Schiit Audio Kara F
The Kara F pairs clean separation and full-bodied drive with unusually useful passive, low- and high-gain voices. Cheap Audio Man found it larger, more dynamic and more clearly defined than prior Schiit preamps, while Audiophiliac favored low gain’s lively ease, expansive staging and impressive headphone performance. Extensive analog routing completes a compelling control center.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
90/100
Build Quality
89/100
Features Connectivity
90/100
Value for Money
90/100
Pros
Delivers clean, neutral sound with abundant separation, convincing body, and strong dynamics.
Passive, low- and high-gain modes provide genuinely distinct presentations; low gain was praised for its lively, balanced character.
Discrete headphone stage offers spacious sound, strong detail retrieval, and convincing vocal and instrumental presence.
Well-built analog hub with extensive balanced and RCA connectivity, precise stepped volume control, and remote operation.
Cons
High-gain mode can sound overly incisive, forward, and edged compared with the preferred low-gain setting.
Passive mode trades some image focus and dynamic energy for its relaxed, spacious character.
One reviewer experienced protection-mode muting when turning the volume down quickly, requiring a power cycle.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
Reviewers found the Kara notably clean, spacious and involving, with strong separation and a larger-scale presentation than Schiit’s Freya variants. Its selectable passive, low- and high-gain modes meaningfully alter the presentation, with low gain emerging as the preferred balance for liveliness and ease.
Transparency Resolution
91/100
Cheap Audio Man heard “a ton of separation” from the Nexus topology and described the Kara as neutral enough to serve listeners seeking faithful reproduction. Audiophiliac also praised its detail retrieval and ability to hear into recordings, while noting balanced inputs sound just slightly clearer than RCA.
Tonal Balance Musicality
89/100
The passive mode was described as sweet, laid-back and almost tube-like, while the overall presentation had more body and heft than expected. Low gain was preferred for its more natural, lively balance; high gain was considered somewhat too incisive and forward by Audiophiliac.
Dynamics
91/100
Both reviewers singled out the more energized active modes. Cheap Audio Man found the Kara more dynamic than alternatives, and Audiophiliac heard low gain bring more spring, life and excitement than passive operation.
Soundstage Imaging
89/100
Audiophiliac described a big, open and spacious soundstage. Cheap Audio Man also found the passive setting especially spacious, though he felt its image focus was not as strong as in the active gain modes.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
89/100
Audiophiliac found the unit very well put together, with notably satisfying control feel for the price. Cheap Audio Man likewise praised the construction and Schiit’s design approach; the relay-switched stepped attenuator and substantial internal power supply support that impression.
Features Connectivity
90/100
Kara F is an unusually flexible analog control center, with two balanced and three RCA inputs, plus balanced and dual RCA outputs. It also provides passive, low- and high-gain operation, a discrete headphone amplifier, remote control, and selectable outputs; it does not include a phono stage or DAC.
Value for Money
90/100
The reviews assess the closely related Kara at $699 and speak favorably of what it offers at that price, particularly its unusual passive/low/high-gain flexibility. Audiophiliac said that flexibility is difficult to find for this money, while Cheap Audio Man highlighted the analog-only design, US manufacture and five-year warranty as long-term ownership positives.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
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Specifications
- Noise
- inaudible
- Distortion
- unmeasurable by APx555 in passive mode, state of the art balanced, better than any transducer in any configuration
- Heat
- gets moderately warm; not surprising for a Class A device
- Size
- shelf- and rack-friendly, not super desk-friendly
- Passive THD+N
- unmeasurable with APx555; below analyzer capability
- Balanced to Balanced Gain
- 1 (0dB)
- Balanced to Balanced Frequency Response
- 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 3Hz-500KHz, -3dB
- Balanced to Balanced THD
- <0.0002%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 4V RMS
- Balanced to Balanced IMD
- <0.0002%, CCIR
- Balanced to Balanced SNR
- >129db, A-weighted, referenced to 4V RMS
- Balanced to Balanced Gain
- 4 (12dB)
- Balanced to Balanced Frequency Response
- 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 3Hz-300KHz, -3dB
- Balanced to Balanced THD
- <0.0004%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 4V RMS
