Preamps

I've paired my Freya with an ARC REF75 amp and it sounded astonishing, with none of the alleged soundstage issues described, so I can only surmise some people simply live on another planet. I brought it into an "audio salon" and the sales dudes were shocked at how good it sounded, even relative to some insanely pricey stuff. It's a quiet over-performer, with plenty of otherwise rational rave reviews supporting it.

Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffat aren't about to sell a crappy product that effects the great reputation they've developed over the years. The Freya is a huge hit simply because it's well engineered and sounds great, costs FAR less than most other preamps in its class (although it has far more features than most), and they listen to customer's suggestions for improvement. The "newer" versions of the Freya have less of a gain gap between the tube and other modes, they've added new Tung Sol 6SN7GTBs as an option, and they certainly listen to anybody who asks about things, and replace faulty items. 

A Freya is simply not inherently more vibration prone than any other preamp so that ain't it, sorry. You can hit this thing with a stick and it's still quiet...Also, the stock 6H8C tubes provided for my Freya were also dead silent, just less interesting sounding than other options. Of course there are others "whining" about Freyas, as well as ARC preamps and every other brand out there as that's what people on forums do, but the Freya is a huge hit in spite of forum critics as the vast majority of owners seem happy with 'em. I suggest astelmaszek simply send his back as the warranty is likely still valid.

Nonsense. I also have a large collection of 6SN7GTBs and they're dead quiet in my Freya, and the thing is as quiet as any SS preamp I've owned over the decades...or quieter. I guess I got lucky! I have a Loki EQ in the path and it's usually off, but a good test for noise is to crank the highs in the Loki and put my ear right at the tweeter horn on one of the Heresy IIIs...no tube noise at all, and really a very quiet, virtually noiseless preamp. I'll note the obvious that microphonic tubes are THE TUBES, not the amp, and to claim a preamp itself is responsible for tube noise issues from microphonics is strange indeed. I toss noisy tubes in the bin, so to speak.

Georgehifi is wrong about the Schiit Freya...it has five inputs and THREE OUTPUTS...2 single ended and one balanced. What a stunningly horrible misstatement, rendering me horrified and utterly saddened, reduced to a mere shell of a man...*sniff*...