Considering Schiit equipment

The Forkbeard module and app should have a balance control. Send them an email to confirm.

Yes, the 

Forkbeard app includes balance control, along with other digital preamp features like parametric EQ and loudness, particularly when used with compatible Schiit Audio components such as Mimir, Gungnir 2, and Saga 2. It transforms supported DACs into full digital preamps with adjustable settings. 

Schiit Audio +2

Key details regarding Forkbeard balance control:

• Functionality: The app enables digital volume and balance adjustment, allowing users to adjust audio left or right.
• Component Support: The app adds balance and 3-band parametric EQ to Mimir, the Mesh Card, and Gungnir 2.
• Operation: It allows for precise control of these features through a visual interface on a phone or tablet.
• Limitations: According to a user post on Reddit, it is noted that balance and other controls may not work with the Jotunheim 3, even if other functions like phase, NOS mode, and mute work

Thanks for the reply.

The website for Schiit has an AI chat to ask questions. I asked that.

It said the Freya+ F preamp has balance control through the Forkbeard app.

It wasn't sure if the lower priced preamps from Schiit have it, though you can get them with Forkbeard also. I sent an email to Schiit asking about balance control. 

I may have to continue to use my Harmon Kardon Citation 25 preamp if that's the only way to retain balance control. 

At this point I don't know of any other options to get a set of mono blocks and a preamp for 5 grand or less. At least anything new with some decent quality.

I only want new, don't want anybody else's headaches. 

I still like the equipment I already have but it's too hard to get it worked on. We have one shop within 70 miles and they aren't that good with my Citation 22 amps. I had one there for over a year and it still never got repaired. Shipping out for repairs has been a costly mistake too. Item comes back "repaired" but doesn't work. Done with that. 

Currently I'm using my system with one amp in stereo mode but I sure do miss that mono block sound!

If anybody has any ideas on how to better spend 5 grand or less on new mono blocks and a preamp, I'm all ears. Do I want warm or cool sound? Beats me. All  I know is I like my setup the way it sounds now. Citation 22 amp, Citation 25 preamp and JBL L100t3 speakers. I use a Harmon Kardon 7600 CD player and a Rotel CD player. For finding stuff I haven't heard in years,  I have Sirius XM Radio. Once in a  while I use a Harmon Kardon TD4800 cassette deck. I listen to hard rock, soft rock, blues, classical, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, some old school country etc. 

Thank you two also for the replies. They came in as I was typing my last response.

I will not be using a DAC or headphone amp so that will not be an issue. It is good that you post such information though for the benefit of others. 

I owned the Freya Plus for 2 years,  and currently have it posted for sale on USAM.

If you want to save money ($650), please feel free to consider my listing. 

Putting that aside, here are some thoughts for you to be aware of (also discussed in my listing).

First, with the right tubes, the Freya Plus is a top tier preamplifier (not best of the best, but can compete with preamplifier on the lower end of that top tier), which is unbelievable for the price.

Two, I bought mine with the premium Tung Sol tubes. After first listen, I was prepared to sell it the same day.  It sounded dry, sterile, and no dynamics. I switched out the Tung Sols on the output stage, and replaced them with the Electroharmonix Platinum Cryo-treated tubes from Upscale Audio and it completely transformed the sound... huge changes...honestly...from hell to heaven and those tubes are inexpensive.   My theory is that the Tung Sols are really good at filtering which is why they work so well when left in the buffer stage, and sound so poorly when placed on the output stage.

A PS Audio BHK Signature preamplifier replaced my Freya Plus, and the Freya gave it a good run for the money soundwise using the stock BHK preamplifier tubes and the magical pairing of tubes mentioned above. I bought some new tubes for the BHK and expect those to take SQ to the next level.

Hope this is helpful and best of luck. 

Thank you for the valuable information Gino. I appreciate the offer but I'm only looking to buy new. The tube info you provided is a big help.

Does anybody have any input on what I said about using RCA to XLR interconnect adapters? It would be appreciated. 

BTW, another hectic work week starts tomorrow. I'll reply as I find the time and will always appreciate the input. 

Adcom has a great heritage.

