either the gain stage or output stage. Most benefit is heard in the gain stage. There is tons of stuff out there on tube rolling with the Freya, can be lots of fun. Personally, my favorite is NOS Raytheon tall boys in the gain stage and JJ's in the output stage. Recently, almost by accident, I switched to passive mode after trying the buffered stage and was pleasantly surprised by the clarity and detail. I had Pink Floyd on the turntable and the imaging amazing. I've been enjoying passive mode (when listening at higher volume) and am really pleased. I have yet to hear circumstance when the buffered mode sounds better than either the passive or tube, but maybe that's just me.
@johnmourat712, Yeah, what I was trying to say was that you can run mismatched tubes, but Schiit's website says they don't recommend it. I was having trouble figuring out which two sockets were the gain stage, and which two were the output stage. The manual vs. the PCB board seemed to be conflicting and a little confusing. The PCB's labeling is where I got lost, and others online were saying the left two sides had to match and the right two sides had to match, which matches moreso to what the manual was saying. I agree with your last statement. I did find some people online were reporting that the differential buffer mode was softer with RCAs than with XLRs. I didn't test that, but maybe that is part of the issue. Since you are running different tubes in the gain stage, what does it sound like? What differences do you notice? Would be interested to hear about it! ---Cynthia, The Auddio Belle
Haven't seen Cynthia in a while (maybe it's just been what I've been watching/reading). It's clear she represents solid talent and knowledge to carry on this community and industry into its phases for the next years and generations to come. Keep it up.
As a Freya + owner for the past three years I have formed strong opinions about the three modes. In my opinion the buffer mode adds a bit to the mid bass and subtracts a bit from the low bass. It brings the midrange and highs forward quite a bit. It kills dynamics. The tube stage can be very warm, depending on the tubes. It’s an effective filter for fine detail and high frequency nuance. It is nice for adding liquidity to that dry sound the CDs can give you sometimes. Used with a Loki Max you can remove most of the overbearing warmth to achieve a nice sound when the liquidity is needed. I listen with the passive mode most of the time. It’s neutral, dynamic and most of all transparent. Pretty much perfect in passive mode in my system. But it is nice to have the option to switch between modes to shake things up once in a while.
@ronkindel9734, Nicely put! I had read something in a forum after this review something about RCAs with differential buffer mode making the sound softer, whereas it was reported that XLRs did not have this issue. No idea why and if that is normal. Indeed, it is nice to shake things up among the different modes. Thank you for sharing your experiences! 😊 ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
I have a Crown XLI2500 powering a pair of Cerwin Vega SL 15s, obviously not an "audiophile" set up but sounds very good with sooo much power. The XLI is a very neutral, clean sounding AB amp. It does favor the low end, its a pro amp and I think that comes with the territory. I wouldn't call it a musical amp, it puts out what is put in and boosts it 33db. Anyway, I plugged that preamp into it and man what a difference. The active mode, though subtle, seemed to take the clinical sound of my dac an made it lively with softer edges if that makes sense. The tube stage kicks it up a notch, nice and clean sound, much better mids and the bass stayed tight on the 15"s. Not the traditional tube sound I was familiar with from the old days, just a taste of it, but a great sound. I am turning a bedroom into a listening room and plan on matching the Freya+ with either a set of Vidar 2s or Tyrs. Good info, thanks.
I have this preamp and I use it with nos tubes and the sound is incredible, much better than the tubes it came with. Truly a fantastic preamp with the right tubes.
I have owned the Schiit Freya+ for a few years and I’m very pleased with its performance. Some guys talking about using it in passive mode, are you serious?! In passive mode it sounds dry and neutral. If I buy a Tube pre-amp is to use the color That tubes add. I use it with old and new 6sn7 and 12sn7. With adapters I use it with 6c8g, 6f8g, 12ax7 family of tubes, 6cg7 and 7N7. It’s always nice to experience different flavors. My favorite sounding tubes are the Sylvania 6sn7 GTA from the 1950s and 6f8g. Mine came with Tung Sol 6sn7 GTB.
A very helpful and unusually extensive review for someone interested in one of theses preamps! What amp were you using with this review and what differences were there with the different speakers?
@fumedtwice8921, Thank you! I was trying to be thorough lol. I tried both Emotiva HC-1s and Emotiva XPA1 Gen2s. Heard no difference between these amps, but then again, they're both Emotiva. I didn't critically listen with the Maggies for too long before making the switch. The maggies were thin on the low-end and Lindsey's music is not. I didn't want to test with a subwoofer, so I decided to make Jeremy's DIY open baffle speakers my reference speakers. Otherwise, from what I recall, the highs and mids were fantastic with the Maggie/Schiit combo. I always thought Maggies + tubes make for a delicious combo though. :) ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
I ended up going with a topping pre 90 to serve as a pre for my hp rigs and tube amps. Was going to go freya but decided the pre90 fit my needs better.
@aceofspades6667, I like Topping! Jeremy and I have their D30 DAC and it's spectacular for the price! I haven't heard the Pre90. How did it better fit your needs? ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Merci pour cette vidéo. Je ne peux savoir combien d'exemplaire de ce préampli sont en suisse, mais il y a un Freya à Genève (pas le Freya+). Depuis son arrivée je jongle entre les modes selon le style de musique et les supports, et cela donne un éventail d'écoute infini. Je n'ose imaginer la même recherche en fonction du bloc de puissance et des enceintes. Cordialement.
