[aforahead]

Hi guys,

I am in the process of buying a phono stage preamp and I have been looking at a few optiosn including Schiit. I would like to try out a tube preamp, however I'm not sure if Saga/Freya would be a matching choice for a turntable output. I also noticed that Mani is marketed as a phono stage for both MM and MC cartridges, while Saga/Freya not. 

My primary concern is RIAA equalisation - if Saga/Freya is presumably designed for a flat signal from say a DAC, how can it handle a RIAA signal coming out of the TT? I'm a little bit confused here.

The cartridge I'm using is Ortofon 2M Black.

Many thanks for your thoughts
: )

 

[jodgey4]

A turntable outputs a low-level signal that needs to be amplified up to line level (usually about 2V for a single ended device, and twice that amount for balanced operation). It also needs to have equalization applied (RIAA is the standard), which you can read about with a little searching. Basically, there is some EQ applied when records are made in order to "permit greater recording times (by decreasing the mean width of each groove), to improve sound quality, and to reduce the groove damage that would otherwise arise during playback." - wikipedia.

If you get a Mani, it'll amplify the signal from your cartridge (MM/MC) and apply that RIAA EQ. However, that may not be the cleanest or proper amount of gain, so adding another linear pre-amp to the chain like the Saga/Freya could make sense depending on your situation. The Saga/Freya aren't designed to apply RIAA EQ which would be needed.

Schiit makes great products, certainly, but you might also want to consider phono preamps from elsewhere that can assure good RIAA EQ and clean gain. Unfortunately, I'm not the greatest expert in this area, but the offerings from Bottlehead and Austin Audio Works I think I can recommend without hesitation , though I'm not sure how well they might fit your budget.

 

[Dany Vaknin]

You are right
I have home theather system with yamaha rxa 3060.
Lately i bought turntablr of projrct 2xeperiense classic.
The quality of music was very poor so i bought the schiit mani.
I have recieved the gain but as you said it is not clear enough.
I am thinking to buy the saga but schiit company do not want to promise me that it will improve the sound.
I will apperciate if you can reomand me for alternative solutions maybe building a new hifi system with schiit products.
Are you certain that high hand pre amp will work better with yamaha rxa 3060.