Schiit Saga Thread

If I wanted to add some midrange bloom and soundstage width, is there a tube to throw in saga that makes it possible? Awhile ago I tried Saga with the stock tube and the differences between passive and active were very, very subtle that I’d fail hard if blindfolded.

I know Saga is transparent but I’m worried it’s too transparent for what I’m aiming for.

 

I found the RCA gray glass tube to be warm when I tried it in the Saga

 

@msommers You might try some of the 6SL7 equivalents.

 

Heineken bottle. Nozzle down. Now that would look cool.

Bonus: insert a set of Xmas lights in the bottle, and find a way to power them from the tube socket. Then BS your friends about this being the best-sounding tube ever, the sound is smooth and goes down easy, but the skunky harmonics are an acquired taste...

(Rinse and dry the inside well before doing so.)

 

I forget if I've posted this at some point already, I don't think I did here probably on head-fi. Anyway, I don't recall getting any concrete answers to the dilemma I had.

Earlier this year, back in January or so, I was in need of a preamp to replace my Anthem 225 integrated which was being used as pre with my newly acquired Pass Labs stereo amp. I decided to give the Saga a punt. Long story short, when I introduced the Saga into my system, I was horrified to see that it was causing extreme pops in the left channel when adjusting the volume. I was inclined to believe that if I had kept the saga in my system, it would have eventually destroyed my drivers, it was that bad.

Anyway, I sent it back to schiit, thinking it was obviously defective, and when my replacement arrived, I saw that it had the same issue. Keep in mind, everything else that I used as a preamp, be it my anthem, my denon stereo reciever, or an audio-gd amp I had did not introduce this crazy popping issue.

I think what happened was there was some kind of grounding issue in my system. I really don't know though, because if that was the case, why did no other gear I owned recreate this problem I had?

I would really like to try another Saga, this time to try with the new speakers I plan on getting. If only because it's been really bugging me ever since I got the two sagas and this all happened. I'm really wondering why I had the problem, and if I somehow got a saga that played nice with my system, would it sound better then my current preamp, a pass labs xp-10.

 

I tried EVERYthing you could think of, trust me. Differnt cables and interconnects, swapping sources, tryout with no inputs and with, no tube and with, active and passive mode, etc etc. I was stumped. I spent the better part of 3 days trying to figure out why it was popping so badly. In the end I concluded I had a grounding issue in my system.

 

From my limited knowledge that usually shows up as hum, but might be worthwhile to try something like the hum eliminator that Shiit recommends - EBTech Hum-X I believe it is.

 

I'm using a Sylvania VT-231 right now in my Saga and I like it a lot. Best tube I've had in it so far (tried 6 or 7) Best mids I’ve had, and a fairly open soundstage, even with just the one tube. And I would also say the least tonally skewed of the tubes I’ve tried as well.

 

I settled on a wooden doorknob for now, might paint it silver if I can't think of anything better.

 

On the topics of tubes for Saga, has anyone tried and have impressions to share of using the LISST in it?

 

I have a LISST but haven't used it enough to give it a good review. But I like what I hear so far. I couldn't tell it from the Tung-Sol tube in a blind test. (But I can tell tube from passive mode.)

 

I like this idea, although I think AVCs would have a common ground between input and output i.e. it would not solve ground issues like a TVC might.

 

Hi
Quick question. As Saga doesn't add any gain, like most others I have to turn up the vol. knob more than I ever had to with other (integrated) amps. Usually around 12 o'clock. No prob so far. But I have a feeling, that from time to time some high tones sound a little bit distorted. I could be wrong though. So, can distortion really be caused by the preamp? Isn't distortion a result of a poweramp/Speakers running at very high levels? Because my vidar is far from being at a limit. And in this case, would Freya be a solution as it adds gain?
thx!

 

Are you using it in passive mode or with the tube stage?

 

Usually your amp has plenty of gain so additional gain is not needed and in fact adds noise.

Switch to passive mode. If you still have distortion then it's likely your amp. If it disappears then it's probably the tube buffer in the Saga.

 

Thx for your help. I usually use the tube stage. Only had time for a quick test tonight. Couldn't hear a difference between passive and tube. Not sure, because I only listened to a couple of records tonight, but i left Loki switched off this time (it makes the little bit of hum I still have louder) and for some reason the music sounded better to my ears. More natural and less fatiguing. But as I said, for now it's only a short impression. Will do some more tests these days.

 

A question about input impedance on Saga (which appears to be the same on Freya).

I was reading a review of the BorderPatrol SE DAC and noticed they recommend a minimum of 20k ohms input impedance on the preamp - I’m wondering if the input impedance of 10k in the Schiit preamps is typical or is this considered low? Also, what does it take to raise the input impedance? Does it do any harm (sonically or otherwise) to add more input impedance (if possible)?