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Schiit Freya+ Pre-amp Review

Rate this preamp:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 98 43.9%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 64 28.7%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther

    Votes: 33 14.8%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 28 12.6%

  • Total voters
    223

bboris77

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You could argue that having a subpar-performing tube is part of the whole experience. This is actually what drove me away from tube amplifiers. “Life is like like a box of chocolates…”
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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DMill

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I think a 6sn7 tube would last a very long time. I’m not a tech but from most of my reading 10,000 hours in a preamp is not unreasonable. Seems unlikely the tubes in this model tested were burned out
 

majingotan

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I think a 6sn7 tube would last a very long time. I’m not a tech but from most of my reading 10,000 hours in a preamp is not unreasonable. Seems unlikely the tubes in this model tested were burned out

You're referring to the 5692 tube which is the 10000hr version of the 6SN7. That's what I pretty much use with my Saga OG preamp

31414925444_c08971d53e_b_d.jpg
 

Rottmannash

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No doubt. And I've no problem with people liking what they like. I just think active and passive mode should essentially sound the same - and ideally, both put out 4Vrms unless gain is controllable (it might be, could have missed that if it was mentioned, but doesn't look like it from the output graph). As is, it's transparent in unity-gain as a passive, or a very tubey-sounding active - and I don't think they'll appeal to the same people. Perhaps it's intended to essentially be two different products in one box, aimed at two markets: those who like transparent and those who like 'analog warmth' - but it's not a business decision I'd bank on if I ran an audio company. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
I'm here to tell you the passive and active SS modes sound identical to me once level matched.
 

rwortman

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Rottmannash

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What I don't get is why?? Why put distortion factories in a product in 2022. They have to know that no matter what it's going to be shite.
I don't hear audible distortion when listening to the tube stage-and my system isn't exactly pedestrian. Of course you may hear distortion but I doubt many could.
 

don'ttrustauthority

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No, that tube is crooked. I tried to straighten it but it is in there very solid. Probably could be made to be straight but it was fine as it was so I didn't mess with it too much.

I can't believe you reviewed such a flawed unit.

The cord on my Freya is twisted. Really destroys the sound.
 
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don'ttrustauthority

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I think they should stick to their sub $200 entry level products. Their higher priced products just aren't competitive with the competition.
This is the kind of insight that makes you people so entertaining.
 

TonyJZX

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The thing is that if you're paying a decent price for what is supposed to be a well built unit and something is clearly not straight and its supposed to be that that is not a good customer experience... again some people have no problem with that... but I would... this unit is more than a weeks wages?

Also for a unit supposedly hand built in America, doesnt say much for this company.
 

Doodski

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The thing is that if you're paying a decent price for what is supposed to be a well built unit and something is clearly not straight and its supposed to be that that is not a good customer experience... again some people have no problem with that... but I would... this unit is more than a weeks wages?

Also for a unit supposedly hand built in America, doesnt say much for this company.
There's got to be a story about how it got this way and likely was not bent out of shape at inspection. Was it disassembled and then reassembled incorrectly, dropped, squished? etc...
 

Hiten

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<snip> Are the tubes (and/or their sockets) really as mis-aligned as they appear in the photo? <snip>
besides some tube protection would have also helped. Protruding open tubes would be risky.
regards
 

TonyJZX

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There's some people who really love the exposed tube aesthetic... I personally dislike it... at least put it behind a cage... but I'm not a tube fan anyway.

About the bent tube... its obvious the tube socket isnt soldered down properly.
 

Jimster480

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There's got to be a story about how it got this way and likely was not bent out of shape at inspection. Was it disassembled and then reassembled incorrectly, dropped, squished? etc...
It happens. Their products are not always of the highest quality. It could have also got partially bent in shipping. Who really knows but likely the solder point is not that strong
 

raif71

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Trust me, I've listened at extremely high volumes but at those volumes my ears were ringing anyway so detecting distortion was impossible. At normal to high listening levels (with well recorded music) I cannot detect any distortion whatsoever-again probably due to my 63 yo ears and the combination of components in the chain. Bottom line-I'm very happy with the Freya+.
Kindly share us your components in the chain...thank you
 

MaxBuck

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Disappointing product for Schiit, who make some good components. But it has tubes, so what would you expect?

I suspect high-distortion amps like this are attractive to people who are looking for a "mellowed" sound and don't really like accurate reproduction. But of course I have absolutely no evidence to support this. :cool:
 

Gorgonzola

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Disappointing product for Schiit, who make some good components. But it has tubes, so what would you expect?

I suspect high-distortion amps like this are attractive to people who are looking for a "mellowed" sound and don't really like accurate reproduction. But of course I have absolutely no evidence to support this. :cool:
On some level I'm quite sure the crew at Schiit understand that their tube products are essentially gimmicks catering to subjectivists who prefer a "euphonic" sound over an accurate sound. But Schiit components are mixed bag.

For the most part Schiit's solid state products are better conceived, e.g. their low-cost DACs and also the Freya S, (solid state preamp). But not even all the S/S stuff is gimmick-free. E.g. for a while I owned Gungnir Multibit DAC whose gimmick was R2R DAC chips and bizarre, microprocessor-based up-sampling process that seeks to preserve the data points of the original, non-up-sampled data stream. More recently there is their Tyr mono power amp the uses a large "choke", (transformer/inductor) gratuitously increasing cost and weight.

I sold my Gungnir MB and bought a Topping DX7s DAC/headphone amp thereby getting a better-measuring & performing DAC and turning a handsome profit on the exchange. :)
 

theREALdotnet

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We should be skeptical of any measurement.

Sure, but that doesn’t mean we should dismiss measurements carried out with due care.

Everybody is welcome to constructively critique aspects of the measurement protocol or procedure, or to counter the results with their own measurements, carried out with an equal amount of care.
 
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