Great review. Nice to see you here. Interesting comment about comparing to live, Absolute Sound. We went to a concert recently at a small intimate 200 capacity venue to see a blues legend (Coco Montoya). Had great 8th row center seats. They facility had recently upgraded their sound system and overall it was a good sounding venue. So I decided to compare it to my home system's sound. Live had no sound stage! How absurd! I could see Coco standing in front of me, but the sound was more spread across the stage than I would expect from my home system. And as you say, while the kick drum had more impact live. It seemed boomy to do so. Mid bass bump. And it seemed a bit flat relative to depth of sound stage. An effect I find and have seen commented on by known reviewers to be associated with digital sources compared to analog. Occasionally the direct sound from the musician's on stage would break above the reinforcement sound and you could tell the difference. Perhaps closer up would have been more direct and less reinforcement. But the end result was if I had a choice between my existing audio system and the sound there live, mine is better. However Yes I still enjoy live. An entirely different experience. Especially unreinforced direct sound like real small venues without PA or larger orchestral. But when comparing sound reinforcement systems in live performances to my home system I find my home system to sound better. But less enjoyable when spilling your drink while dancing!
@glenncurry3041, Thank you!! Exactly what I thought! I like my system better haha. I do find that a big part of the live music experience is the entertainment, and being able to relate to other people that are at the concert. I figured the enjoyable part IS spilling your drink while dancing though LOL. That is a good gauge on whether you are having a good time or not. 🤣 But you're right, maybe not so much fun for your carpet. Hadn't heard of Coco Montoya. Any tracks you would recommend? ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle Interestingly at the goodies for sale table he had NEW vinyl! They had pressed a vinyl release of his latest stuff with the group he was travelling with! Got one signed. To go along with the signed copies of "USA Union" and "Turning Point" by his mentor John Mayall. Coco was one of the Blues Breakers after Clapton. Can't wait for working speakers to listen to it! One of the best concerts I went to was John Sebastian. It was an even smaller venue without any sound reinforcement. Just John with a mic'd acoustic guitar almost close enough to touch. Talk about "face time" and "sound stage"! The only time the sound stage image moved was when he did!
@@glenncurry3041 I love the Bluesbreakers! I've got their first album where they are sitting on the sidewalk. Did not know of Coco though, as I think that first album is the only one I have listened to. Will have to check him out. Sebastian I know of from The Lovin' Spoonful. Never heard any of his solo stuff though. Yeah...I think sound stage is way easier to make out when there is only a handful of instruments or less. Even at a live orchestra, I can tell where various groups of instruments are. But there is typically so much going on for my brain to process all at once hahaha. Sounds like you have been to some super cool concerts! ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle I would strongly recommend John Mayal's "Turning Point." Along with USA Union, some of his best! I think his best! Interesting live performance that the drummed did not show up for. So John does some original beat box during the planned drum solo! But the blues just pours out! Coco was much later and I don't think actually recorded with John. "Welcome Back" was John Sebastian's solo song. Pretty much everything Lovin' Spoonful's did was his stuff. Saw them separately and it was very obvious John was the whole thing. Yes I have been to some incredible concerts! Including Hendrix, Cream and Zeppelin! And we'd sneak recorders in. I have a reel to reel of a John Mayal performance someplace.
@@glenncurry3041, Thank you for the recommendations! I added them to a playlist on Tidal so I can listen to them later. Will let you know once I get a chance! Man oh man. Those are some great concerts. Wish I could have been to a lot of concerts from 60s and 70s bands in their hayday. I was born in the wrong generation LOL. ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Great review , thank you. With the Schiit Freya+ driving a pair of KEF R3 meta, through two Vidars (bi amped, one for HF, other for LF) I absolutely love the passive mode. Buffer mode raises the mid bass (which sounds really bad on the R3M!). The tubes colour the sound a bit too much (records and streaming). Very keen to experiment with the LISST!
There are some drawbacks to biamping the way you have it set up. If you wire it in a vertical biamp configuration, you should get a noticeable improvement in sound quality. It won't cost anything because you already have everything you need.
@@AT-wl9yq it would have been worth trying. I would have to use the RCA instead of the XLR and split each channel to feed each power amp. Anyhow, I have retired the amps, now enjoying the Hegel H390 that has significantly better control over the KEFs. Thanks nonetheless.
Cynthia, I would really like you to try putting two of your LISST tubes in the two left hand buffer tube sockets and put two of your 6SN7 tubes in the two right hand gain tube sockets and let me know how you think it sounds. I think they really sound good together. You can get even better sound if you upgrade the stock JJ 6SN7 tubes. I'm currently running two LISST with two Shuguang CV181Z tubes and they sound great together. You get several benefits by using two LISST with two 6SN7 tubes which I have listed below: 1. LISST don’t draw any heater filament current so your filament current transformer only has to supply half of the current it would with four tubes installed. I’ve seen many people say that they have had problems with this transformer failing because with four tubes installed, it is running very close to its maximum output. 2. LISST don’t wear out like tubes do so when your tubes do need to be replaced you only have to replace two tubes which saves you a lot of money. Also if you want to do tube rolling you only need to buy two tubes instead of four which will save you a lot of money. 3. Your Freya+ runs much cooler because you only have the heat from two tubes instead of four.
Tube gear from Schiit are products not in their wheelhouse (and they acknowledge this) which is fine in the Schiit Ecco system...Why not. I would recommend the ELEKIT TU-8550 PRE-AMPLIFIER for $1185 and is a company that only designs Tube gear. Sunvalley is another company (Kits or pre-built) that is old school Point-to-Point wiring for a faction of the "Big Boy" pricing.
