The PSVANE UK-6NS7 DO fit the Freya+ without a socket saver, BUT only just. You can see them in my avatar. You have the OG Freya? I know they look alike but the Freya+ does not have screws on top... I wonder if the OG freya is any deeper. As its the wide "Hips" of the PSVANE glass that are the problem. There are older PSVANE tubes with white a ceramic base, I think they might be too thick.
So I feel like I've become fully comfortable with how Freya+ sounds with the stock new production Tung-Sol tubes. That can mean only one thing: time to roll. Trying a pair of PSVane UK-6SN7 A pair of NOS Raytheon GT VT-231 6SN7 4 socket savers 2 30mm Herbies dampers (Raytheon) 2 50mm Herbies dampers (PSVane) The good news is - I'm not at all unhappy with the Tung Sols. And I love JFET buffer mode (my sub is single ended so I gather going fully passive doesn't work as well when you need balanced out and SE out, and I do have both balanced and SE inputs). So anyway, looking forward to hearing how this amazing pre shifts and jives with the new tubes
Maybe someone can help me with this one: A Freya+ is about to arrive but I realized it has too much gain for my power amp. Are there any good sounding tubes that I can buy that would provide 6 to 8db gain instead of the 12db gain of the 6sn7? If this route is not possible, what would you suggest? Thanks!
At least check out the passive gain modes. JFET passive, if you need single ended to balanced conversion, sounds sublime. Tube mode can be subjectively different or preferred, but JFET passive shouldn't be overlooked Not sure if that helps.
I'd rather have tubes on the signal pathway. Was hoping there is a proper way of achieving this goal while keeping tubes.
It makes sense, was just offering an alternative and since you haven't heard it in JFET mode - just saying to keep an open mind on it. It's pretty good and it's just nice to have options to fit into more systems, optimally. That said, there seems to be a very large following of Freya+ tube rollers and I have seen several who adapt different tubes in besides the standard 6SN7. I am no tube expert and won't pretend to be, but my hunch is that's where you'll find some traction - a compatible but adaptable tube form factor that gives you the gain characteristics you need. It might honestly be worth an email to Schiit, as well?
I know the feeling! I picked up a Sony UBP-X1100es Blu-Ray player. That feeds my Bifrost 1 MB. Then into my Saga, that I've modded slightly. I pulled the stock Wima caps, and replaced them with Mundorf EVO Oils, bypass with AudioCap film and foil caps. Everything sounds huge, open, and layered. Very dynamic, with a slight warm tone, from the cap upgrade. That's got me buying tons of new discs, of all types. Fun stuff.
All my new tubes showed up today. Don't have the Herbies dampers yet but I think those come tomorrow. Going to just roll the PSVanes into the right side first and give them a bit. I understand they break in for quite awhile so I'll leave them energized 24/7 for awhile - 10 days at least, and not try to nitpick them until mid next week I will put dampers on them once they come in, though. Then, I plan to move the PSVanes to the left side, and run the Raytheons that just got here in the mail, to the right side.
Oh fun! I saw some mods for the Freya+ along those same lines. I may give that a shot at some point, but I understand "reassembly" of Freya to be a bit of a PITA with the fastener-less design. Still, great to have some relatively straightforward options to look forward to!
I just purchased a Freya + as a B-stock item, and it arrived today. I can't find any blemishes on the chassis and it was packed like a brand new unit with what looks like a new quartet of JJ 6SN7 tubes. It must have been a return. Anyway, I decided to install two matched OS GE gray plate side FAT D getter 6SN7GTB tubes in the differential voltage gain positions (right side) and two new production Tung Sol 6SN7 tubes. I used octal socket savers from Eurotubes in Portland, OR to elevate the tubes above the chassis to keep the chassis from any additional heat radiating from the tubes. These are really well made, reasonably priced socket savers fabricated with JJ octal pin bases with Micaflex octal sockets. I used two pair of DIY Mogami 2549/Switchcraft XLR balanced cables to connect my SMSL SU-8 DAC to the Freya +, and the Freya + to my Pass DIY Aleph J Class A power amp which drives my modified Klipsch Forte II speakers. I have a Raspberry Pi 4 running Volumio connected via USB to my SMSL SU-8 DAC, and my main goal is to run a fully balanced system. I started off with the Freya + running in the differential JFET buffer mode, and I really like the clarity and large, deep soundstage. the bass response is very good and I really appreciate the black background with the all-balanced connections. Operating the Freya + with the nice metal bodied remote is very straightforward. I am not sure why some people have complained about the clicking noise of the 128-step volume attenuator. I found that it works very well with excellent channel balance. Overall, the differential JFET buffer mode presents a musical presentation with neutral tonality and great detail. After running about two hours, I switched the Freya + into differential tube mode, and the sound initially was a little edgy in the upper midrange with some sibilance, but over the course of 30-60 minutes, the sound smoothed out significantly. The soundstage started to open up to extend beyond my speakers side-to-side and well beyond the back wall. The tone started taking on a creamier richness if I can call it that. As others have said, the Freya + in tube mode will get warm--literally. I could place my hand over the power supply area where the heat is emanating and keep it there, so it wasn't scorching hot, but definitely warm. But then, I also have a Pas DIY Aleph J with some hefty heat sinks radiating a lot of heat too. I still have yet to play back vinyl through my Audio Research PH5 tube phono stage connected to the Freya +. I also want to compare the Freya + to my Audio Research LS7, which only has single-ended RCA connections. I also have a rebuilt McIntosh MC240 tube power amp to connect the Freya + using RCA single ended interconnects. I want to let the Freya + burn in for at least 30+ hours before the really critical listening fun begins, but I have to say I am very impressed with the build quality, the Schiit aesthetics, and more importantly, what I am hearing from this $899 preamp.
