Schiit Fans ?
- Thread starter Frank Sol
- Start date
Why pay the extra $750 to toggle between 2 inputs? I've used a SYS for several years with my Fisher 500B to switch between a Node 2 and a CDP.
RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
That's more than I would spend as well, though really not all that much in the scheme of things as there are lots of other high end phono preamps that coast considerably more... and I'm guessing that this one is probably really nice for the money.Schiit has just released a tube phono preamp: the Stjarna for $1699. Uses four each 6N1P tubes:
Schiit Audio: Audio Products Made in USA
www.schiit.com
I have the Mani 2 phono preamp, which I've been quite happy with. With it, I'm getting the best sound that I have out of my TT setup. I wonder though if the next higher up model, the Skoll, would be enough of a jump in SQ to make it worth it... and that thing is about a quarter of the price of the new flagship tube one. Cheaper still, if I could find one used. Anyone compared that thing with the Modi 2?
Schiit admits that the Skoll performs better than the new Starna tube amp- excerpt copied from their website:
"Skoll F is a highly capable, fully balanced, fully discrete, JFET-input, Class A, no-feedback, high-rail-voltage phono preamp that offers even higher performance and more gain than Stjarna. With a low noise floor and up to 70dB of gain, and the ability to accept balanced inputs, Skoll offers the highest price/performance ratio in phono preamps."
I have two Skolls and love the amount of adjustability they offer, especially since every adjustment can be made from my easy chair with the remote control. The sound quality of the Skoll is better than that which I get with my $1K Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2.
RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
Cool... I'm not really a tube audio type anyway. I have just one system (though with three sets of speakers throughout my house) and nothing in it is tube. Not that I haven't heard great tube audio, just that I'm not really drawn to that kind of thing myself and particularly when you can buy a piece of gear that performs better for a quarter of the price that isn't tube, I'm onboard with it. Admittedly, the subjective impressions of that more expensive Schiit with the tubes could belie it's lesser technical performance... but I don't really need to spend that kind of money to find out, and I have a feeling that I would be quite happy with the Skoll.
In terms of my system, though it's easy to say "this is the last thing, really!,"but I do think that I've come to a point where I don't find much about it lacking, and a really premium (or at least as far as my somewhat meager budget goes) phono preamp, could be one of the very last pieces in the puzzle for me...
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Earlier this year I decided I wanted a second two channel system in my living room for critical listening. I narrowed it down to a CLASS A amp and ran across a local ad for a SCHIIT Aegir (gen 1). After some research I decided to pull the trigger on a new Aegir (gen 2) with a silver face to match my other components. I first hooked it up to an older MARSH SOUND DESIGN preamp and enjoyed playing my favorite albums through some bookshelf speakers. Then I remembered I had a PS AUDIO Directstream Jr. DAC that can double as a preamp. I ran a digital feed from my living room Bluesound NODE to the Directstream DAC Jr. and voila! Audio bliss. I've been rotating several pairs of speakers through this system, but will be hooking them up to a pair of KLIPSCH FORTE that I bought recently for long term listening.
Tillerman
Active Member
Nice system. I have been using an Aegir 1 in my system for a few years now.
I finally decided to give my DQ-10s the power they need so I bought 2 Vidar 2f's to use as monoblocks, and a Saga 2 preamp. Really happy with the results, the DQ-10's now definitely have the power they need and I can tell a difference, even at moderate volume levels, between this setup and using a 115 wpc amplifier.
fredgarvin
Super Member
Is Forkbeard available for the Saga yet?
Saga II yes, but I have Android and its only available for Apple. I'll probably add it once its available for Android
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
The current Saga 2 does show a Forkbeard connection on back. I believe it was released, from the start, with Forkbeard support. That's why it's a Saga 2 and not a Saga 2-F.
I got an email from Schiit last week announcing it, and it looks to be very good IF you need a headphone amp (which I don't).
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A pair of Gjallarhorn’s in mono produce 30 wpc into 8 ohms. A single generation 2 Aegir in stereo also produces 30 wpc into 8 ohms.
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Finally gave in and bought a Stjarna phono preamp... only a couple hours in (4 albums) and it opened up beautifully (tubes got good and warm in it and in my Freya+). Musical notes are full and round and visceral (you can feel them in your bones)... holography is out of this world... Steely Dan was doing "Time Out Of Mind" right there in my living room! More later after I've used it for a few more days, but I love it so far !
First thing I did was to replace the little 3/8" round 1/4" tall rubber press in feet with some stick on 1" wide/ 3/4" tall silicon ones.
First thing I did was to replace the little 3/8" round 1/4" tall rubber press in feet with some stick on 1" wide/ 3/4" tall silicon ones.
fredgarvin
Super Member
nice! The personal reports on the Stjarna have been slow in coming.