Schiit - Freya S

Designed & Made
in the USA

Ideal for
Audiophiles

Ideal for
Indoor Use

5 Years of
Warranty

Volume
Controls

Metal
Build

DESCRIPTION

SPECS

FAQs

So what’s the difference between Freya S and Freya+?

It’s pretty straightforward. Freya S uses our new Nexus™ differential gain stage to replace Freya’s tube stage. Otherwise they are functionally the same.

Wow, it’s a whole lot less expensive than Freya+!

Yep, because it has a whole lot less inside of it. Heck, it doesn’t have a whole 300V supply, from transformer onward, nor the management of tube power, nor the DC heaters. Plus no tubes. It’s simpler, and therefore less expensive.

Then why should I buy Freya+?

Because you like tubes—and because Freya+ is still one insane bargain in the tube preamp world.

No, seriously, sell me on Freya+.

You should know we don’t do that. We provide information, you make your own decisions. Even if that decision is to not buy our stuff. It’s cool. There’s plenty of good gear out there.

I don’t get preamps. What can I use a preamp for?

If you have only one source, and it has a volume control, maybe you don’t need a preamp. But if you have a system with more than one source, and you want convenient remote input switching and remote volume control, a preamp is a good idea. You can also pair it with our DACs for convenient remote volume control, since our preamps don’t cost like the total debt of a small nation-state.

So cheap is good?

Absolutely. Because in the last 20 years or so, audio pricing has gotten really stupid. Go ahead. Start looking at preamps that use a sophisticated, perfectly-matched relay-switched stepped attenuator instead of a volume pot, and you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that Freya S is in a class by itself. That is, a class with a three-digit price tag, not a four-digit price tag (that doesn’t start with, like “5,” either.)

I don’t like cheap. I distrust cheap. I like nice things.

That’s cool. We like smart design and efficient construction that make great sound affordable to more people. But if you literally have $100 bills hand-stitched into toilet paper so you can wipe your butt in wretched excess, then by all means, find something that costs more. Just don’t think it’ll automatically be any better.

So I can run this fully passive, no gain stage at all?

Yes, no problem. Just don’t expect it to convert single-ended to balanced or anything like that. It is, after all, passive.

But Nexus gives me differential output, right?

Right. Nexus converts single-ended inputs to balanced (and balanced to SE, for that matter.) It provides two levels of gain: 1 (like a buffer) or 5 (for systems that need more gain.)

What is this Nexus thing? More Schiit blathering?

Nexus is what we’ve been referring to as the “holy grail gain stage” internally, during development. Now, maybe we’re a little too much into Monty Python, or maybe we’re a bit touched in the head. But it took a long time to come up with Nexus, which is a current-feedback stage with nested differential amplification, and has the following interesting qualities:

It does not exhibit the N/N+1 gain relationship when fed a single-ended signal, so it seamlessly converts single-ended to balanced.

It also converts balanced to single-ended.

It also is quite happy to amplify, differentially, a differential signal for differential output.

It does this without summers, op-amps, or any other tricks; it is a single, discrete, differential stage.

So it’s supersymmetry?

Nope.

So it’s a circlotron?

Nope.

Hmm. So it really is different?

As far as we can tell. Of course, we don’t know everything, nor are we perfect.

Okay. Moving on. What’s the big deal about a relay-stepped attenuator?

Unlike a typical potentiometer, a relay-stepped attenuator gives you perfect channel matching down to the lowest level of the volume knob. It also makes cool clicking noises when you turn the knob. In our minds, this is the best way of doing volume control. There’s only a couple of thin-film resistors in the signal path at all times, rather than a potentiometer wiper. And it doesn’t use a “volume control chip,” which we believe proper only to cheap receivers. But then again, a lot of people think we’re crazy.

What if I don’t need balanced inputs and outputs?

Then you need Saga+ or Saga S, Freya S’s little sisters.

So what’s a Freya?

From Wikipedia, In Norse mythology, Freyja (/ˈfreɪə/; Old Norse for "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death. We have no idea what seior is, and the war and death stuff doesn’t sound so fun, but the first five items we can go along with just fine. Disturbed? Don’t be. It’s just a name.

Warranty

5 Year Warranty

Don't sweat it, this Schiit Freya S comes with a 5 year warranty from Schiit that covers manufacturing defects. All products featured on Headphone Zone are backed by an original manufacturer's warranty.

Read more about Schiit's warranty in India.