@joenovak6393, Hadn't heard of that one (the ELEKIT) before. But I find I am learning yet another audio company's name every day lol. Elekit almost sounds like, "I like it". I guess it's supposed to be more like, "electric kit" but "I like it" better. 😂 Thank you for providing your recommendations! ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Too swiss army knife for me. I Strongly considered this product tbh. Went with an integrated instead of separates. Got a cronus magnum 3. I decided the design was more focused
@jamesrobinson9176, I can understand the Swiss army knife bit. Depending on what it is, much of the time the Swiss army knife approach doesn't work. I ate at a food truck once that only made quesadillas and nothing else. But they mastered their craft and had the best quesadillas I've ever tried. There's something to doing one thing and doing it well, versus trying to do everything. Overall for this preamp, I think Schiit excelled at 2 out of 3. But I read in a forum after this review something about RCAs with differential buffer mode making the sound softer, whereas it was reported that XLRs did not have this issue. So not sure if that was my issue there. I used to believe only in using separates, but integrated amps can be really good. Also with people more likely to go for streaming these days, from what I've learned in the last year....a DAC can technically be used in place of a preamp. But that is a whole other can of worms... Oooh, I have always wanted to hear the Cronus Magnum! How does it sound? ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle the cronus is more refined than I expected. It's quite good, to my ears. It has the ability to take on the character of my sources, beit Lp or digital. And it makes good bass. 😃😃👋
Interesting. I've found the passive mode and differential buffer to be nearly identical with passive being more neutral in sound. Tube mode is much more gain and a great soundstage. Well recorded live music at concert volume sounds very realistic. Rock concerts, such as the Stones Ya Ya's or Little Feat, have that slight edginess that analog overdrive can produce. Running two Vidars as mono blocks, and vintage Infinity RSII's.
@cjMbuck, An engineer friend of mine told me these days you really shouldn't hear a difference between passive and active solid state. I did read in a forum after doing this review something about RCAs with differential buffer mode making the sound softer, whereas it was reported that XLRs did not have this issue. Maybe this was the issue. Infinity RSIIs?? Very cool! Have not had the opportunity to hear Infinity speakers but I've heard they were great in the hayday of audio. ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle The Infinitys could use a recap, but still sound good. If you're familiar with them, you know the mids and tweeters are in open baffle and the two woofers, bass and sub, are sealed cabinet. If I ever replace them, It's going to be with open baffle speakers. I love that sound.
@@cjMbuck, Nope, I wasn't that familiar with them! Haha. I've only ever seen the front of them in photos, so I didn't realize they were open baffle. Wow! I love open baffle sound as well. So far, I think it's my favorite for an overall, well-rounded speaker. If you do replace them, let me know if you need somebody to....take them off your hands. 😆 ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
I was debating two Vidar 2s or a pair of Tyrs to go with mine. They seem to be both great amps so the Vidar 2 seems like the best value. Those Tyrs are pretty sweet though.
Hi Cynthia, I agree so much concerning your views of pre amplification. Smaller voltages require careful management & all kinds of preamps do make a large difference. This is why I pay attention to my phono stages, my headphone amplification & ofcourse amplification prior to power amplification.
You did a great job of comparing this preamp to your version, your understanding of the absolute sound....But....I have to respectfully disagree with only comparing to the absolute sound. Why, we each have our own interpretation of what that sound is...and mine is probably a little different than yours. Therefore, what is more helpful is to have some reference points to other preamps which I may have heard which will then better allow me to triangulate. Even Tom, in some of his reviews references other gear and makes brief comparisons...an example would be the Orchard Audio Stereo Ultra and Bryston. As to speakers, many of us have heard Magnepans and almost none of us have heard the open baffles you referenced...so again, no point of triangulation. My strong desire is that all reviewers would refrain from thoughts like good, better, best and instead focus on telling us what they heard in relation to other gear so that we might be able to draw our own conclusions as to whether we might be interested in doing our own audition.
@2undrpar787, I love your comment. You are absolutely right! My husband Jeremy and I had a conversation awhile back, before I got into reviewing products, about this very topic. The question was, how does one describe to another person how something sounds? I can say that something sounds warm, bitter, smooth, muddy, lean, etc. But there is no way possible to tell someone what something sounds like. The analogy in our discussion was this. If two people agree that the sky is blue, what if one of those people really see it as yellow? And yet that is blue to him because all his life he was told it was blue. The analogy was hard for me to wrap my head around at first haha. On the topic of reviews and reviewers, as a consumer myself, I look to people I trust for certain products- those that I best align with. For instance, if I'm deciding on a recipe to cook, and have to choose between Gordon Ramsey's version or Emeril's version, had I not made any of their recipes before I'd have to try both to see which one I liked better. After cooking multiple meals I'd have a good idea of which chef to trust for the taste in food that I like. For audio, I see that multiple people in the comments on these video that have heard the Schiit Freya+ agree with my assessment of how the different modes sounded. There were a couple that did not. If your ears align to the reviewer's ears and the way the reviewer hears things, then likely that is the reviewer you'll trust on whether you should consider buying a product or not. Of course there can be circumstances where the reviewer's tastes in loudspeakers more aligns with yours, whereas their taste in earbuds do not. As far as comparing gear to gear vs. to TAS, I did talk a little bit about comparing my Pass X2 preamp to the Schiit Freya+. But I did not make it my focus, since my instruction was to not compare gear to gear. To your point about Jeremy's DIY open baffle speakers, I thought about that as well. If I did compare gear to gear, not everyone has a 30-something year old Pass X2 sitting around either haha. The point of triangulation for this review was changing the preamp as well as its different modes and configurations- not listening to what the speakers do. Totally see your point on the good, better, and best scenario. I'm trying to avoid that as much as I can by just laying out the facts of what I heard, and only talking a little bit about what I like. Because what I like isn't important really. Great topics and I really appreciate your comment! This was a great discussion point! ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@Corndog642, Aww, it doesn't look like Schiit has a digital equalizer with parametric EQ. Blending Jeremy's DIY speaker drivers is difficult. Currently I am using the MiniDSP 2x4 as both a crossover and parametric EQ (DIRAC). I haven't had any issues with MiniDSP so far. Do you use one of Schiit Audio's equalizers? And just out of curiosity, what do you find is non-hifi about MiniDSP? I've heard mixed reviews about MiniDSP products but finding something with all the features the SHD has, for example, is tough. ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle To be fair I don’t have any first hand experience with either MiniDSP or Schiit’s analog EQs. A speaker designer I respect is of the opinion that MiniDSP uses inexpensive dacs which can negatively affect overall resolution.
