No sound

@jetter 

Yes it is!

Well, I hooked up the Sys, and lo and behold, I got sound.  Of course it’s primitive compared to my CJ preamp but over all, not too bad.

I was surprised to hear the Schiit Sys being compared as 'not too bad' to a CJ preamp. I had the Sys before but returned it after a fairly short listening period. On my humble system, its sound was restrained and not open at all. The Saga 2 is much, much better—and it's here to stay.

@lanx0003

I have not been in the market for a preamp for years and was not aware of the Saga 2.  I took a look and based on your listening impressions it seems like an amazing deal with input for four sources, passive or active gain and remote control, all for $279.

Depending on his longer term plans, if interested @rvpiano can certainly follow your lead and send the Sys back within 15 days for a full credit towards the Saga 2.

For my particular listening preferences, I prefer a tube preamp and prefer two sets of RCAs out.  Notwithstanding, seems like another Schiit smoking deal.

@jetter I kind of wish for swapping two RCA inputs with an XLR input, but this is not, I believe, a truly balanced design anyway. The 64-step relay ladder volume control works great and solves my channel balance issue. Yes, the Saga 2 is a great budget-friendly piece of gear for a humble system.

For a more revealing and pricier system, I strongly recommend the truly balanced Kara or Freya, which can also serve as a backup preamp in the future. 

@lanx0003 

i have a Conrad-Johnson tube preamp which is out for repair for an extended time. That’s why I got the Sys, so I could listen to music.  Of course the tubed CJ is much better, but the Sys is a very good stopgap until I get the CJ back.