Schiit SCH-20 User manual

AUDIO
COMPONENTS
ITEM
FOR
MODEL NO
OWNER’S MANUAL
SCH-20
PASSIvE OR TUbE REMOTE PREAMPDESCRIPTION
NOTES
REvISION ARANDOM NUMbER F
A PASSIvE RELAy-STEPPED ATTENUATOR? yES.
A HybRID TUbE bUFFER PREAMP? yES AgAIN.
AND REMOTE CONTROL? yEP, THAT’S INCLUDED AS WELL.
SAgA IS A SEERESS IN NORSE MyTHOLOgy,
bUT THE ONLy THINg WE’RE SEEINg IS THE LOOk OF SHOCk
ON EvERyONE’S FACE WHEN THEy DISCOvER THE PRICE.
WELCOME TO SANE, AFFORDAbLE HIgH END.
SAgA

WELCOME TO SAgA
Saga is a no-compromise, ultra-high-end preamp cleverly disguised
by its low price. You won’t nd any volume-control chips or other
shortcuts in Saga—just uber-quality techniques as used in the
most expensive audio gear. That’s why it has a relay-switched
stepped attenuator volume control that can be run fully passively—
or connected to a unique hybrid 6SN7 tube buffer.
ONE Saga
ONE Power cord
ZERO Stick-on feet (!)
(they’re pressed in)
IN THE bOX
The following is required by the roughly 9,542 government agencies and regulations we have to comply with. If you have
some common sense, they should seem pretty straightforward. In any case, read these instructions before proceeding
farther, follow all instructions, and heed all warnings. Or else!
1. If you don’t know how to install audio devices, get a qualied professional to help.
2. Never use this device near water, and clean only with a dry cloth.
3. Assure adequate ventilation, do not block any ventilation openings,
or place near heat sources.
4. Use only the supplied power cord or suitable replacement. Route cords away
from trafc areas and protect them from being pinched. Unplug the cord from
the outlet if the apparatus is unused for a long period of time.
5. To prevent electric shock, do not use the plug with an extension cord, receptacle,
or outlet unless blades can be fully inserted.
6. Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Service is required when the
device has been damaged, including cord or plug damage, liquid has been spilled
or objects have fallen into the device, the device has been exposed to rain or moisture,
does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
SAFETy INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE
OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE
THIS DEVICE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
Application for Council Directives 72/23/EEC
Conformity declared for EN60065, EN50082-1

IN THE bOX
CAUTION! Dangerous voltages inside!
1. Before plugging in the
preamp, insert the tube.
Carefully align the key in
the tube base to the notch
in the tube socket.
2. Ensure tubes are well-seated. Push down
rmly until the tube is seated on the tube socket.
This may take a
fair amount
of force.
3. Plug it in
and turn it
on. The tube
will glow after a
few seconds, and the microprocessor will con-
nect the output after about 30 seconds.
4. Connect your sources. Connect up to 5 sources
with RCA cables to the inputs of Saga.
TUBE
gETTINg STARTED
5. Connect the output. Connect the output of
Saga to your amp or amps using RCA cables.
6. Ensure the volume is turned down if you’re
using Saga for the rst time. You don’t want any
big surprises!
Replacing or Swapping Tubes
Saga accommodates any 6SN7, 6N8S or 5692
tube type. 6SL7s also work, but have higher
distortion and higher output impedance.
1. Turn off and unplug the preamp. Wait a while
for the tube to cool.
2. Carefully extract the tube by gently rocking it
back and forth and pulling upwards.
3. Carefully insert the replacement tube. Align
the key to the notch and press down rmly until
the tube is seated.
4. Plug the preamp back in and turn it on.
NOTCH

3 Volume Knob. Turn
it to the right to make
the music louder. Stop
before smoke comes
out of your speakers.
4 Mode Select. Press
to change between
passive and tube
hybrid buffer output.
1 Input. The selected
input lights up to indi-
cate, well, the selected
input. Except when the
preamp is muted. Press
the mute button on the
remote to unmute the
input if no input is lit.
2 Input Switch. Press to
choose the right input.
5 IR Window. The
remote “talks” to the
Saga through this
window. Don’t block it,
unless you don’t want
the remote to work.
6 Remote Indicator.
When you’ve used the
remote control to
adjust volume, this
LED will light. You’ll
need to turn the
volume down below
the level set by the
remote in order for the
knob to control volume
again.
7 Passive/Buffer
Indicator. This lights
up when you’re using
the tube buffer output.
It’s off for passive
output.
FRONT CONTROLS
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 A B
CAUTION: RISK OF ELECTRIC
SHOCK—DO NOT OPEN
NO USER SERVICEABLE
PARTS INSIDE
1 2
3
45
6
7

REMOTE CONTROL
1 2
3
4
5
moans about the brightness
of our LEDs. Just kidding.
It lights when you use the
remote. If it doesn’t light, the
battery is probably dead. Pull
the battery out from the bot-
tom of the remote and replace
it with one of the same type.
3 Volume Up/Down. Press the
up arrow to turn volume up,
press the down arrow to turn it
down. Simple as that.
4 Output. Press to change
between passive and tube
hybrid buffer output.
5 Mute. Press to mute the
preamp. All input lights will
turn off.
Yes, this preamp comes with a
remote control. And yes, it’s a
relatively simple plastic affair.
Yeah, we know you want milled
aluminum, but you also probably
don’t want to spend a fortune
on a remote control either. This
remote is inexpensive enough
that if your dog eats it, you can
simply get another one without
any nancial stress. It also won’t
kill the dog, like an aluminum
remote might.
1 Input. Press this button to
select the input you want to
listen to. If you skip the input,
keep pressing—it cycles back
around.
2 Remote Light. This extremely
bright light was designed to
irritate everyone who carps and