1. Get a couple of bridgeable GFA-555ms (125 wpc) at $1,549 each OR

2. Get a couple of bridgeable GFA-555se (200 wpc) at $1,899 each

3. Then get a GFP-915SE preamp, with balance control knob, for $1,100

4. There is a 15% discount off one amp and preamp when purchased together

My dad still has his Adcom stuff circa 1990 and it sounds excellent. Sure it is a revived company today, but it has history. I sold my Adcom stuff long ago.

Regarding XLR-RCA adapters, I would try to avoid them since added connections in the audio signal chain can potentially degrade the signal. Is it audible, I don’t know?

Schiit Tyr and Freya+ are top notch gear. My own experiments with my Freya gave best results with Ken-Rad VT-231’s in the gain stage and CBS-Hytron (made by RCA?) 5692’s in the buffer. It gives my Cary SLP05 with ultimate upgrade a run for the money.

 For a budget option, Sylvania 6SN7’s of any vintage are pretty good with a sparkly top end. But this preamp sings with vintage tubes, especially of the WW2 era. The Tyrs are amazing, I have been so impressed when I have heard them (and the Schiit Wotan amplifier as well).

I think you will love the Schiit gear.  

You might also check in with Audio by Van Alstine and Odyssey:  highly acclaimed amps!!

I only have experience with the Mani 2 MM/MC preamp - LOVE it - for $150??? how do you go wrong? full MC and MM pre-amp. worked great out of the box and listening to it now. Gives my $1700 tube phono preamp a run for its money, but at 10x the $. It really should not but it does.

When thinking about Schiit gear, it’s good to keep in mind the original company developers, one of which is still doing it, have a long history in the audio world and know what they’re doing. Another thing is, because they don’t go through distributors and retailers, the prices are very reasonable for what you get. If you bought anything they sell from a brick and mortar store, you’d pay at least double. The oft abused, "you get what you pay for" isn’t always the case but a lot of folks will never accept that. Good luck.

I’ve got the Schiit Freya+ and a Sansui 8080 and Wharfedale Linton 85th anniversary

It’s a nice mix of vintage and modern 

I like tube pre amps and solid state amps. Enjoy the music

@roadcykler    Why the constant need for validation regarding budget audio gear and concern about what others perceive as value?

Right now my main concern is the amount of RCA jack inputs on the Schiit preamps. Not enough. I still wonder if the RCA to XLR adapters would degrade sound quality.  The aforementioned Adcom equipment comes with plenty of RCA inputs. 

Further thoughts are most welcome.

Before you decide on Schiit gear? Check Galion gear.The price is almost the same. But I prefer Galion on amp and preamp. 

Cheap adapters will get you nowhere, you need the same kind of quality as your RCA interconnects.  As for Adcom, there is nowhere to go except up.  You get a better bang for your bucks with Schiit gear.  Lots of people swear by it.

I have both Freya+ and Saga 2 and highly recommend both. If you ever want to add a balanced source (and are interested in tube sound which I also recommend) then Freya+ would be best. You could add an RCA switch to juggle your sources for now (I did that with the Vali headphone amp that lacks RCA inputs and it worked fine); it shouldn't hurt Sirius xm sound as it is already mid-fi (I have Sirius in my kitchen and on phone). But I really love the Saga 2 sound too (a steal for the price), and running XLR to your power amp(s) is certainly a good idea which it allows with XLR outputs. Forkbeard is very fun and convenient but for me not that ground breaking. I have the Wotan power amp and it works and sounds great too! Anyway hard to go wrong with any of your ideas!

I got two pairs of XLR/RCA adapters, they were OK, no noise or degradation. It was just a test, for an Equalizer I didn't use. I returned them because I didn't need them, but at least I knew they were not problematic.

Get them from Amazon, free return if you don't like them.

You will not get the shielding advantages of XLR, but for home systems, we don't need extra noise protection. 

Occasionally, not always, XLR signal is a few db stronger than RCA out of a piece, I'm not sure if you need that, or if you would keep or loose the extra signal strength via the adapters.

Then, there is Real XLR, and improperly implemented XLR, others need to explain the difference.

Home: what I like most is that XLR connectors lock in (not all). I changed all my RCA connectors to Locking Type, so when I mess with any cable, it does not disturb others inadvertently.

Thank you all for the responses. I simply don't have time for individual responses but rest assured I read them all with great interest!

