Valhalla 2 as a preamp in my big system
What's in your big system?
Valhalla2 vs Freya+ as a preamp
I’m currently using the Valhalla 2 as a preamp in my big system.
I love it. Has anyone compared the Valhalla 2 to the Freya+
and is there a substantial sonic improvement? My goal is
holographic imaging and tube magic. If you’ve been in my shoes
feel free to provide input.
15 responses Add your response
The Valhalla s an integrated headphone amp which sells for $349. The Freya is a dedicated preamp that sells for $949. OK, lets analyze this from a common sense perspective. The Val is listed as a headphone amp, NOT preamp which indicates the preamp is just enough to work. The Freya is a dedicated preamp. +1 Freya. The cost of the Freya is nearly 3 times that of the Val. Better parts make better sound but they also cost more. Plus this is dedicated to the task. + 2 for the Freya. I know that everyone wants the best for the least. And there are some giant killers. But they are the exception, NOT the rule. With what I see, I can almost guarantee that you will notice a big improvement over the Val. And Schitt gives you 15 days to audition. IMO its a no brainer But WHY aren’t you using the Parasound Halo Integrated as a complete unit rather than what appears to be a somewhat cobbled up preamp section? With your system the Val is completely out of place and is begging for a better preamp. Is the preamp section broken? Just curious. |
@artemus_5 parasound works fine but I’ve always been curious about tubes. I had the Valhalla on hand and according to Schiit it can do double duty as a preamp. Curiosity got the better of me and It also sounded better than the parasound. I’m sure part of the cost disparity is the fact that the freya+ is far more feature rich. I’m asking how much better it sounds if it actually does. Do you have experience with either of these products; more importantly both? |
OK so you don't believe that the price of an object is an indicator of its sound? I see a lot of people who expect a $300 piece to sound as good as a $3000. in a world where few stereo shops exist most have to put a system together by using reviews and common sense. This is the tools I have used to build a reference system. I have a lot of life experience in hifi and I don't need to hear it to know it will sound better. FWIW I haven't made any mistakes and had to sell equipment because it didn't meet my expectations. However I have listened to equipment in a stereo store only to bring it home and find that it sucked in my system. But maybe someone will come along who has had that same setup with both pieces of Schitt and can tell you which will sound better. It could happen |
@artemus_5 ouch! Let’s start again. My name is John, nice to meet you. I looked at your system and it is mighty impressive. I believe you that it sounds great. I’m new to this hobby. I just asked if anyone had first hand experience with the products I mentioned. |
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Ahhhh My apologies. But I wasn’t all the rough on you was i? But I am kinda straight shooter which throws some. Anyway, your system looks like you have a good start. However it threw me that you had a very inexpensive preamp in with equipment which is much better. So maybe I can introduce me also Okay,, I’m also John. I’ve been into hifi for 60 yrs so I’ve had lots of experience both before the internet/ web and after the web. People talk about the necessity of listening to a piece. However the incident I told you about in the previous post did happen. It sounded great in their system, and I hated it in mine. Yet I have put together the system I have now through research and without hearing it in a store. I have yet to have a bad purchase. Of course my next purchase will be bad now that I have bragged about it! LOL. The lesson learned is that just because it sounds good in the dealers system or someone else’s doesn’t tell you how it will sound in yours. So someone who hears the 2 pieces in question, in an entirely different system still tells you only so much. The only way you will get an idea is to get opinions from those who’s system is similar to yours. So this isl a part of the research. . But I will still put more trust in the differences of the actual selling prices of each unit.. Similarly priced items generally sound mostly equal. But something that costs 3x as much is going to be a very noticeable change for the better. Again, this is general knowledge. is it a hard and fast rule? NO. But those are exceptions. Last thought I’m sure part of the cost disparity is the fact that the freya+ is far more feature rich I agree,But usually at three times the cost you will get much more than bells and whistles.Looking more closely I see that thee Freya offers balance in and out which has a cost to it. So you may be somewhat on track. However I see other stuff under the hood that help account for the cost However I believe the Val only uses the tubes for the amp section and basically uses a inactive pass through (Passive preamp) w volume. The Freya uses 6sn7 tubes which generally make for a good sound. My own though is that is will still sound better and if you have balanced inputs or outputs it may be beneficial |
@artemus_5 John, thank you for expanding on that. It makes more sense now. I’m just going to have to order it and if the difference is imperceivable - it goes back. Thank you for explaining this |
Price is not always indicative of quality. Topping Pre90 line preamplifier | Stereophile.com BTW - I owned the Topping pre90 preamp for a while, along with my current Benchmark LA4, CODA 07x, and Schitt Freya+ |