2 RCA Outputs.
We’ve provided two
sets of RCA outputs
here, so you can
connect to 2 amps,
or an amp and a
subwoofer, or you
can just use a single
output. You don’t have
to use both.
1 RCA Inputs.
You can connect up
to 5 inputs to Saga
using RCA cables. The
inputs are conveniently
numbered “1” to “5” to
match the front panel
indicators. Select
the input you want
to listen to using the
front panel buttons or
the remote control.
3 On-Off Switch. Up is
on. Down is off. Pretty
simple, right? And yes,
it’s on the back. If you
have the preamp in a
place where you can’t
easily reach it, just
plug it in to a power
strip or use a remote-
controlled outlet. Yes,
those are a thing.
4 AC Input. Plug the
power cord in here.
Plug the other end into
an outlet of the correct
voltage. Trying to run a
115V product on 230V
will blow the fuse and
generally make for a
bad, bad day.
REAR CONNECTIONS
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 A B
CAUTION: RISK OF ELECTRIC
SHOCK—DO NOT OPEN
NO USER SERVICEABLE
PARTS INSIDE
1 2
3
4

FAQ
I hear hum, what do I do?
You may have a ground loop. To x a ground loop, try a ground
loop isolator or an EbTech HumX.
There’s no sound for a while after I turn Saga on.
That’s perfectly normal. Saga delays the output for 20 seconds
after you rst turn the preamp on.
What’s with the clicking noises when I turn the volume?
That’s the sound of the mechanical relays in the relay-switched
stepped attenuator. Also normal.
The volume knob doesn’t seem to work.
When you adjust volume with the remote, you have to turn
down the volume to minimum before the knob is enabled
again. You know, for safety.
Can I leave Saga on all the time?
You can, but it’ll dramatically shorten the tube lifespan.
Can I use both outputs at the same time?
Most of the time, yes. If you have products that short the input
when turned off, then that can cause distortion.
It doesn’t turn on, what do I do?
Plug it in to a different AC socket. Ensure you are not
currently in a blackout. Then email us if it still doesn’t work.
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz,
-0.2db, 3Hz-200KHz, -3dB (active stage)
THD: <0.002%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
(active stage)
IMD: <0.002%, CCIR (active stage)
SNR: >105db, A-weighted, referenced to
1V RMS (active stage)
Crosstalk: >-75dB, 20Hz-20KHz
Output Impedance: 180 ohms (active
stage)
Gain: Approximately 1 (0dB) through
either passive or active stage
Maximum Output: >10V RMS (active
stage)
Volume Control: relay-switched stepped
attenuator with discrete thin-lm resis-
tors , 64 1dB steps
Power Consumption: 25W typical
Size: 9” x 6” x 2”
Weight: 6 lbs
SPECS

SCHIIT.COM
ITEM WARRANTy
NOTES
yES, ALL SCHIIT PRODUCTS ARE MADE IN THE USA.
yES, PRIMARILy OF US-SOURCED COMPONENTS.
yES, IT’S PRONOUNCED EXACTLy LIkE yOU THINk.
Schiit Audio warrants to the original purchaser that the product shall be free from defects in material and workmanship for ve (5) years
from the date of purchase. Exceptions: tubes and remote controls. Tubes are covered by a 90-day limited warranty with the same terms.
Remote controls are covered by a 1-year warranty with the same terms. If a defect covered by this warranty occurs during this warranty pe-
riod, Schiit Audio will repair the defective product, free of charge. Date of purchase will be based on customer-submitted receipts, otherwise
date of manufacturing will be used to determine warranty period.
If you believe you need warranty service, CONTACT US rst. There may be a simple solution to your problem. Schiit Audio products sent
back to us without a RETURN AUTHORIZATION (RA) will be returned to the sender without repair. To contact us and obtain an RA, email
[email protected]. We will respond quickly to either phone or email messages.
WARRANTY LIMITATIONS
THIS WARRANTY SHALL NOT APPLY IF THIS PRODUCT: (a) IS MODIFIED OR TAMPERED WITH; (b) IS DAMAGED BY NEGLIGENCE, AC-
CIDENT, UNREASONABLE USE, COFFEE, OR BY OTHER CAUSES UNRELATED TO DEFECTIVE
MATERIALS OR WORKMANSHIP; OR (c) HAS HAD THE SERIAL NUMBER ALTERED, DEFACED OR REMOVED.
ANY APPLICABLE IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE,
ARE HEREBY LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE WARRANTY PERIOD (5 YEARS). IN NO EVENT SHALL SCHIIT AUDIO BE LIABLE FOR CONSE-
QUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE BREACH OF ANY IMPLIED OR EXPRESS WARRANTIES. SOME STATES DO NOT
ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS OR EXCLUSION OF CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SO
THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
This warranty gives you specic legal rights. You may also have other rights which vary from state to state or province to province.
Contact us at: Schiit Audio, 24900 Anza Drive, Suite A, Valencia, CA 91355 USA, [email protected]