That’s a beautiful setup, and an elegantly simple one. Have you written impressions of the sound with the Freya+? I’d be keen to hear how the tubes influence the overall sound.
I have only had it 1 day so far so these are totally initial impressions:
I think it compliments the Jotunheim R/Sr1a well and increases the perceived soundstage, takes a slight edge off the treble while making mids and mid-bass slightly more present.
With the RAAL/Freya I can have the ribbons flush against my ears which normally squished the perceived width of the sound but now has all of the benefits while keeping the soundstage.
Sat down to try it out before getting my PC up and running and multiple hours went by easily before doing anything else. I think that is the best compliment I can give it.
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Why are you jaded with headphones?
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Current setup - Rockna Wavedream → Luxman L550axii → GenesisG/Sony CD900st BTL-mod or Dynaudio Focus 110
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UPDATE: Hi there! Current picture and detailed breakdown now that I have things a bit more settled in a usable and long term config.
I relocated my desktop setup to the master bedroom which has the best A/C while we go through the big heat-wave hitting the Pacific Northwest(114-F today…)
Desk/Stands:
Grabbed a $79.99 bamboo Ikea desk which was about 57" wide and perfect for the 49" screen and grabbed some Studio clamp-on speaker stands to get the Bookshelf tweeter’s ear-level and extend the usable horizontal space(they look pretty cool too)
I have spent a few months playing with the MiniDSP SHD DAC/Streamer and have fallen in love with it after getting familiar with using the Dirac Live software and setting up custom crossovers/filters and dialing in the room correction.
PC:
Monitor: Viotek 49" 5120x1440 120hz
CPU: Intel i9-9900K(5.2ghz)
GPU: Gigabyte Aorus RTX 3090
Mobo: GIgabyte Aorus Master Z390
Input: Razer Deathadder v2 , Logitech G613
Updated 2.0 setup( all XLR):
MiniDSP SHD(w/Dirac Live room correction) > Freya+ > Crown XLS1002> KEF Q350
Raal SR1a setup:
MiniDSP SHD(custom EQ w/slight sub-bass boost and treble reduction @3k) > Freya+ > Jotunheim R > Raal SR1a
Dark/warm balanced closed-back setup:
Schiit Modius > Loxjie P20(upgraded tubes) > Meze 99 NEO with Brainwavz angled sheepskin pads
Also have RCA connected from Freya+ to P20 for double tubey/gooey(sounds great but slight loss in upper-register details)
Next upgrade:
The Crown amp takes up a lot of space and is kind of an eye-sore, will probably grab one of the current-gen compact balanced amps like the SMSL DA-9, Sabaj A20a or Hypex/Purifi amps since I am near-field and do not need a monster amp.
Other than that I am definitely at a point of diminishing return on upgrades other than maybe a ZMF VC eventually but so far I am really impressed with the 99 Neo for the price.
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Current configuration of my desk setup… testing out the Burson Funk with the Kefs to n near field configuration… so far… pretty impressive!!!
Still a lil messy after redoing the setup… plus I still need to add my Mac into the setup for video editing, so I’m sure it will change again soon ha!
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Still sucks that they didn’t include a remote with the Funk…that would’ve been great for flexibility!
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Agreed!! Especially how I have it setup… it’s a stretch to get to it ha! But I get why, as it’s meant to be a good desktop AIO and you would want to have volume control on hand when using headphones or a headset. Pretty impressive though! Really digging on it!
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Working from left to right:
ZMF Aeolus
Focal Clear MG
Chord Hugo TT2 (fed by Lumin U1 Mini - not in picture)
(Second shelf - Schiit Sys, feeding the Chord Hugo TT2 to (alternately) my Ampsandsound tube amp and my desktop Audioengine A5+ speakers)
Ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation
All managed by Roon via a Roon Nucleus.
The Hugo TT2 does triple duty, actually, also feeding my Parasound P6 preamp which, in turn, drives my Parasound A21+ amp, which powers my KEF Q950 towers (which in turn do double duty as part of a Denon/KEF/SVS home theater setup).
Oh, and my MacBook Air is connected to the Hugo TT2 (see the white dongle?) in case I want the full Apple Music 24/192 experience.
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Fantastic setup !!
Good to see a fellow SVS owner. My home theater 7.1.2) setup is Denon/JBL/SVS. Bought my SVS cylinder sub in 2005…. Still going strong. I now have prime towers and elevations as well. Would love Ultra towers but they’d be overkill for my room size.
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Having finalized my audio setup for the foreseeable future (with my ZMF Verite Closed in Olive on order), I toy with the idea of a second SVS (I have the SB-3000), and wonder if it’ll be overkill in a 14x16 room. After trying to squeeze enough controlled power out of other brands, it took 30 seconds for me to know I would be delighted with my SVS.
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And by the way, to the extent this is a great setup (I’m thrilled with it), it’s only because of the amazing feedback and suggestions I received from this community. I can’t tell you how many wrong directions I would’ve gone off in without the guidance I received.
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I don’t think I’ve posted here yet, somehow. Got me a new monitor on Prime Day, which was supposed to replace the one I had. Then I decided two monitors must be better than one. Thus was born the latest iteration of my “man corner”
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Even with the picture magnified, I’m still not sure that the monitor on the left isn’t levitating.
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Pretty obviously you need a 3rd monitor on the right of the bigger curved one–for that Bloomberg terminal/“THE WOLF OF WALL STREET” look.
PS: nice DNA amp!
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Thanks! Not mine, unfortunately. It’s a demo (prototype) Stratus on kind loan to me from Donald. I have placed an order for a Stellaris, but that won’t get built until next year. I’m just hanging on to this one until Donald needs it back (or it travels to the next customer), at which point my Woo WA5 will go back to the top of the rack until it has to be sent on its way after the Stellaris arrives.
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I had my friend’s Stratus IMS on loan a couple years ago. It impressed me as a rather neutral but musical tube amp. All my headphones sounded great on it.
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Current portable set-up for musical June/July sunsets! 
iPhone (offline library) → Apple CCK (USB) → Hugo 2 → RAD-0
Everything fits in the hard case that comes with the RAD-0 headphones. The Hugo 2 is plugged into the wall at hotels and Jackery battery at camp. Music is offline in Apple Music and Dropbox.
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Have some stuff in for review. 1st thought is that the Bryston is a lot better equipped, having not one, but two knobs.
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Modular volume knobs and Tansu audio racks are the future.
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