- Balanced to Balanced IMD
- <0.0004%, CCIR
- Balanced to Balanced SNR
- >123db, A-weighted, referenced to 4V RMS
- Balanced to SE, x1 Frequency Response
- 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 3Hz-500KHz, -3dB
- Balanced to SE, x1 THD
- <0.0003%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
- Balanced to SE, x1 IMD
- <0.0003%, CCIR
- Balanced to SE, x1 SNR
- >123db, A-weighted, referenced to 2V RMS
- SE to Balanced, X1 Frequency Response
- 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 3Hz-500KHz, -3dB
- SE to Balanced, X1 THD
- <0.0015%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 4V RMS
- SE to Balanced, X1 IMD
- <0.0022%, CCIR
- SE to Balanced, X1 SNR
- >122db, A-weighted, referenced to 4V RMS
- Maximum Power, 32 ohms
- 1W RMS per channel
- Maximum Power, 300 ohms
- 1W RMS per channel (yes same as 32 ohms)
- Headphone SNR
- >123db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS
- Headphone Crosstalk
- >-90dB
- Output Impedance
- 0.25 ohms
- Topology
- Nexus™; current feedback with nested differential stages; discrete summed single-ended outputs with high-current headphone capability; intelligent headphone oversight and protection
- Input Impedance
- 10K ohms
- Output Impedance SE
- 75 ohms
- Output Impedance Balanced
- 600 ohms
- Crosstalk
- >110dB typical all modes
- Inputs
- 2 XLR pairs plus 3 RCA pairs, selectable via front switch or remote
- Outputs
- 1 XLR pair plus 2 RCA pairs, selectable via front switch or remote
- Volume Control
- relay-switched stepped attenuator with discrete thin-film resistors, 128 0.625dB steps
- Power Supply
- One 48VA transformer with dual series regulated +/-32V rails with Quietude™ topology; plus regulated 5VDC for microprocessor
- Remote
- Standard IR remote for all front panel functions: volume, input select, gain, mute, etc. Standard Forkbeard control system for all the above, plus advanced functions including system health and alerts, and additional capabilities when more Schiit Forkbeard products are added to the stack.
- Power Consumption
- 22W typical
- Size
- 16” x 8” x 2”
- Weight
- 11 lbs
- APx555 Report
- Kara/Kara F
Manufacturer's Description — Schiit Audio
Tubes, schmubes. Who needs tubes when you have an insane, fully discrete, solid state preamp running on 64V rails—something so over the top that the likes of this haven’t been seen for 30+ years. Welcome to Kara F, the do-all Nexus™ preamp from Schiit Audio.
Nexus, Elevated. Literally.
Yes, literally. Kara F’s +/-32V rails put our differential Nexus™ topology over the top, making it capable of swinging near 100V on the balanced output, and contributing to the best-performing, best-measuring preamp we’ve ever made—near -120dB THD+N from the XLRs.
Forkbeard™: Total Control is Just the Start
Kara F includes Forkbeard, the only multi-product, multi-stack, unified control system. One app gives you total control of Kara (and many other Schiit devices). Don’t want Forkbeard? Drop it off your order and save $50. You’ll still get the standard IR remote control.
Smart Headphone Capability, Standard
You shouldn’t have to buy a dedicated headphone amp if you only use headphones occasionally. But that also doesn’t mean a cheapie op-amp headphone amp; it means the same discrete gain stage used for Kara’s outputs, coupled with a smart protection system that guards against headphone mishaps.
The Ultimate Volume Control
Kara F includes a 128-step relay-switched attenuator, rather than a traditional potentiometer. This means essentially perfect channel matching and near-unmeasurable distortion. You can also run the relay potentiometer as a purely passive attenuator, with no gain stage at all in the path. It’s your choice.
Designed and Built in the USA
By “designed and built in the USA" this is what we mean: the vast majority of the total production cost of Kara F—chassis, boards, transformers, assembly, etc—goes to US companies manufacturing in the US. Our chassis and transformers are made in California, and PCBs are California or Nevada. The whole thing comes together in our San Antonio, Texas production facility.
5-Year Warranty and Easy Return Policy
Kara F is covered by a 5-year limited warranty that covers parts and labor. And if you don’t like your Kara, you can send it back for a refund, minus 5% restocking fee, within 15 days of receiving it.
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
All Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Schiit Audio Kara F
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Audio Magic - EU — online and in-store — Wola, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland (website)
- Class D Audio USA — online — United States (website)
- Golden Acoustics — in-store — Athina, Greece (website)
- Schiit Audio — online and in-store — Los Angeles, California, United States (website)
- The Analog Shop — in-store — Victor, New York, United States (website)