I understand the difference between the Freya+ F and the Kara F preamps, tubes or not tubes. But if the Saga2 is also so highly regarded, why bother with the costlier ones? 

RCA to XLR adapters. Yes, I would want a better quality one. Audioquest doesn't seem to make them. There's also a LOT of different types, styles, costs etc.

Any recommendations?

Can someone explain the need for Balance controls?  Sorry for sounding dumb, but I haven't figured out the reason for making one channel (Left, Right) louder than the other.  Thanks.

It's not dumb Allen, it's always good to ask about something.  

In my case, I have a Sony DVD player that tends to be a little heavy on the left channel with audio. Been that way since day 1 and works great otherwise. Balance control remedies that. 

The Saga 2, to me, is a great value...but unfortunately the more than twice expensive Kara is better...the original Kara is sonically identical to the Kara F, but lacks the Forkbeard app...

If I went with the Kara F I would need a couple of RCA to XLR adapters though. 

Not sure which way to go on that. 

I haven't ruled out anything yet. As a matter of fact, someone off list told me about Benchmark Media. I took a brief look at their AHB2 Power Amplifier and their LA4 Line Amplifier (preamp). It has XLR and RCA inputs but not enough ( 4 total )even if I use RCA to XLR adapters. This company is actually not too far from me so I'm going to speak to them tomorrow hopefully. Maybe they can do something for me with more inputs. They are also above my price limit but for a local company, we'll see what happens. Maybe one amp and a preamp this year and another amp next year????? Those inputs are the deal breaker/maker. Schiit is definitely still a consideration too. Open to others as well. 

Cardas RCA > XLR adapters will work just fine for you since you are "down converting" meaning it's not a balanced signal you are trying to preserve. I doubt you would notice any difference. Ya get what ya pay for vs Amazon stuff. Search out a Cardas dealer. Make sure you get the right configuration on the adapters. 

Thanks.  Yeah, it's the configuration part I know nothing about.

I did some further reading on Benchmark amps. Seems they're not the best for fit for older recordings, which I have a lot of. Too analytical I'm reading. 

Schiit seems to have been called out for QC problems. I wonder if that's been remedied?

And finally, in conclusion.....

I looked at a lot more products the last couple of days.

It seems everything was too much of a compromise in one way or another.  Not enough inputs, not enough power, incompatibility etc. So I figured I had to up the budget a little and continue the search.

I ended up buying a pair of Cambridge Audio Edge M monoblocks through Upscale Audio.  They had a decent price. For at least the time being, I'll use my Harmon Kardon Citation 25 preamplifier. It has a remote, tons of inputs, it's what I'm used to and it's compatible with the Cambridge M's. 

I really appreciate everyone's input here. I learned a few things along the way. 

Honestly, I would have been glad to get the Schiit gear if only it had more inputs on the preamplifier. I need 7 and something in my gut just says stay away from switchboxes and adapters.  I just don't know enough about them.

Thanks again everyone!

Congratulations with the new amps, Cambridge is a good company.

Thank you. I'm looking forward to many years of enjoyment with them.

I was impressed with Schiit Bifrost 2/64. Have upgraded twice, but liked the quality.

Tried the Tyr Mono blocks. Nice sounding equipment, but unfortunately they could not drive my speakers without clipping. My speakers can draw down to 0.5 Ohm. Returned the Tyr and tried the Pass XA25. Until Pass comes out with a mono block version of the XA25 I do not plan to change.

Benchmark has some affordable XLR to RCA cables (or is it RCA to XLR?). I do not have any experience with them, but took notice b/c my current pre-amp does not have balanced out but now many power amps only have XLR in.

The guy who designed the Tyr and the Wotan posted on Head-fi that he thinks the Wotan is the best amp they have ever made. I owned it and loved it. It is as good as some $8k amps that I have owned. It does need about a month of heavy play for the top end to clean up.

I have owned the Kara F, Saga 2, Freya+ and 2 of them were just OK. The Saga 2 was not good I currently use the $500 Schiit Valhalla 3 OTL/OCL headphone amp as my 2-channel preamp for my office system. I used the stock tubes, and it was better than ALL other Schiit preamps by a lot. However, it is not user-friendly since it has only 1 RCA input and 1 RCA output and no remote. I got an audiophile grade RCA switch made with 4 extra RCA inputs and that works great. I am finding my tubes are already wearing out and need to get some warmish tubes. It is a bit of an adventure wit this unit, but it is easily the best sounding Schiit preamp.

