tube rolling with Schiit Freya +

The Had amps are somewhat "exclusive" (and based on what they are, a hand made technical masterpiece) as they simply show up on Ebay whenever he completes one, and they're all over the map...2 to 4 watt triodes, higher powered triode amps, pentode single ended, preamps, an integrated amp...whatever he feels like putting together any given day...Had was the founder and chief designer for Cary Audio until retirement and many feel he's one of the all time truly great amp designers. My amp comes from a run of Single Ended Pentode amps he was making for a while and as a HO, or "high output" version, it will produce 10 to 17 wpc depending on the chosen power tubes...it can run anything from EL34s to KT150s. He also sells 25 watt mono-blocks called "Dragon Inspire QMB-25s" through Moon audio for around 4 grand a pair...I'd love to try those things.

I sent the Aegir back to Schiit (at a loss of around 100 bucks for return shipping and "re-stocking") as it doesn't sound as good (to me) as my single ended Had Firebottle tube amp...the Aegir did sound very interesting and certainly lives up to its reviews as a sweet SS amp, but I think I'm spoiled by the Had amp (and very used to its sound obviously as it's been in continuous use for a couple of years), and as a great single ended tube amp it simply has a snappy feel and harmonic profile that I clearly prefer, and no SS amp I've heard replicates that tone...I still might try a Pass XA25 at some point as I'm a fan of Nelson's ideas, but at nearly 5 grand (worth it, but still) for an experiment inspired by curiosity I'll likely just keep enjoying my little tube amp for a while. 

I'm not sure about my Freya burn-in...it simply sounded great from day one (a couple of years ago...original version). I tried all sorts of tubes and landed on NOS GEs as my fave...a taste thing. I'm now breaking-in a Schiit Aegir amp...it's amazing, and if it gets any better (been 2 days) my head might explode.