I have some NOS sylvannias on the way. Though upon setting up the Freya+ and getting it all going with the stock tubes, I have to say, not bad! And no burn in time. I just could tell a liked it right away. So if it goes up from here with some nicer tubes, I am excited.
So, I have a pair of the JAN-CHS-6SN7WGTs on the right side and am liking them. Stock on the left for now. Was going to go pair by pair. Now these mouse ears, you say the Jans have a bit more delicate high end, but then exclaim about the mouse ears. Can you describe the relative difference? I was thinking I would go with matched pairs, to save expense, and also be able to experiment side by side.
I just got back my Freya+ from service, and I’m looking to do some more tube rolling… I currently have GE 6SN7GTB on the right side and GE 6SN7TB on the left, the sound is good but feels like it is veiled. I ordered a pair of PSVane Treasure CV-181 T MKII to try out… Will these provide a clearer/forward sound? I looking for something with more air up top, any recommendations on what brand/type to try?
I have the Freya Plus, it feeds a PrimaLuna PL4 for mid's/twt's and a Nord Class D for Bass, Speakers are modified, semi active NS-1000m. Absolutely love it, got some Ken-Rad VT-231 in the Gain on the right and the stock JJ on the left. I've got some GE 6SN7GTA and USA Tung-Sol GTB on their way. Like many people, I find the top gets a little warm, but I'm more concerned about the parts inside, which must get significantly hotter and the caps are only rated at 85 deg C. I'm sure the product was tested for durability, but I feel adding extra ventilation will prolong the life of the parts. I wont be changing this Pre Amp any time soon, so, there were also a few annoyances that I put right. These are the things I modified: Added Socket savers, to lift the Tubes out of the case (Cooling) Added additional vents to the top cover and base to further aid cooling Fitted taller feet, to match other gear and aid air flow to the new base vents Made the volume indicator more legible Changed the colour of the LED function lamps to Blue (Match other gear) Prevented stray internal light getting past the remote sensor Changed the Single ended outputs to XLR sockets (My preference) These are the holes (371) I drilled in the base and the feet I added. For the top, I didn't feel comfortable just drilling it, so I installed some smart stainless vents that complement the hole pattern around the Tubes. The increase in airflow reduced the case temperature and I'm hoping the parts inside, see the full story, including temperature measurements, on my blog: Index
Nice work. I might "borrow" some of your ideas, when I eventually upgrade my Saga to a Freya+. One more thing to consider; I upgraded the Wima output capacitors, on my Saga. I used Mundorf caps, but other brands would work too, as long as they're small enough to fit. The new capacitors made a nice difference. A wider, deeper soundstage, with better micro detail.
Very nice work! I posted a link to your blog on the Schiit forum over at Head-Fi.org I hope that you don't mind.
Someone else mentioned it to me, I looked at it, but the 2.2uF caps are pretty close together on the Freya and positioned between the PSU caps and valve bases. Space is tight, I think Cap choice might be limited due to space. Which Mundorf did you use?
The Wima 2.2 caps are small. So yea, space is tight. I used Mundorf EVO Aluminum Oils, which were small enough to easily fit. I also bypassed those with Audiocap Theta film and foil caps. I would have liked to have tried Mundorf EVO SilverGold Oil caps, which are even smaller, but I already had the EVO Oils on hand. I do wonder if the 4 Wima caps have the same layout as the tubes? Right caps tied to Gain, and left to Output? If so, you could try experimenting with mixing brands of side by side caps too, as with tubes.
Even the Mundorf EVO SilverGold Oil are way to big to fit in the freya+, I can see how you could fit them in the Saga though. The only things that look small enough are the Mundorf MKP Classic, which is probably be a backward step over the Wima, and the Sonicap Gen 1, which might be very slightly better in some areas, like transparency and slightly worse when it comes to neutrality . I don't think the very small difference would be worth the change. I just caught your picture of the Saga, way more space.
Hello everyone. I new to this forum and new about tubes. I watched the video from Thomas & Stereo and would like to know where I can buy those GE tubes made in Canada? Please provide website links because I have no idea what to look for. I went to ebay and amazon but very confusing because there are so many options. The tubes he used in his video got small holes inside the tubes and I can not find any tubes that look like what he got with the Freya.
