Schiit Saga presmp

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skalos

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Schiit Saga presmp
« on: 4 Dec 2016, 04:14 pm »
Has anyone heard the Schiit Saga tube active and passive preamp? Any reviews out yet??

JCS

Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #1 on: 4 Dec 2016, 06:19 pm »
I just got one.  Useful for me as I have two systems in the living room.  The dual outputs mean that I have my CD player, TV sound & 3.5mm plug for streaming from iPads/laptop permanently connected to both the Dynakitparts ST-35/F120A Metronomes and the Pass ACA/FF225wk TL.  The ACA monoblocks need the buffer; the ST-35 is fine w/ passive.  At this point, the difference between active & passive on the ST-35 is extremely subtle, so I just leave the Saga in active mode.

I was pleased to find that it shipped w/ a NOS tube; in my case a 6N8S.  No plans for tube rolling.

Some folks don't like the power switch being on the back; I think it gives a cleaner look to the front.  Definitely minimalist styling.

The remote looks like a joke: cheap plastic thing; but it works just fine.

For those who are satisfied w/ the Saga's features and care more about sound quality than appearance & bragging rights, I can certainly recommend it!

Cheers, Jim

OzarkTom

Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #2 on: 4 Dec 2016, 09:08 pm »
Hi Jim, does the remote change the volume?

I.Greyhound Fan

Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #3 on: 4 Dec 2016, 10:33 pm »
I was hoping that in active mode that it would add some gain but apparently not.

jmc207

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Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #4 on: 5 Dec 2016, 12:56 am »
According to the manual the remote can change volume, input source, switch between active/passive mode, and mute the output.  Pretty neat! http://schiit.com/public/upload/PDF/saga_manual_1_1.pdf

mcgsxr

Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #5 on: 5 Dec 2016, 12:40 pm »
Very tempting!

JLM

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Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #6 on: 5 Dec 2016, 12:46 pm »
So Jim, how does it sound (active I mean, as I presume passive adds no sound).

And is the tube on whenever the preamp is on?  (Wondering about burning through tubes when just using it as a passive.)

I have a plastic credit card remote for my DSPeaker DAC/preamp now and yeah it works but not great.  Hope their balanced version of the Saga will have a decent remote.

bentconvert

Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #7 on: 5 Dec 2016, 04:35 pm »
I've have an interest in the Saga also and have followed the activity over at Head-Fi.

Here is are threads from Head-fi http://www.head-fi.org/t/826632/schiit-saga-tube-rolling http://www.head-fi.org/t/826388/schiits-saga-preamp-impressions

There is additional info in Jason Stoddard's blog on Head-fi as well http://www.head-fi.org/t/701900/schiit-happened-the-story-of-the-worlds-most-improbable-start-up/14010. You have to wade through a lot of other stuff to find Saga specific posts.

JLM - post 14078 answers your question about the tube.  http://www.head-fi.org/t/701900/schiit-happened-the-story-of-the-worlds-most-improbable-start-up/14070

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oveja Negra View Post
I have a couple of questions regarding Saga, just out of curiosity:
1.- Can this device work in the passive mode without having a tube inserted in it?
2.- If there is a tube inserted, when the passive mode is selected, does the tube remain energized? Basically, I want to know if using Saga in the passive mode helps to extend the tube's life
Regards!
 
From Jason Stoddard
1. Of course.

2. Yes, the tube is active all the time. As I posted before, if you don't want it, just leave it out. Or wait for octal LISST.

JCS

Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #8 on: 5 Dec 2016, 04:56 pm »
It's new & the tube may need more break-in hours.  All I can say at this time is that when I switch between active & passive when using the ST-35, there is only a very subtle difference--but that may be imagined as much as real; which is to say, I know that I changed it & am trying to hear differences, so maybe I think there is a very tiny difference when in fact there is none--better or worse? I have no idea.  In my opinion, the Saga adds nothing in passive mode.  When switched to active, there MAY be a VERY subtle softening in the highest octave, but I could well be wrong.  You might hear it entirely differently on your equipment.  The change when using the SS Pass ACA amps is substantial, but that is expected, as the input impedance of the ACA is too low for use w/ a simple passive pre.

From what I can tell, the active mode does not produce a dramatic 'tube sound', at least on my system.  As always, YMMV!

The tube is always on when the Saga is on.  My experience is that small signal tubes (as opposed to output power tubes) can last a VERY long time, maybe decades.  I am not worried about it wearing out, however, I seem to recall once hearing about something called 'cathode poisoning" (??) resulting from tubes sitting powered up but idle.  This might be worth investigating.  As for me, I think I will just use it in active mode, and power it off when not in use.

The remote is about 3 credit cards thick; black plastic, poorly labeled; really flimsy.  BUT--it works just fine.  Has volume, source selection (toggles around the 5 inputs), active/passive toggle, and mute (which is no source selected).  The Saga is turned on/off with the switch on its back panel; i.e. not controlled by the remote.

Cheers, Jim

JCS

Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #9 on: 5 Dec 2016, 05:51 pm »
With a bit more research, it appears that the 6N8S tube that came w/ my Saga isn't NOS which I thought it was due to 1) no obvious manufacturer's logo that I could see; 2) shipped in an unlabelled foam padded box, not in a labelled cardboard box; 3) general appearance. 

Still no plans to do any tube rolling, but I guess I can't completely rule that out in the future.

Cheers, Jim

JLM

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Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #10 on: 5 Dec 2016, 08:42 pm »
Thanks for the answers, but my system is balanced so I'll wait for the Schiit Freya.

OzarkTom

Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #11 on: 6 Dec 2016, 01:56 am »
A video with Mike and Jason talking about their new preamps. I might wait for the Freya also.

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/10/saga-freya-vidar-three-fresh-pieces-of-schiit-from-rmaf-2016/

fredgarvin

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Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #12 on: 6 Dec 2016, 05:56 pm »
The Vidar amp at $699 is attention grabbing.

Peter J

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  • Hmmmm
Re: Schiit Saga presmp
« Reply #13 on: 6 Dec 2016, 06:51 pm »
I love these guy's irreverent attitude and approach to business.

The Vidar does indeed look interesting.