Saros Audio Systems is based in North Carolina (USA), and the company unveiled its first product today at Capital Audio Fest. The first product is called the Europa, and the Europa is a tube-based headphone amplifier. It’s unknown if the Europa will be available in Europe.
Saros Audio Systems Europe: Fully Differential Tube Headphone Amplifier & Preamplifier
Although Saros Audio Systems is an American brand, its first product is called Europa. This is further symbolic, as the manufacturer is named after the ancient 18-year Saros cycle, which describes the regularity of eclipses. The brand claims to embody celestial precision. The Saros cycle is an 18-year pattern that has guided astronomers for millennia, marking moments when celestial bodies align in perfect harmony. This same quest for harmonious precision, according to the designers, drives every element of Saros.
And why choose the name Europa for the first product? The new headphone amplifier takes its name from the moon orbiting planet Jupiter, which hides vast oceans beneath its icy surface—a metaphor for the hidden musical depths the amplifier reveals. Just as Europa’s subterranean ocean holds the promise of undiscovered life, the Europa amplifier reveals the living essence of recordings. Born from the proven excellence of Moon Audio, Saros Audio Systems builds on a rich history of audio innovation with dedicated premium amplification.
Saros Audio Systems Europe: fully differential design
The Europa’s key technical achievement is its fully differential topology, a design most manufacturers avoid due to its complexity. Most amplifiers marketed as balanced switch internally to single-ended operation, losing much of this advantage. The Europa maintains perfect signal balance from the input to the headphone drivers, eliminating common-mode noise and preserving delicate phase relationships.
In balanced configurations with ground-lifted operation, the amplifier is fully differential. In single-ended or grounded mode, it operates as a standard differential. This architecture reveals not only more detail, but also the acoustic space of the recording location, the placement of instruments, and the air between the performers, according to Saros Audio Systems.
Saros Audio Systems Europe: Signal Path Topology
The Europa’s signal path is designed for maximum transparency from input to output. Once the signal enters via an Elma selector switch with relays, it is routed to a Lundahl input transformer that steps down the voltage and filters the DC offset. The signal then passes through an Elma stepped attenuator for precise volume control.
The signal then goes to 6922 preamplifier tubes configured in a push-pull configuration. These tubes directly drive 6H30P tubes coupled to special Lundahl output transformers.
The power supply uses a Lundahl transformer, a 6BW4 vacuum rectifier, and Mundorf capacitors with a Lundahl choke for B+ regulation. VPG Z foil resistors occupy all critical signal positions, with Vishay wire resistors elsewhere and Moon Audio Bronze Dragon wire in the signal path. This architecture preserves the purity of the differential signal while simultaneously providing the gain and current required for demanding headphones.
Saros Audio Systems Europe: dual functionality
The Europa is both a headphone amplifier and a preamplifier, offering full performance in both modes. Headphones with impedances ranging from 16 Ohms to 600 Ohms can be driven. Three headphone jacks are located on the front panel: 1 x balanced 4-pin XLR, 1 x balanced 4.4mm Pentaconn, and 1 x unbalanced 6.35mm jack.
As a preamplifier, it features both balanced XLR and RCA outputs for driving power amplifiers. This dual functionality makes the Europa an exceptional centerpiece for complete reference systems. Whether for critical listening sessions with headphones or enjoying loudspeakers, a single investment is sufficient for your entire system. The fully differential topology ensures that balanced headphones and connected components benefit optimally from the design.
Saros Audio Systems Europe: Handcrafted in North Carolina (USA)
Every Europa is hand-assembled in Cary, North Carolina, with a level of care that automated production can’t match. Each transformer is positioned for optimal magnetic coupling, every connection is checked, and every tube socket is inspected. Each unit undergoes professional tube pre-stressing before a 40-hour burn-in period ensures its full sonic potential is reached.
The vacuum tubes are carefully selected. The 6922 tubes can optionally be replaced with 6DJ8, ECC88, or 6N23P tubes, depending on the user’s preference. Precision constant-current sources for both triode stages ensure a linearity that, according to the designers, is typically unattainable in tube designs.
