Schiit Audio Freya+ Tube Preamp Review

Today I'm testing out the Schiit Audio Freya+ tube preamp. I'm using my Denon DP-1200 turntable, Fosi Box X4 Phono Preamp, and the Schiit Audio Vidar 2 amp.
Check it out at:
www.schiit.com/products/freya-n

[@manzanaresantonio]

Schiit Freya+ and 1950s Sylvania 6sn7 GTA is what made me sell my Audio Research preamp, as the differences were different, but not better.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That would be a great combination for sure!

[@aa5az423]

I bought a Freya N two years ago and I had a Kara until yesterday when I sold it. I couldn't hardly tell much of a sonic difference between the two, so I think folks could save some money with a Kara instead of buying a Freya. I decided to keep the Freya between the two because I already had it and it really didn't matter to me. The headphone jack on the Kara is dang nice too. Both the Kara and Freya are very nice preamps.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I hope to try the Kara next! I do wish the Fraya+ had a balanced headphone port in the front though.

[@NickP333]

Good stuff, man. The new production Tung Sol 6SN7’s are my favorite currently made of that type, better than JJ, imo. You’re probably aware, but there’s 2 separate sections for each set of 6SN7’s. One pair is more in charge of voltage gain, the other more about the tonality. You don’t have to use a matched quad of them, and instead you can run 2 sets of matched pairs, the Tung Sol’s and a pair of NOS tubes to shape the tonality. That also gives you an extra pair of matched 6SN7’s. Side note: There’s a new co. making 6SN7 tubes called Apos Ray, then there’s Linlai, and of course all the Russian made ones from the same umbrella company, New Sensor. Even though they’re made in the same factory, they do sound differently from other tubes. FWIW, just looking at the internal structure shows a difference. Good luck with everything! I ran a Freya + for a bit a few years back into a Parasound a23+ amp, and the combo of a tube pre and SS amp can go extremely well together and provide great synergy, especially with an input impedance being at least 10x if not 100x higher than the output impedance of your preamp. Of course, your source (or sources), your speakers, etc., have a huge impact on synergy.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Thanks so much! That’s some really good stuff! I really need to do more research on the types and configurations of tubes. I’m really at the mercy of what they send to me though. I really wanted to try out the different ones they offer.

[@nelsono4315]

I pair my Schiit Freya+ with the Jeff Rowland 125 power amp and I'm happy with that combo

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Thanks so much! I’ll have to try to check one out!

[@zounds13]

I picked up a Freya N on closeout for $600, and I love it. Besides sounding excellent and looking cool, its multiple in and out connections make it extremely useful. I'm only using one input, the XLR, from a Schiit Lokius (fed by a Gumby and a Skoll). But I'm using all three outputs: one goes to a Vidar 2, one goes to a Nitsch Pietus Maximus headphone amp, and one goes to a little Fosi amp in the kitchen.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That’s awesome! I loved the Freya+\Vidar combo! I would probably get a headphone amp with it too. I do wish it had balanced XLR headphone ports in the front, but it’s a really solid amp!

[@zounds13]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi I'll bet you the next generation of the Freya+ has a headphone jack, considering that their replacement for the Freya S, the Kara, has one now. Seems unlikely that it would be balanced, though, unless Jason wanted to move the + upmarket, to get a bit more distance from the Kara. Actually, that might be a pretty good idea, considering how good the Kara is.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I agree!

[@mcgjohn22]

its a decent pre for the money. But a person has to ask how much better the preamp may sound if Schitt dumped the SMT resistors and caps and went with through hole parts and true film caps. They could not populate the boards as cheaply as they do now but would most likely be a better sounding unit.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I agree. I would like to see them come up with a premium line that does all that. I think there is a place for both.

[@jonathandavis9507]

I agree and would absolutely buy an upgraded version of this because I love the design aesthetics. They are keeping it to a price point and affordable is the ethos of their brand so I respect it but would love to see a higher end pre from them to go with Tyr.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

We can always hope

[@samuellord8576]

@@mcgjohn22 Yes it should definitely happen, and I think it is in current plans: I recall Jason mentioning a higher-end preamp in the works, but no details. I think it was in the Schittr broadcast a few months back. I wish, among other things, that they would add a heavy, damped subchassis to mount the boards on to keep them quiet. And there is no end to the quality of resistors, some (Vishay H-series oil-filled) cost over $30 each and you can hear it….