@@Corndog642 Got it! Must be nice to have a speaker designer friend. :) I'd be curious to know what all is impacted in the resolution so that I know what to listen for. I'll keep it in mind as I continue my audiophile journey, and appreciate the tip! ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@jamesrobinson9176, Other than having to do tube rolling, eh. I'd be willing to try their premium tubes again. If it happened multiple times with the same tubes I might have some questions lol. ---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Wonderful review. But sadly realism and accuracy REALLY defeats the purpose of tubes imo. Ive never heard of anyone choosing tubes to be accurate or duplicate live music in anyway. For decades of music listening the whole point of tubes that ive heard from people has been to mess with the sound in interesting ways.
I'm sorry but the idea that you would use the horrible sound of this concert, typical of most big PA type concerts, is laughable. Harry Pearson must be rolling over in his grave. I believe in the absolute sound concept but the only thing, with rare exception, that qualifies these days is small scale jazz or classical in a really good venue. If, as you sai, despite the egregious sound you are using this as a comparison to the absolute sound makes me question my taking the time to watch this.
You should have said what it's like between the Freya one and the plus, the original one is supposed to be better but you won't criticise your paid client that's not good enough. How can you be a review if you can't say one is better than the other or even a different make makes it non irrelevant your reviews shouldn't be taken seriously.
This person is awful at communication. She might know what she's talking about, but if so she can't communicate it. I tapped out halfway through after tiring of the tangents. I don't care about Jeremy, who I know is her husband because she mentioned it five thousand times. The non-stop branding of real-life sound as The Absolute Sound got old fast. And the statement that a drum machine sounds artificial... thank you, Mistress of the Obvious.
Thank you so much Cynthia for such a wonderful review! Wow that's some effort into producing this video huge props! I have had a Freya + and a Freya S (with upgraded op-amps) for several years now. My listening environment is a small highly-treated recording studio. 32 sound blankets up. 200lb concrete block stands for high-end studio monitors and separately for the audio gear. A set of Isopucks for every piece of gear as well. Yeah I know OCD overkill, but tested a number of configurations over many years it really works. :-) Nothing in the sound chain escapes my ears. My first tip with the Freya + is this: Isopucks under the Freya+, when in tube mode make a significant audible difference when audio volumes are medium to high.
So my platform statement is that all preamps change the sound. Without exception every single one of them 'changes' the sound.. What makes the Freya + so wonderful, is the Freya + is three preamps in one. That's a big deal. Three choices of sound in one piece of gear. And it gets better, with tube rolling experimentation every single tube setup sounds very different.
This creates a whole other world of playing with different sounds from the Freya+. And hey is there is no such thing as 'premium tubes', lol that is such much c***! Tubes just sound different from each other that's all. Objectively the cleanest clearest sound I have found for Freya+ tubes are cheap $15 Russian military tubes from the 1970's. Think of the Freya + as a preamp platform. My second tip is: the left side two tubes are the input buffer, they don't much affect the sound, but they do really really affect how much dynamic range can get through the preamp, think of them as the doorway that the sound walks through, bigger doorway the better. The right two tubes are the output gain stage, and they really really affect the sound signature. Identically matching four tubes for 'best sound' with the Freya + is objectively complete nonsense.
The bottom line for me depends on what kind of music I am listening to. My mood, how hydrated my ears are, the time of day (I live in a big city), and what is happening on a given day electrically in my building. I get to quickly switch between three preamps. I even have the Yggy dac and Freya + plumbed down into the living room TV & tower. The acoustics are beyond horrible in the un-treated sheetrock weird-shaped loft living room. Crazy how different movie soundtracks work way better with the different preamp choices with the Freya +. Pretty much switch it up for every movie, just a couple clicks on the remote.
(Final note, just like Jason Stoddard mentions, the Freya S is also my personal fave for highly critical listening to extract the most detail from a recording.)
Thank you Cynthia!
@peterroy6801,
You are most welcome!! I appreciate the compliment and the feedback! So cool that you have both the Freya+ and Freya S. I have not had the opportunity to hear the S. I use hocky pucks under my rack stands, and some sort of isopuck things for the VPI turntable (it came with). Hadn't thought of putting any under the Freya+. What is the audible difference you hear?
Premium tubes. Hmm. Why do you think they are called premium? I have no idea lol. Thank you for the reply about the tube sockets. The manual vs. what is on the PCB was confusing. What tubes do you use for the gain stage? Are you using the Russian tubes in those sockets?
