Schiit Audio Saga 2
The Schiit Saga 2 delivers open, airy transparency with a remarkably smooth, liquid tonal character, pairing finely resolved treble with focused imaging and authoritative bass. StereoNET United Kingdom found its passive and Class A active modes especially adept at matching different sources, while the relay attenuator brings precise channel balance to this compact, high-value control center.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Build Quality
88/100
Features Connectivity
85/100
Value for Money
94/100
Pros
Open, clean and spacious presentation, with excellent midrange separation, extended treble and convincing soundstage depth.
Passive and active Class A modes offer useful system matching: passive mode sounds airy, while active operation adds solidity and focus.
64-step relay-switched attenuator provides precise volume adjustment and strong channel balance.
Exceptional value, combining balanced and RCA outputs, remote control, and headphone capability in a compact preamp.
Cons
No balanced XLR inputs, which may limit convenience with fully balanced source components.
No built-in phono stage, so turntable users need a separate phono preamp.
Headphone connection does not mute the loudspeaker outputs.
Small volume knob can make manual fine adjustment less ergonomic despite the attenuator’s precision.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
Reviewers find the Saga 2 unusually clean, open and musically involving for an affordable preamplifier. Its passive and active modes give it useful system-matching flexibility, while reports consistently praise its low coloration, spacious presentation and solid drive.
Transparency Resolution
93/100
StereoNET found it conspicuously free of “hash and mush,” with an openness that lets the music speak for itself. Future Audiophile similarly heard clear, transparent sound, crisp isolated vocals and little noticeable coloration.
Tonal Balance Musicality
92/100
StereoNET describes a smooth, almost liquid character more often associated with substantially pricier tube equipment, alongside seamless integration from bass through treble. Future Audiophile found the highs and mids preserved the expected balance of its digital sources rather than imposing a strong tonal signature.
Dynamics
89/100
StereoNET reports that active operation brought greater robustness, solidity and focus with streamer and CD sources. Future Audiophile also found bass lines precise and authoritative, although the reviews offer less detailed discussion of large-scale dynamic swings.
Soundstage Imaging
92/100
StereoNET praises strong soundstaging, excellent midrange separation and an open presentation that reveals hall ambience. Its account of a convincing, almost eerie sense of being at the performance is reinforced by praise for the relay attenuator's channel matching.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
88/100
Reviewers describe a nicely finished, compact unit with a durable, well-executed minimalist construction. The 64-step relay ladder attenuator, discrete Class A circuit and notably substantial aluminum remote are particular highlights, though there is limited long-term ownership commentary.
Features Connectivity
85/100
The Saga 2 provides four RCA inputs, simultaneous RCA and balanced XLR outputs, switchable passive/low-gain/high-gain operation, a remote and a headphone output. It omits balanced inputs, a phono stage, tone and balance controls; its headphone jack also does not mute the loudspeaker outputs.
Value for Money
94/100
At $279 in the US and around £310 in the UK, reviewers repeatedly portray the Saga 2 as unusually capable for its asking price. StereoNET calls it a great-sounding little preamplifier for the money, while Future Audiophile says its performance and features are more commonly found in higher-priced alternatives.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
No forum mentions found yet
Specifications
- Noise
- inaudible
- Distortion
- unmeasurable by APx555 in passive mode, better than any recording and/or transducer on the planet in either active mode
- Heat
- gets moderately warm; not surprising for a Class A device
- Size
- desk- and rack-friendly
- Output Impedance (Passive)
- varies, maximum 4.8 kohms
- THD (Passive)
- unmeasurable on APx555
- IMD (Passive)
- unmeasurable on APx555
- SNR (Passive)
- maxed on APx555 (typically >120dB ref 2/4V RMS)
- Gain (Low Gain)
- 1x/2x (SE/balanced)
- Frequency Response (Low Gain)
- 20Hz-20Khz, -0.5db, 3Hz-200KHz, -3dB
- THD (Low Gain)
- <0.001%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
- IMD (Low Gain)
- <0.001%, CCIR (active stage)
- SNR (Low Gain)
- >124db, A-weighted, referenced to 2V RMS
- Output Impedance (Low Gain)
- 75 ohms
- Maximum Output (Low Gain)
- >10V RMS
- Gain (High Gain)
- 4x/8x (SE/balanced)
- Frequency Response (High Gain)
- 20Hz-20Khz, -0.5db, 3Hz-200KHz, -3dB
- THD (High Gain)
- <0.001%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
- IMD (High Gain)
- <0.001%, CCIR (active stage)
- SNR (High Gain)
- >116db, A-weighted, referenced to 2V RMS
- Output Impedance (High Gain)
- 75 ohms
- Maximum Output (High Gain)
- >10V RMS
- Inputs
- 4 RCA pairs, selectable via front switch or remote
- Outputs
- 1 XLR pair and one RCA pair, both active at the same time
- Gain Stage
- Equipoise differential discrete Class A, zero feedback, 75V rails
- Headphone stage
- booster based on OPA1656, 150mW typical max output
- Volume Control
- relay-switched stepped attenuator with discrete thin-film 0.5% resistors , 64 1dB steps
- Power Supply
- Wall wart, 24VAC/6VAC, internal +45V/-28V and 5V/3.3V rails
- Power Consumption
- 15W typical
- Size
- 9"W x6"D x 1.5”H
- Weight
- 3 lbs
- APx555 Report
- Schiit Preamp APx Test Suite_ Saga 2.pdf
Manufacturer's Description — Schiit Audio
$279 for a relay-potentiometer, passive-or-active, Class A, zero-feedback, 100% discrete, differential, 75V linear power supply preamplifier…with remote control and a headphone out? Yes. Welcome to Saga 2. (Oh, and for the non-audiophiles in the audience, what this means is this is an amazing device that allows you to control volume, switch sources, add gain, and listen to headphones, for a really nice price).
Saga 2: The Universal Interface
Saga 2 gives you everything you need to interface every source you have with any amp on the planet—RCA and XLR outputs are both on the table. Need gain? Sure, got that. Want to go passive? Do it. Got headphones? No problem. There’s also a headphone jack suitable for many of today’s best headphones.
Mindblowing Value
Saga 2 is literally the highest price-for-performance preamp we’ve ever done. We’ve added switchable gain, balanced output, and a headphone output—and reduced the price! At the same time, we retained the cost-no-object features you demand, like 64-step relay ladder volume for perfect channel matching, fully discrete, Class-A, no-feedback design, and a linear power supply.
Forkbeard™: Total Control is Just the Start
Saga 2 supports Forkbeard, the only multi-product, multi-stack, unified control system. One app gives you total control of Saga 2 (and many other Schiit devices). Don’t want to deal with apps? Don’t worry, you still get the standard IR remote control.
Perfect Companion to Our DACs
Want a remote-controlled system to interface your digital gear with the rest of your system? Stack Saga 2 and Modius or Bifrost (or any other of our DACs) for a true no-compromise remote-controlled system.
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 Saga—chassis, boards, assembly, etc—goes to US companies manufacturing in the US. Our chassis are made in California. Our PCBs are made in California or Nevada, and it all comes together in our Corpus Christi facility.
3-Year Warranty, 15-Day Easy Returns
Saga 2 is covered by a 3-year limited warranty that covers parts and labor. And if you don’t like your Saga, you can send it back for a refund, minus 15% restocking fee, within 15 days of receiving it.
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
All Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Schiit Audio Saga 2
- 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)