Schiit - Saga S

The Short Story

Designed & Made
in the USA

Ideal for
Audiophiles

Ideal for
Indoor Use

5 Years of
Warranty

Metal
Build

DESCRIPTION

What Is Saga S?

Simply put, Schiit - Saga S is an upgraded version of the Saga that houses a discrete JFET buffer stage instead of the tube stage. Understanding people's need, Schiit has removed the tube and made it 100% solid.

The Convenient Active-Passive Controls

Control your Schiit - Saga S either in a passive mode wherein you use it with a remote-controlled passive preamp which is apt for various systems. Switch it to JFET buffer mode if you want to drive long cables.

Simple Relay-Switched Volume

Schiit - Saga S comes with relay-switch for clear volume and to offer perfect channel matching and low distortion. It has a volume knob for added efficiency. In the remote control mode, the potentiometer adheres to the remote setting.

A Must-Have For Schiit DACs

For a reliable remote-control system to integrate your digital gear with the rest of the system, you can stack Saga S and any other Schiit DACs.

Designed And Built In California

The vast majority of the total production cost of the Schiit Saga S, boards, assembly, etc—goes to American companies manufacturing in the US. From their chassis to PCBs all of these are made within the United States.

SPECS

WARRANTY

Don’t sweat it, This Schiit product is covered by a 5 Years manufacturer's warranty.
Learn more

FAQs

How is Saga S different than Saga+?

Just one thing, really: Saga S is solid-state. That is, it doesn’t have a tube in it. Instead of a tube, it uses a discrete JFET buffer stage. Saga S is for people who don’t want to deal with tubes.

Why would I need a preamp?

If you’re using a power amp without volume control, you’ll need a preamp. The preamp allows you to control volume, switch inputs, etc.

Aha. So what’s so special about your Saga S?

Lots of things. But let’s start where you probably aren’t expecting us to: in the philosophy. Yes, philosophy. Because in the past 20 years or so, audio gear has gone into full gold-plated Bentley/60’ private yacht/$120MM beach estate mode. As in, prices are completely and utterly insane. Go ahead. Look around for a remote passive preamp, and check the prices. And then start looking at preamps that use a sophisticated, perfectly-matched relay-switched stepped attenuator instead of a volume pot or cheap volume-control chip, and we’ll excuse you so you can go scream at the injustice of the world. And then there’s Saga S, at $299.

So how do you make it so cheap?

By making a ton of them at a time, by using automated surface-mount assembly, and through smart design that doesn’t need a ton of hand-work to solder and route wiring. And by selling direct. No magic.

So what’s this about it being passive or active? How does that work?

Passive preamps are great if you have short cable runs and high-impedance inputs to your power amp. On the other hand, active preamps give you the ability to run longer cables and drive low-impedance inputs on some power amps. Saga S is both. Switch it to passive mode to bypass the JFET buffer, or switch it to active mode to use the tube buffer. It’s up to you.

And this relay-stepped attenuator thing?

Yeah. It’s cool. Unlike a potentiometer, it gives you perfect channel matching down to the lowest level of the volume knob. And, the knob on the front of the preamp acts just like a normal volume knob—it stops at the bottom and top of its travel. No endlessly spinning encoders here. Just the same easy-to-use knob you’re used to, coupled with sophisticated microprocessor control.

Hey, I want balanced inputs and outputs!

Then you need Freya S, Saga S’s big sister.

So what’s a Saga?

Saga is a seeress, or a goddess associated with wisdom. Once you get off the beaten path in Norse mythology, it starts getting a bit murky like this. But we do think you’ll find Saga+ a wise choice in a system needing a preamp.