My living room is oddly shaped as well, so I know the feeling haha. Appreciate your comment and you sharing your experiences! 🙂
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Well I'm so glad I came across your review. This jas been on my wish list for awhile.
Love my Freya+ also and completely agree with your assessment:
I'm currently using two LISSTs on the buffer stage and enjoy the matched $15 NOS tubes in the gain stage (as much as my $75 tung sols) when pushing my solid-state power amp through the xlr outputs. Hybrid sound is amazing!
When controlling my tube amplifier through the single-ended outputs, however, it's passive mode all day!
Great review and comment!
@S.G.N.713,
That's awesome! I had thought about trying the LISST and tubes at the same time just to see how it would sound, but didn't end up doing so while I had the LISST. I did read online after doing this review something about RCAs with differential buffer mode making the sound softer, whereas it was reported that XLRs did not have this issue. No idea why and if that is normal. So glad you are enjoying!!
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
I have the Freya + N, love it. I use all three modes depending on the mood.
I’ve been contemplating buying this for a few years.
I've had the Freya+ for over a year, mine came with stock JJ tubes. Until recently I listened in tube mode almost exclusively. Unlike what I believe she said, you can run two different types of tubes, just put matched pairs in either the gain stage or output stage. Most benefit is heard in the gain stage. There is tons of stuff out there on tube rolling with the Freya, can be lots of fun. Personally, my favorite is NOS Raytheon tall boys in the gain stage and JJ's in the output stage. Recently, almost by accident, I switched to passive mode after trying the buffered stage and was pleasantly surprised by the clarity and detail. I had Pink Floyd on the turntable and the imaging amazing. I've been enjoying passive mode (when listening at higher volume) and am really pleased. I have yet to hear circumstance when the buffered mode sounds better than either the passive or tube, but maybe that's just me.
@johnmourat712,
Yeah, what I was trying to say was that you can run mismatched tubes, but Schiit's website says they don't recommend it. I was having trouble figuring out which two sockets were the gain stage, and which two were the output stage. The manual vs. the PCB board seemed to be conflicting and a little confusing. The PCB's labeling is where I got lost, and others online were saying the left two sides had to match and the right two sides had to match, which matches moreso to what the manual was saying.
I agree with your last statement. I did find some people online were reporting that the differential buffer mode was softer with RCAs than with XLRs. I didn't test that, but maybe that is part of the issue. Since you are running different tubes in the gain stage, what does it sound like? What differences do you notice? Would be interested to hear about it!
---Cynthia, The Auddio Belle
Haven't seen Cynthia in a while (maybe it's just been what I've been watching/reading). It's clear she represents solid talent and knowledge to carry on this community and industry into its phases for the next years and generations to come. Keep it up.
As a Freya + owner for the past three years I have formed strong opinions about the three modes. In my opinion the buffer mode adds a bit to the mid bass and subtracts a bit from the low bass. It brings the midrange and highs forward quite a bit. It kills dynamics. The tube stage can be very warm, depending on the tubes. It’s an effective filter for fine detail and high frequency nuance. It is nice for adding liquidity to that dry sound the CDs can give you sometimes. Used with a Loki Max you can remove most of the overbearing warmth to achieve a nice sound when the liquidity is needed. I listen with the passive mode most of the time. It’s neutral, dynamic and most of all transparent. Pretty much perfect in passive mode in my system. But it is nice to have the option to switch between modes to shake things up once in a while.
@ronkindel9734,
Nicely put! I had read something in a forum after this review something about RCAs with differential buffer mode making the sound softer, whereas it was reported that XLRs did not have this issue. No idea why and if that is normal. Indeed, it is nice to shake things up among the different modes. Thank you for sharing your experiences! 😊
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
LISST in the left sockets and Tung-Sol 6SN7GBT in the right sounds great.
I have a Crown XLI2500 powering a pair of Cerwin Vega SL 15s, obviously not an "audiophile" set up but sounds very good with sooo much power. The XLI is a very neutral, clean sounding AB amp. It does favor the low end, its a pro amp and I think that comes with the territory. I wouldn't call it a musical amp, it puts out what is put in and boosts it 33db. Anyway, I plugged that preamp into it and man what a difference. The active mode, though subtle, seemed to take the clinical sound of my dac an made it lively with softer edges if that makes sense. The tube stage kicks it up a notch, nice and clean sound, much better mids and the bass stayed tight on the 15"s. Not the traditional tube sound I was familiar with from the old days, just a taste of it, but a great sound. I am turning a bedroom into a listening room and plan on matching the Freya+ with either a set of Vidar 2s or Tyrs. Good info, thanks.
I have this preamp and I use it with nos tubes and the sound is incredible, much better than the tubes it came with. Truly a fantastic preamp with the right tubes.
@jakbenardete7707,
Glad you are enjoying, and thank you for sharing! 😊 🎶
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
I have owned the Schiit Freya+ for a few years and I’m very pleased with its performance. Some guys talking about using it in passive mode, are you serious?! In passive mode it sounds dry and neutral. If I buy a Tube pre-amp is to use the color That tubes add.
I use it with old and new 6sn7 and 12sn7. With adapters I use it with 6c8g, 6f8g, 12ax7 family of tubes, 6cg7 and 7N7. It’s always nice to experience different flavors.
My favorite sounding tubes are the Sylvania 6sn7 GTA from the 1950s and 6f8g.
Mine came with Tung Sol 6sn7 GTB.
A very helpful and unusually extensive review for someone interested in one of theses preamps! What amp were you using with this review and what differences were there with the different speakers?
