Schiit Freya+(Plus)

I'm a Freya+(no need to add the word "Plus" after Freya+) owner, and I've had it for several months now.  I've tried it with 3 different amps and 5 different pairs of speakers, plus 3 different sets of speaker cables and some interconnect changes.

The Schiit piece sounds really good with all of it.  I can hear the weaknesses of different speakers and cables.  But what you get with the Freya+ is what's in the music, it doesn't add lushness or bass.  It is the most transparent, detailed resolving pre I've had.

So the new owner that is complaining of lushness, you never described the rest of your system, so no one can really help you beyond generalities.  The brand/model of amp and speakers would be a big help.  

Right now it could simply be your preferences that are giving you the false impression of lushness.  Perhaps your old pre(we have no idea how recent your Freya acquisition is) was so sterile that the Freya is lush by comparison.  Or your speakers are too warm, or your amp, giving the impression of lushness.

At this point, there are simply too many variables to help you more than just in generalities.

This goes for needlebrush as well.  Too bassy?  The Freya does not add bass.  Perhaps its just outperforming your previous pre to such an extent that the bass is now noticeable.  Perhaps the Freya has a hotter signal than your old pre.  Just too many variables to offer any help.  Buying another pre may be just throwing money away when the next pre also has higher voltage output than whatever your old pre was.

213, I think you hit the nail on the proverbial head. I have over 600 hours listening to the Freya+ and could not agree more. In my case, the Freya+ exposed my lack of room treatments. Most of what I listen to is High Res from Qobuz and once I began to fully hear what was present in the material, it was easy to make needed corrections.

Is the freya+ better than the Prima Luna Dialogue premium preamp?

Not having compared the two sonically, I can't say. But if balanced operation is important to you, the Freya+ offers two balanced inputs as well as balanced output. There are other functional differences as well. So I would first compare the two functionally and aesthetically, and if you find no clear preference, then you can decide whether the Dialogue sounds 4x better than the Freya so as to justify the price difference.

IMO, much may depend on your listening preferences -- not just source material, but preferred sonic profile. The two preamps will sound different, but only you can say which you prefer. Both companies offer a test period allowing you to get at least a sense of this.

Ok I got the little Freya +. Delivery was fast. Looked good.
I took it out of the box voiced it, plumbed it and turned it on.

I couldn't select the input, via remote or manually on the machine.

I turn it off, make sure everything is right, check the connections,
AGAIN. Turn it back on, same thing, 3, 4, times. Then it powers
up and works. Magic...

THEN

It plays for 30 min or so and got so hot, the tubes shut down.

I walked over, I couldn't put my hand on the cover. LOL
That's hot, even for me.  It was at 20-30% volume.

I went to turn it down with the remote, it wouldn't volume all
the way down. So I turned it down, gently, it was stuck.

I used the remote again and it worked. BUT the valves were still off.

I turn the unit off, unplug, swap PC, to an all copper. Turn it back on
and it worked.

Everytime from that point on If I used the valves the volume would stick after about 20 min or so. It overheated once and shut down. That stopped. It sounded good. 

It went back, no problems so far.. I just lost my confidence for sure
on that one. They were quick to respond. Send a shipping label.
It was packed correctly. The box looked unharmed.

I used another one over a couple week period. Not a hitch..

Maybe in a couple months..I went back to a C20 Mac, No remote..
I like a remote..

Regards