Schiit SCH-21 User manual

AUDIO EQUIPMENT
ITEM
FOR
MODEL NO
OWNER’S MANUAL
SCH-21
BALANCED PASSIVE, ACTIVE, OR TUBE REMOTE PREAMPDESCRIPTION
NOTES
REVISION ARANDOM NUMBER AA06
IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY, FREYA IS A GODDESS ASSOCIATED WITH LOVE,
sex, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death.
leaVing aside those last three, that sounds Pretty Cool.
she also aPParently had Cats. yeah.
WE DON’T RECOMMEND YOU LET YOUR CATS SLEEP ON FREYA,
but we’re not gonna CoMMent further.
FREYA

WELCOME TO FREYA
Freya is a no-compromise, ultra-high-end balanced preamp cleverly
disguised by a low price tag. You won’t nd any volume-control
chips or other shortcuts in Freya—just uber-quality techniques like
a relay-switched stepped attenuator and all-triode gain stage—you
know, just like what’s used in the most expensive audio gear.
ONE Freya
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

GETTING STARTED
CAUTION! Dangerous voltages inside!
1. Before plugging in the preamp, insert the tubes.
Carefully align the key in the tube base to the notch in
the tube socket for each tube. It doesn’t matter which
tube goes where—all tubes in Freya are the same exact
type (6SN7, or, for Russian NOS tubes, 6N8S).
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 connect the output after about 30 seconds.
4. Connect your sources. Connect up to 5 sources to Freya’s balanced and
single-ended inputs.
5. Connect the output. Connect
the output of Freya to your amp or
amps using XLR or RCA cables
6. Ensure the volume is turned
down if you’re using Freya for
the rst time. You don’t want any big
surprises!
7. Power it up, turn it up, and enjoy your music!
TUBES
Replacing Tubes
Freya accommodates any 6SN7, 6N8S, or 5692 tube
type. 6SL7, 6N9S, and equivalent types also work, but
will have higher distortion and higher output impedance.
If you’re curious, the right tubes are for the differential
voltage gain stage. The left tubes are for the cathode
follower output stage. All tubes are of the same type on
Freya.
To replace or swap tubes:
1. Turn off and unplug the preamp. Wait a while for the
tube to cool. Seriously, these suckers are pretty hot.
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

1 2
3
4
5
2 Remote Light. This extremely bright
light was designed to irritate everyone
who carps and 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
bottom of the remote and replace it
with one of the same type.
3 Volume Up/Down. Press the up ar-
row 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 probably won’t kill your
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.
REMOTE CONTROL

FREYA CONNECTIONS
1 2 3 4 5
INPUT 1 INPUT 2 BAL OUT SE OUTSIN 3 IN 4 IN 5
CAUTION:
RISK OF ELECTRIC
SHOCK—DO NOT OPEN
NO USER
SERVICEABLE
PARTS INSIDE
2 Single-Ended
Inputs. Freya offers
three sets of balanced
inputs. Connect your
single-ended sources
here using good RCA
cables. Note: Freya
does not convert sin-
gle-ended to balanced,
except when using the
tube gain stage.
1 Balanced Inputs.
Freya offers two sets
of balanced inputs.
Connect to your bal-
anced sources using
XLR cables. You can
select your source
with the front panel
controls.
3 Balanced Output.
Connect to external
power ampliers or
powered speakers
that accept XLR
connections, using
good XLR cables.
1234
5
4 Single-Ended
Output.
Connect to external
power ampliers or
powered speakers
that accept RCA
connections, using
high-quality RCA
cables, especially for
longer runs.
6
5 Power Switch.
Up for on, down for
off. Very simple.
There are no fancy
“power down” modes
with Freya, just
on or off.
6 Power Inlet.
Plug the end of the
supplied IEC cord in
here. You can also
use fancy audiophile
types, but they won’t
really do anything—
what about the
thousands of feet of
crap copper cables in
your walls, huh?

1 2 3 4 5
INPUT 1 INPUT 2 BAL OUT SE OUTSIN 3 IN 4 IN 5
CAUTION:
RISK OF ELECTRIC
SHOCK—DO NOT OPEN
NO USER
SERVICEABLE
PARTS INSIDE
FREYA CONTROLS
4 Tube LED. This light
is on when using the
tube gain stage.
5 Mute Button. Press
to mute output. Press
again to unmute
output.
6 Output Select.
Press to select the
output stage: passive,
JFET buffer, or tube.
1 Hot Tubes.
Freya’s tubes run
fairly warm, so we
don’t recommend
letting your pets
sleep on them.
2 Mute LED. This
light is on when the
preamp is muted.
3 Buffer LED. This
light is on when
using the JFET buffer
stage.
7 Volume Knob.
Turn up to increase
volume. Stop before
your speakers
explode. Yes, it is
normal to hear
clicking as you do
this. That’s the relay
attenuator.
10 Remote Window.
The IR remote beams
invisible light through
this hole to control
the preamp remotely.
Magic! Don’t block it
and expect it to work.
1
24
56
3
8 Input Select. Press
to select the input you
want to listen to.
9 Input. These lights
indicate which input
you’re listening to,
from 1-5.
11 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
9
810 11

JFET Buffer
Gain: 1
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, -0.2db, 3Hz-500KHz, -3dB
THD: <0.001%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: <0.0015%, CCIR
SNR: >110db, A-weighted, referenced to 1V RMS
Output Impedance: 75 ohms SE, 600 ohms balanced
Topology: Single pair JFET per phase with passive distortion cancellation, DC
coupled
Tube Gain
Gain: 5 (14dB)
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, -0.2db, 3Hz-200KHz, -3dB
THD: <0.01%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS
IMD: <0.01%, CCIR
SNR: >100db, A-weighted, referenced to 1V RMS
Output Impedance: 180 ohms
Topology: differential input/output, pure triode, with low impedance followers
Crosstalk: >75dB, 20-20kHz
Inputs: 5 RCA pairs, selectable via front switch or remote
Outputs: 2 RCA pairs, selectable via front switch or remote
Volume Control: relay-switched stepped attenuator with discrete
thin-lm resistors, 128 0.5dB steps
Power Supply: One 48VA transformer with regulated 300V rail, plus 24VA
transformer with regulated +/-20C rails, plus 6.3VAC tube heaters and regulated
5VDC for microprocessor
Power Consumption: 35W typical
Size: 16” x 8” x 2”
Weight: 11 lbs
SPECSFAQ
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 Freya on.
That’s perfectly normal. Freya 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, so
you don’t blast yourself out of the room unexpectedly.
Can I leave Freya on all the time?
You can, but it’ll dramatically shorten the tube lifespan. We
recommend you turn it on and off as you need it.
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.

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, and remotes are covered by a 1-year limited warranty
with the same terms. If a defect covered by this warranty occurs during this warranty period, 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.
OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE
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 Au-
thorization (RA) will be returned to the sender without repair. To contact us and obtain an RA, email [email protected]. We will respond quickly to email inquiries.
WARRANTY LIMITATIONS
THIS WARRANTY SHALL NOT APPLY IF THIS PRODUCT: (a) IS MODIFIED OR TAMPERED WITH; (b) IS DAMAGED BY NEGLIGENCE, ACCIDENT, 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 CONSEQUENTIAL 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.