@fumedtwice8921,
Thank you! I was trying to be thorough lol. I tried both Emotiva HC-1s and Emotiva XPA1 Gen2s. Heard no difference between these amps, but then again, they're both Emotiva. I didn't critically listen with the Maggies for too long before making the switch. The maggies were thin on the low-end and Lindsey's music is not. I didn't want to test with a subwoofer, so I decided to make Jeremy's DIY open baffle speakers my reference speakers. Otherwise, from what I recall, the highs and mids were fantastic with the Maggie/Schiit combo. I always thought Maggies + tubes make for a delicious combo though. :)
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
I ended up going with a topping pre 90 to serve as a pre for my hp rigs and tube amps. Was going to go freya but decided the pre90 fit my needs better.
@aceofspades6667,
I like Topping! Jeremy and I have their D30 DAC and it's spectacular for the price! I haven't heard the Pre90. How did it better fit your needs?
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Got my first tube amp last year and my first high efficiency speakers. To think I hesitated
@dougg1075,
For shame!! Well, I am glad you joined the club. Better late than never. 😅
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
the 15 day trial window is just not enough time for me
Thank you
Merci pour cette vidéo. Je ne peux savoir combien d'exemplaire de ce préampli sont en suisse, mais il y a un Freya à Genève (pas le Freya+). Depuis son arrivée je jongle entre les modes selon le style de musique et les supports, et cela donne un éventail d'écoute infini. Je n'ose imaginer la même recherche en fonction du bloc de puissance et des enceintes. Cordialement.
Great review. Nice to see you here. Interesting comment about comparing to live, Absolute Sound. We went to a concert recently at a small intimate 200 capacity venue to see a blues legend (Coco Montoya). Had great 8th row center seats. They facility had recently upgraded their sound system and overall it was a good sounding venue.
So I decided to compare it to my home system's sound. Live had no sound stage! How absurd! I could see Coco standing in front of me, but the sound was more spread across the stage than I would expect from my home system. And as you say, while the kick drum had more impact live. It seemed boomy to do so. Mid bass bump. And it seemed a bit flat relative to depth of sound stage. An effect I find and have seen commented on by known reviewers to be associated with digital sources compared to analog. Occasionally the direct sound from the musician's on stage would break above the reinforcement sound and you could tell the difference. Perhaps closer up would have been more direct and less reinforcement. But the end result was if I had a choice between my existing audio system and the sound there live, mine is better.
However Yes I still enjoy live. An entirely different experience. Especially unreinforced direct sound like real small venues without PA or larger orchestral. But when comparing sound reinforcement systems in live performances to my home system I find my home system to sound better. But less enjoyable when spilling your drink while dancing!
@glenncurry3041,
Thank you!! Exactly what I thought! I like my system better haha. I do find that a big part of the live music experience is the entertainment, and being able to relate to other people that are at the concert. I figured the enjoyable part IS spilling your drink while dancing though LOL. That is a good gauge on whether you are having a good time or not. 🤣 But you're right, maybe not so much fun for your carpet.
Hadn't heard of Coco Montoya. Any tracks you would recommend?
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle Interestingly at the goodies for sale table he had NEW vinyl! They had pressed a vinyl release of his latest stuff with the group he was travelling with! Got one signed. To go along with the signed copies of "USA Union" and "Turning Point" by his mentor John Mayall. Coco was one of the Blues Breakers after Clapton. Can't wait for working speakers to listen to it!
One of the best concerts I went to was John Sebastian. It was an even smaller venue without any sound reinforcement. Just John with a mic'd acoustic guitar almost close enough to touch. Talk about "face time" and "sound stage"! The only time the sound stage image moved was when he did!
@@glenncurry3041
I love the Bluesbreakers! I've got their first album where they are sitting on the sidewalk. Did not know of Coco though, as I think that first album is the only one I have listened to. Will have to check him out.
Sebastian I know of from The Lovin' Spoonful. Never heard any of his solo stuff though. Yeah...I think sound stage is way easier to make out when there is only a handful of instruments or less. Even at a live orchestra, I can tell where various groups of instruments are. But there is typically so much going on for my brain to process all at once hahaha.
Sounds like you have been to some super cool concerts!
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle I would strongly recommend John Mayal's "Turning Point." Along with USA Union, some of his best! I think his best! Interesting live performance that the drummed did not show up for. So John does some original beat box during the planned drum solo! But the blues just pours out! Coco was much later and I don't think actually recorded with John.
"Welcome Back" was John Sebastian's solo song. Pretty much everything Lovin' Spoonful's did was his stuff. Saw them separately and it was very obvious John was the whole thing.
Yes I have been to some incredible concerts! Including Hendrix, Cream and Zeppelin! And we'd sneak recorders in. I have a reel to reel of a John Mayal performance someplace.
@@glenncurry3041,
Thank you for the recommendations! I added them to a playlist on Tidal so I can listen to them later. Will let you know once I get a chance!
Man oh man. Those are some great concerts. Wish I could have been to a lot of concerts from 60s and 70s bands in their hayday. I was born in the wrong generation LOL.
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Great review , thank you. With the Schiit Freya+ driving a pair of KEF R3 meta, through two Vidars (bi amped, one for HF, other for LF) I absolutely love the passive mode. Buffer mode raises the mid bass (which sounds really bad on the R3M!). The tubes colour the sound a bit too much (records and streaming). Very keen to experiment with the LISST!
There are some drawbacks to biamping the way you have it set up. If you wire it in a vertical biamp configuration, you should get a noticeable improvement in sound quality. It won't cost anything because you already have everything you need.
