Added a Schiit Freya+ to a Sansui 8080

The Sansui has a 0.2% TDH while the Schiit Freya+ runs much more clean at <0.01%

Is it safe to say that less TDH main contributing factor to what I am observing when I say I've lost warmth?

These discussions would fill up the pages of Stereo Review and High Fidelity magazines some 35/ 40 years ago.  The general consensus was that you most likely couldn't hear any real differences until you got to the 1% TDH level.  Viewed comparatively, portable players (tape, CD) were usually at the 10% TDH level and that was fairly audible.   

Vintage equipment sounded warmer in comparison to today's components.  Vintage components were just designed and built differently.  Also, vintage components were tuned for analog ... vinyl and tape and FM radio.  No digital in the mix.   Warmth was desired.  There were tone controls to modify the sound a bit if desired.  Then again, I remember the user guide for EPI 100 speakers that suggested listening without tone controls, so the user could hear the advantage of EPI's linear sound.  

The only current speakers that I have heard that sound close to vintage era speakers are the Wharfedale Dentons.  

Your Sansui 8080 was designed to operate as a unit.  I believe you will defeat its charms, by changing that around.  

Rich 

Thanks Rich.  That's sort of the conclusion I have come to in this short period of time - i'm defeating the Sansui's charm.

I had a good thing going and I got greedy  (or let's say curious, rather) :)

Rich is correct in his assessment. Placing a current day preamp in front of a vintage integrated is problematic. I would point out that the Freya+ has a signal to noise ratio of around 100 db (very good for a preamp), while the Sansui is around 80 db (meh). The higher SNR, the better. Basically, the Sansui has more background noise which may lend itself to a "warm" sound, but in general, it means that there is more distortion present that results in said described, "warmth". Hence the Freya+ created a cleaner sound that when pushed through the Sansui, you lose "warmth", largely due to the fact that the preamp section in the Sansui was inferior and lent itself towards the Sansui analog sound of it's day, as Rich pointed out. And, as with all older gear, the Sansui may or may not have been re-capped- or it may have been re-capped with parts that were slightly different than what was original- which would lend itself to a different sound. 

If you listen with the Freya in passive mode, you will be hearing the amplifier section of the Sansui. That should give you all the information you need on what kind of sound it is contributing. "Muddied" would likely be your adjective when you do that. 

I have the Wharfedale Linton's paired with a Rogue RP-1 and an NAD C298. Before I purchased the NAD C298, I used an NAD 275BEE. As for SNR, the difference in those two amps are some 20db's apart. That is distinctly audible. The C298 sounds cleaner, more articulate, and less muddied. I remember comparing the two amps and realized that the 275 provided a better soundstage (a bit more present and wider) but that was because of the distortion. When listening over long periods of time, that soundstage became an aggravation to my ears and it was a relief to pair the RP-1 back up with the 298. 

I would suggest finding a stand alone amp with an SNR of 90db or higher to match with your Freya+. You have simply done what everyone else has done, you have upgraded one piece of equipment, which opens itself up to another piece of equipment being the villain. Move on, don't try to make the Sansui better, it is as good as it's going to get stand alone. 

You have entered the world of separates. Use equipment that matches well with one another and use quality cabling to connect them together. Your starting point is now your preamp (a good one!), and your streamer and speakers are fine. I love my Linton's, feed them better electronics and they will respond in spades.

Thank you for the thoughtful response.  All makes perfect sense.

Now I feel like I'm at a crossroads.  Continue down the path of separates or fall back to the Sansui (which I actually realize I really liked) and return the Freya 

Or fall back to the Sansui and keep the Freya to build around.   (ie another system)

Where does the madness end?  :P

Probably lower distortion. SS Freya measures well from what I have seen. Is this the Freya with the tube mode? I’d expect that to sound different than SS or passive.

I have a Freya (no tubes) I’ll be hooking up for first time this weekend. Expecting good things!

Freya with vintage amp will work fine. All depends on personal preference for sound. Personally, I would avoid most vintage gear. Technology has come a long way and best products at all price points which includes Freya reflect that. From a pure technical execution perspective, vintage gear is more likely to be the bottleneck to ultimate performance. Thing is ultimate performance is not the same thing as what people like. People like whatever for whatever reason and that’s perfectly fine. Different strokes…. I remember that vintage Sansui sound quite well.  Very nice!