Have you upgraded from a Freya?


I have had a Freya+ for a few years and like it a lot, but still get to thinking what another notch up the ladder might bring. Looking for feedback and impressions from folks who have upgraded from the Freya.  I mainly use the solid state buffered mode, my listening sessions tend to be shorter and I don't turn on the tubes very often. The rest of the chain past the preamp is Coda #8 -> LS50's.

zlone

BTW - I had the LS50 with the CODA #8 and it was very good in my small office. However, the LS50 Meta is much better to my ears. Most people are saying it was only a minor improvement. In my system I thought it was a big improvement. I did not want to get rid of the LS50 Meta but I gave it to my nephew to take to university.

I now use the Magnepan LRS+ ($999) in the office and it is much better than the LS50 Meta in most aspects. I think the LS50 Meta was a bit sharper focused on the images but I only did a few hours of A+B tests and I was trying to find something.

The CODA #8 should be very good on the LRS+. The CODA #16 is incredible on the LRS+.

Thanks for the feedback folks.

@ozzy62 Beautiful piece of gear that Hattor, and very attractive pricing. I could not find any specs, specifically output impedance, on the site. Given it is passive, that would figure heavily into any decision. I tried the passive on the Freya+ for a while, but it seemed a bit dull compared to the buffered and tube stages. That is my only experience with passive, but I am not against the idea.

@yyzsantabarbara I do plan to upgrade from LS50's someday soon and will likely give the LRS+'s a listen. I plan to move to a slightly larger room this winter and that will open up some possibilities in that area. Interesting thoughts on the Mjolnir, I looked at it, seems like a pretty amazing piece of gear.

A fresh update on my preamplifier search. About a month ago I bought a Pass XP-12 to replace the Benchmark LA4 in my system. While I liked the Benchmark very much, I still felt that . I believe that I have found that in the XP-12 as it offers a fuller and slightly warmer sound. I would say it does not as good as the Benchmark for low volume listening, but it is good enough. For now, I am quite happy with the Pass and will camp here for a while.

As commented back in November, I planned to upgrade my speakers and move to a larger room. I have done both, got a good deal on some KEF Reference One's that have been an excellent upgrade from the LS50's, and I am putting the finishing touches on the new room at which point I will finally post my system on the site.