@@AT-wl9yq it would have been worth trying. I would have to use the RCA instead of the XLR and split each channel to feed each power amp. Anyhow, I have retired the amps, now enjoying the Hegel H390 that has significantly better control over the KEFs. Thanks nonetheless.
Cynthia, I would really like you to try putting two of your LISST tubes in the two left hand buffer tube sockets and put two of your 6SN7 tubes in the two right hand gain tube sockets and let me know how you think it sounds. I think they really sound good together. You can get even better sound if you upgrade the stock JJ 6SN7 tubes. I'm currently running two LISST with two Shuguang CV181Z tubes and they sound great together. You get several benefits by using two LISST with two 6SN7 tubes which I have listed below:
1. LISST don’t draw any heater filament current so your filament current transformer only has to supply half of the current it would with four tubes installed. I’ve seen many people say that they have had problems with this transformer failing because with four tubes installed, it is running very close to its maximum output.
2. LISST don’t wear out like tubes do so when your tubes do need to be replaced you only have to replace two tubes which saves you a lot of money. Also if you want to do tube rolling you only need to buy two tubes instead of four which will save you a lot of money.
3. Your Freya+ runs much cooler because you only have the heat from two tubes instead of four.
Tube gear from Schiit are products not in their wheelhouse (and they acknowledge this) which is fine in the Schiit Ecco system...Why not. I would recommend the ELEKIT TU-8550 PRE-AMPLIFIER for $1185 and is a company that only designs Tube gear. Sunvalley is another company (Kits or pre-built) that is old school Point-to-Point wiring for a faction of the "Big Boy" pricing.
@joenovak6393,
Hadn't heard of that one (the ELEKIT) before. But I find I am learning yet another audio company's name every day lol. Elekit almost sounds like, "I like it". I guess it's supposed to be more like, "electric kit" but "I like it" better. 😂
Thank you for providing your recommendations!
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@joenovak6393 @TheAudioBelle Elekit looks good -- but no balanced inputs or outputs, which are a must for some of us.
At 18:31 you show 9 pin tubes, why? 6SN7 are Octal.
Too swiss army knife for me. I Strongly considered this product tbh. Went with an integrated instead of separates. Got a cronus magnum 3. I decided the design was more focused
@jamesrobinson9176,
I can understand the Swiss army knife bit. Depending on what it is, much of the time the Swiss army knife approach doesn't work. I ate at a food truck once that only made quesadillas and nothing else. But they mastered their craft and had the best quesadillas I've ever tried. There's something to doing one thing and doing it well, versus trying to do everything. Overall for this preamp, I think Schiit excelled at 2 out of 3. But I read in a forum after this review something about RCAs with differential buffer mode making the sound softer, whereas it was reported that XLRs did not have this issue. So not sure if that was my issue there. I used to believe only in using separates, but integrated amps can be really good. Also with people more likely to go for streaming these days, from what I've learned in the last year....a DAC can technically be used in place of a preamp. But that is a whole other can of worms...
Oooh, I have always wanted to hear the Cronus Magnum! How does it sound?
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle the cronus is more refined than I expected. It's quite good, to my ears. It has the ability to take on the character of my sources, beit Lp or digital. And it makes good bass. 😃😃👋
@@jamesrobinson9176
Very cool. Someday I hope to hear one!! They truly look like a work of art.
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Interesting. I've found the passive mode and differential buffer to be nearly identical with passive being more neutral in sound. Tube mode is much more gain and a great soundstage. Well recorded live music at concert volume sounds very realistic. Rock concerts, such as the Stones Ya Ya's or Little Feat, have that slight edginess that analog overdrive can produce. Running two Vidars as mono blocks, and vintage Infinity RSII's.
@cjMbuck,
An engineer friend of mine told me these days you really shouldn't hear a difference between passive and active solid state. I did read in a forum after doing this review something about RCAs with differential buffer mode making the sound softer, whereas it was reported that XLRs did not have this issue. Maybe this was the issue. Infinity RSIIs?? Very cool! Have not had the opportunity to hear Infinity speakers but I've heard they were great in the hayday of audio.
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle The Infinitys could use a recap, but still sound good. If you're familiar with them, you know the mids and tweeters are in open baffle and the two woofers, bass and sub, are sealed cabinet. If I ever replace them, It's going to be with open baffle speakers. I love that sound.
@@cjMbuck,
Nope, I wasn't that familiar with them! Haha. I've only ever seen the front of them in photos, so I didn't realize they were open baffle. Wow!
I love open baffle sound as well. So far, I think it's my favorite for an overall, well-rounded speaker. If you do replace them, let me know if you need somebody to....take them off your hands. 😆
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
I was debating two Vidar 2s or a pair of Tyrs to go with mine. They seem to be both great amps so the Vidar 2 seems like the best value. Those Tyrs are pretty sweet though.
just curious on the origin of Schiit brand name ..
The owner's wife kinda named it as a joke and it stuck.
Hi Cynthia, I agree so much concerning your views of pre amplification. Smaller voltages require careful management & all kinds of preamps do make a large difference. This is why I pay attention to my phono stages, my headphone amplification & ofcourse amplification prior to power amplification.
You did a great job of comparing this preamp to your version, your understanding of the absolute sound....But....I have to respectfully disagree with only comparing to the absolute sound.
Why, we each have our own interpretation of what that sound is...and mine is probably a little different than yours. Therefore, what is more helpful is to have some reference points to other preamps which I may have heard which will then better allow me to triangulate. Even Tom, in some of his reviews references other gear and makes brief comparisons...an example would be the Orchard Audio Stereo Ultra and Bryston.
