Schiit Freya+(Plus)

I had been happy since I got Freya last week.

Stock tubes are not bad but it sound slightly veiled and lacking refinement .

Thus I recommend you to try Nos tube like Sylvania GTB or vt231.

All quad Sylvania GTB made in 1955 sounds neutral with somewhat gentle treble.

I had paid 200$ for quad from reliable Ebay dealer.

RCA gray tube in gain stage and Syl GTB in buffer stage give warm and lush sound.

Sylvania vt 231 which had been my favorite for last 2 years in Line Magnetic 508 int amp give more transparent and clear details when used in gain stage.

Out of curiosity I had gone to all quad stock tubes.

I had run demagnetizaiton tracks twice ( 6min each) and started listening to Eva Cassidy's "Autumn Leaves, Songbird" , "The Trinity Session" by Cowboy Junky and Trittico by Fennel for classical music.

I had expected somewhat etched or bright sound out of JJ stock tubes.

Wow Freya with stock JJ tube sounds very dynamic with good details.

Compared with Nos tubes, it is slightly veiled and lacking refinement, but it is still quite listenable.

It will improve after break in.

@ oldhvymec

I had enjoyed my Freya + for three weeks without issue.

But I also noticed it runs hot.

Do you have good ventilation around it?

It shall not be under the shelf.

If you keep having problem, it is better to contact Schitt support.

They will reach you in a day.

Good luck.

Thomas

Regarding OP’s problem of Freya+ sounding too lush over the top.

I also found Freya lush but not over the top.

Stock tubes does not sound harsh but veiled.

If you spend 50$ per pair of Sylvania GTB tubes made in 1950’s from Ebay, then it will sound much more clearer.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Brown-Base-Sylvania-6SN7Gtb-6SN7-Tubes-Nice/264713608987?_trkparms=aid%3D1110001%26algo%3DSPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225074%26meid%3Dc2913a290fd74f70a3b81000c93678dd%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D392416419311%26itm%3D264713608987%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109

Actually I ordered several tubes from this dealer at bargain but good quality.

You can try one pair in gain stage spending 20$.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-Of-Sylvania-Chrome-Top-6SN7-GTB-Tubes/233501282345?_trkparms=aid%3D1110001%26algo%3DSPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225074%26meid%3D045cb3a05ab74614888e43a9c01c578d%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D264713608987%26itm%3D233501282345%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109

One more link so that you can buy quad.




Good Luck!

Thomas

Update on tube rolling of Freya+.

After using Russian 68ns made in 1978 tube for a while at gain stage, I switched to RCA gray bottle 4 days ago keeping Sylvania vt231 at buffer stage.

With RCA gray bottle at gain stage, it sound round and full almost like analog.

I enjoy " I left my heart in San Francisco" .

It remind me of my old days.

I had lived in Berkeley hill overlooking Golden Gate bridge from 1984 to 1987.

The only missing thing is that RCA gray seems to give slightly less details than 68ns.


Then about 2 days ago, I replaced Rca gray bottle with Kenrad vt231.

Wow this is an endgame combination.

It sound full and sweet with enough air.

"Cry me a river" by Diana Krall sounds so emotional that I do not need to spend more time on tube rolling on Freya+.



Kenrad vt231 at gain stage and Sylvania vt231 at buffer stage leave nothing to be desired.

Although I like Kenrad and Syl vt 231 combo as end game,

you can also have Russian 6n8s to use at gain stage since it give more lively sound.

If you switch between Kenrad and 6n8s, it is kind of having two different pre.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/QUAD-FOUR-Matched-Balanced-Russian-6N8S-6SN7-double-triode-TUBE-NEW-NOS/312402083888?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Right two tubes  are gain, left tubes are buffer.

In theory, gain tubes shall have more effect but in reality, both gain and buffer have almost same effect on the sound.

You do not need to use same quad tubes.

The best thing is to experiment yourself to find the best sound to your taste.