The new Schiit Singular DAC is very good. The best DAC I have heard from Schiit and I have owned the Yggi+ OG | LIM | MIB | Singular. It took the new imersiv D-1 DAC for me to move away from the Schiit Yggi+ DACs. The imersiv D-1 is much better.

As said above, The  Freya+ F is all about what tubes you use.  Get it with the lower cost tubes and then plan to to do some tube rolling. I'm currently using Sylvania 6SN7GTA Chrome Domes, and Tung‑Sol GTB.  Sounds very nice.  Being able to switch to solid state mode is a benefit for me.  

Reading all this further input with interest. I hear a lot of good about tubes but it's not something I have the time and such to learn about. Especially when I have to pay to really learn!

Anyhow, the bug has bitten me and now I have found my own little rabbit hole. 

I just ordered a Parasound Halo JC 2 BP preamplifier from Upscale Audio.

https://upscaleaudio.com/products/parasound-halo-jc-2-bp-preamplifier?_pos=1&_sid=a3952eac0&_ss=r

Everything I've read and everyone I've talked to these last couple days say the Halo JC 2 BP will have great synergy with the Cambridge Audio Edge M mono blocks and my JBL L100t3 speakers. Longer SP6 speaker cables from Morrow Audio were ordered a while back. 

The audio room will be fully remodeled in a week or two and then I can enjoy my new gear. Excited doesn't begin to describe it ! 

@gkelly 

Preamplifiers without physical balance controls are common in modern, minimalist high-fidelity audio design, aimed at reducing signal path complexity for higher sonic purity

But what happens when they no longer assign a software engineer to maintain or write an app for your new phone or updated OS?

I had an occasion recently to listen again to the AHB2. It really delivers a pristine window to my source material with noise so low it's essentially irrelevant. More than just about any other amp, it's been great for revealing fine detail, texture, and nuance in well-recorded music. It's not sterile but it definitely gets  out of the way entirely.

Benchmark was a really close contender with me hilde45, especially being a company local to me. The AHB2 just isn’t compatible with some preamps I already own and I like the ability to swap things around if I like. 

If you are still looking for mono blocs, you might consider Odyssey power amps.

www.odysseyaudio.com

 Klaus builds them in Indiana, and, IMHO, they are excellent, especially given the price, and you can get a pair of Stratos mono blocs with 180 watts per channel for about $2700 before any upgrades.  

I purchased a pair of Kismet monblocs in Stratos cases, and the sound quality is absolutely superb; in fact, I am going to have Klaus convert them to stereo so I can vertically biamplify my speakers.  I considered replacing them with other amplifiers, but the Odysseys just sound so VERY good that I opted for the alteration route rather than replacement.

The only downside is that you might have to wait a bit for Klaus to get them built, but they most definitely are worth the wait.  (I have no relationship to Odyssey other than being a VERY satisfied customer who has talked with Klaus several times not the phone.)

@mike4597 I appreciate your thoughts but I went with the Cambridge Audio Edge M mono blocks. They're hooked up and I really like them. My whole line of thinking has changed since I started this thread. I was going to use the speakers and preamp I already had but ended up replacing almost everything, Here's what I ended up getting in the long run:

LG 77" OLED TV 
Panasonic UB820 4K DVD Player
KEF R11 Meta Speakers
Benchmark Media DAC3b Digital to Analog Converter
Cambridge Audio Edge M Monoblock amps
Parasound Halo JCP2 BP Preamplifier
APC BR1500MS2 Back-UPS Pro Power Supply (pair)
Morrow Audio SP6 Speaker Cables

Hospital grade outlets

Schneider Electric Type 1 whole house surge protector

Still using a Rotel Tribute CD player as a transport I just bought a couple years ago

Still using a 36 year old Harmon Kardon HD7600 CD player as a transport

Bought a Shanling CD transport but sent it back. It made grinding noises and wouldn't play all discs. 

Toffsyr, whatever floats your boat, as they say.  If you are happy with them, that’s what counts!  Happy listening!