2. amps-preamps
  3. 169186-141093

Thinking Out Loud

I have been interested in checking out the “tube sound” for some time and just bought a Schiit Freya+ to pair with my SS amp.  The Freya+ replaces, or compliments, a Parasound P5 preamp I have been using.  I don’t know whether to just set aside the Parasound pre and go with the Freya+, as I don’t know how to incorporate both into my system so I could just switch between them.

A bigger issue surfaced when I realized the Freya+ doesn’t have a dac, not even for phono use.  So it wasn’t as simple as getting the Freya+ and dropping it into the system, I now need to supply a dac for at least the phono.  I had previously purchased a Audiolab CD transport, which lacks a built-in dac.  To remedy that, I bought a Pro-ject Dac Box 2 that I was just using with the Audiolab via the RCA-type connection.  I know this dac has other connections, but I’m not sure if I can connect it to the Freya+ using the other connections.  The Pro-ject has no power off button, so I have been plugging and unplugging it each time I play a CD.  Now I would have to do that each time I want to play vinyl — a bit annoying.

I think my problem is that I approached things piecemeal, adding/substituting gear without realizing up front the problems in doing that.  Do I just switch to the Freya+ full-time or is there a good way to incorporate both preamps?  Do I try to use the Pro-ject dac with available connections, or do I retire the Pro-Ject and buy a more full-featured dac equipped to handle multiple devices easily?
bob540
bob540 OP
405 posts
 
Follow-up:  Giving the tubes time to settle in, the sound has become more full and not dominated so much by the highs.  I think I like this!

Haven't bought any other tubes yet, but I think I will try some Tung-Sols.  All the ads I have seen are limited to matched pairs, but there are four tubes.  I’m guessing that since each pair is devoted to a different function, I just need the two tubes devoted to that function to be matched, not all four, right?
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
A pair at a time is fine OP. One left one right.

When and if you swap valves (tubes) keep an eye out for the first few hours up to 24 hours.

Shipping tubes is never a good thing, being aware for the first few hours is always a good idea.. Red Plating or flame out.. (inside the tube).

Regards
bob540 OP
405 posts
 
@oldhvymec, I read about the red plating and flame out tubes, which seemed to be a premium feature. Worth the money, eh?  And if I get a pair of matched tubes (instead of two matched pairs to replace all), I should put one new tube on one function and the other tube on the other function, instead of having the matched tubes together on one function (I think one function is input and the other function is output)?
More to discover