As to speakers, many of us have heard Magnepans and almost none of us have heard the open baffles you referenced...so again, no point of triangulation.
My strong desire is that all reviewers would refrain from thoughts like good, better, best and instead focus on telling us what they heard in relation to other gear so that we might be able to draw our own conclusions as to whether we might be interested in doing our own audition.
@2undrpar787,
I love your comment. You are absolutely right! My husband Jeremy and I had a conversation awhile back, before I got into reviewing products, about this very topic. The question was, how does one describe to another person how something sounds? I can say that something sounds warm, bitter, smooth, muddy, lean, etc. But there is no way possible to tell someone what something sounds like. The analogy in our discussion was this. If two people agree that the sky is blue, what if one of those people really see it as yellow? And yet that is blue to him because all his life he was told it was blue. The analogy was hard for me to wrap my head around at first haha.
On the topic of reviews and reviewers, as a consumer myself, I look to people I trust for certain products- those that I best align with. For instance, if I'm deciding on a recipe to cook, and have to choose between Gordon Ramsey's version or Emeril's version, had I not made any of their recipes before I'd have to try both to see which one I liked better. After cooking multiple meals I'd have a good idea of which chef to trust for the taste in food that I like. For audio, I see that multiple people in the comments on these video that have heard the Schiit Freya+ agree with my assessment of how the different modes sounded. There were a couple that did not. If your ears align to the reviewer's ears and the way the reviewer hears things, then likely that is the reviewer you'll trust on whether you should consider buying a product or not. Of course there can be circumstances where the reviewer's tastes in loudspeakers more aligns with yours, whereas their taste in earbuds do not.
As far as comparing gear to gear vs. to TAS, I did talk a little bit about comparing my Pass X2 preamp to the Schiit Freya+. But I did not make it my focus, since my instruction was to not compare gear to gear. To your point about Jeremy's DIY open baffle speakers, I thought about that as well. If I did compare gear to gear, not everyone has a 30-something year old Pass X2 sitting around either haha. The point of triangulation for this review was changing the preamp as well as its different modes and configurations- not listening to what the speakers do.
Totally see your point on the good, better, and best scenario. I'm trying to avoid that as much as I can by just laying out the facts of what I heard, and only talking a little bit about what I like. Because what I like isn't important really.
Great topics and I really appreciate your comment! This was a great discussion point!
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
Instead of using a non hifi Minidsp, you might’ve been better off using one of Schiit’s EQs.
@Corndog642,
Aww, it doesn't look like Schiit has a digital equalizer with parametric EQ. Blending Jeremy's DIY speaker drivers is difficult. Currently I am using the MiniDSP 2x4 as both a crossover and parametric EQ (DIRAC). I haven't had any issues with MiniDSP so far. Do you use one of Schiit Audio's equalizers? And just out of curiosity, what do you find is non-hifi about MiniDSP? I've heard mixed reviews about MiniDSP products but finding something with all the features the SHD has, for example, is tough.
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
@@TheAudioBelle To be fair I don’t have any first hand experience with either MiniDSP or Schiit’s analog EQs. A speaker designer I respect is of the opinion that MiniDSP uses inexpensive dacs which can negatively affect overall resolution.
@@Corndog642
Got it! Must be nice to have a speaker designer friend. :)
I'd be curious to know what all is impacted in the resolution so that I know what to listen for. I'll keep it in mind as I continue my audiophile journey, and appreciate the tip!
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
I have an RME ADI 2 DAC FS, it takes care of all that stuff, that's why I got it. Works really well and everything sounds great at the receiving end
The tube failure is interesting. Hopefully not a handicap
@jamesrobinson9176,
Other than having to do tube rolling, eh. I'd be willing to try their premium tubes again. If it happened multiple times with the same tubes I might have some questions lol.
---Cynthia, The Audio Belle
The volume clicking is such a non issue.
There's an old saying, "If it looks like Schiit and sounds like Schiit, it Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Wonderful review. But sadly realism and accuracy REALLY defeats the purpose of tubes imo. Ive never heard of anyone choosing tubes to be accurate or duplicate live music in anyway. For decades of music listening the whole point of tubes that ive heard from people has been to mess with the sound in interesting ways.
I'm sorry but the idea that you would use the horrible sound of this concert, typical of most big PA type concerts, is laughable. Harry Pearson must be rolling over in his grave. I believe in the absolute sound concept but the only thing, with rare exception, that qualifies these days is small scale jazz or classical in a really good venue. If, as you sai, despite the egregious sound you are using this as a comparison to the absolute sound makes me question my taking the time to watch this.
You should have said what it's like between the Freya one and the plus, the original one is supposed to be better but you won't criticise your paid client that's not good enough. How can you be a review if you can't say one is better than the other or even a different make makes it non irrelevant your reviews shouldn't be taken seriously.
This person is awful at communication. She might know what she's talking about, but if so she can't communicate it. I tapped out halfway through after tiring of the tangents. I don't care about Jeremy, who I know is her husband because she mentioned it five thousand times. The non-stop branding of real-life sound as The Absolute Sound got old fast. And the statement that a drum machine sounds artificial... thank you, Mistress of the Obvious.
yikes, get over yourself...sending love to everyone...
You guys really need a good sound editor.
Meh 🤷♂
That volume knob clicking is a total deal breaker for me
its a technical better solution, but if you can't get used to it 😊
But it gives you perfect channel matching and very long lifespan. 🤔
I like the click sound of my Saga+ but I understand it can be polarizing.