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That would be awesome!

[@TriAmpHiFi]

. Such a nice piece for so many reasons.👍 Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Yes it is!

[@Hagemann666]

What is that sound every time you turn the volume knob? It's probably just how your mic is picking it up but it sounds almost static-y...like the pot is really dirty. I assume that's intentional?

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That is intentional. That’s the sound of the mechanical relays in the relay-switched attenuator. It’s essentially turning switches on and off as you adjust the knob. It makes the dial extremely accurate and reliable and far less susceptible to dust interfering with the pot. It sounds louder in the video in my opinion. The clicks bothered me for the first couple of minutes, then I didn’t really even notice it.

[@NormcoreGreg]

When powering your system on you should always go from the source to the amp, i.e. from the weakest signal to the most powerful. In your case it would be: 1. turntable, 2. phono stage, 3. preamp, 4. amp. Envy the Schiit setup btw. ;)

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Yup, that is always best!

[@jonathandavis9507]

I haven’t kept any amp schiit makes for very long. Freya suffers from cheap output caps. Bifrost 2 is the only thing that’s stayed in my system.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I’m sorry to hear you had that experience!

[@aa5az423]

I cut loose of my Bifrost 2/64 within four months. I just didn't think it was THAT much better than my Modius for $250. Better? yes. Just not that much better.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That’s understandable. I’m not the type to pay 100% more for a 1% improvement. I’ll have to check out Modius.

[@ChicagoRob2]

I’ve had the Aegir OG since the very beginning. Compares favorably to my 5X more expensive Sugden a21 SE. Phenomenal amplifier and made Stereophile Class -A recommended components, along with amplifiers costing $20K - $50K.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That’s been my experience as well

[@scottbennett3119]

I am curious why you are using a preamp with a preamp? You only need one. Take out the little one.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

The Freya+ is a preamp, not a phono preamp. The signal coming from the turntable is too low for the Freya+ so you need a phono preamp in between. The phono preamp bumps up the signal enough so that the Freya+ can pick it up and amplify it enough for the amp.

[@scottbennett3119]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi I didn't realize the small unit was a phono preamp. My bad.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

It’s all good. I had a Schiit Skoll phono preamp that I wanted to use, but I had to send it back. I ended up using the Fosi Box X4 phono preamp instead.

[@samuellord8576]

You didn’t say how long you burned it in. Your impressions mean little without that info. It will sound better with time.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Hahaha. It’s a loaner unit. Your guess is as good as mine. It may have been used for one minute or 1,000 hours before I got it. Unfortunately there is no hour meter on it. I guess my impressions mean nothing.

[@samuellord8576]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi Think of it as a lower bound on sound quality. It could be almost no better or yards better with play . Over years the xformer sound will improve while some caps will increase leakage (more noise): Some caps will keep sounding better until near failure. Just let people know. Ask whomever you got it from.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

No need to explain, I am very familiar with the process and the reason behind it. I got it directly from Schiit. They also would have no idea how long it has been used. They didn’t ask me how long I used it. That’s not how any company that I’ve worked with handles their test products. I will say that Schiit runs every amp for 24hrs after it’s built, so that would be the minimum amount of time that it has been run.

[@samuellord8576]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi Very good, thank you for explaining. Glad you liked it, I’ve had only good experiences with Schiit and their gear.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Glad to hear it!

[@frankd.b.9233]

Who wants a Denon, here in Europe no one wants something like that, ist just crap

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Well, clearly I did. I like their turntables and cartridges, although I’m using a Sumiko cart at the moment. Mine is a vintage table, which I certainly prefer to the newer tables. Newer Denon components are geared towards the “all in one type” systems as apposed to using separates so their amps are frowned upon by so called “audiophiles.” What turntable do you use? By your comment I would expect perhaps Macintosh or Acoustic Signature at a minimum.

[@mikemcguinness1304]

Wtf is that clicking ?wtf

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That’s the sound of the mechanical relays in the relay-switched stepped attenuator. Unlike a typical potentiometer, a relay-stepped attenuator gives you perfect channel matching down to the lowest level of the volume knob. There’s only a couple of thin-film resistors in the signal path at all times, rather than a potentiometer wiper. And it doesn’t use a “volume control chip,” like cheap receivers.