Amplifier Reviews

Schiit Rekker Desktop Amplifier Review

I’ve recently been on a Schiit buying spree, having just purchased and reviewed the Magni Heretic Headphone Amplifier. When I went looking for a small and affordable desktop amp, I saw the Rekkr so I had to pick one up.

Let’s address this whole “less power, more better” thing, it’s two watts per channel, yeah two and only two watts per channel at eight ohms. That’s crazy. My current go-to amp is an Arylic A50+ with 50 watts, so I am giving up 48 watts stepping into the Rekkr. Power of course isn’t everything, like Schiit says on the Rekkr page, most amps only use a fraction of a watt most of the time. Now if you want more power, you can double the price to $299 and pick up a Gjallarhorn and get 10 watts, but do you really need it? I have a set of Jamo S 803s, which are a bit bigger than most speakers you may find on a desktop, with a Sensitivity of about 85dB, they are about average difficulty speakers to drive. Let’s jump into this little review.

Schiit Rekker Desktop Amplifier Specifications

Power Output:

Stereo, 8 Ohms: 2W RMS per channel
Stereo, 4 Ohms: 3W RMS per channel
Mono, 8 ohms: 4W RMS

Frequency Response:

20Hz-20kHz, +/-0.01db, 3Hz-500KHz, +/-3dB

THD:

IMD:

SNR:

>120dB, A-weighted, referenced to full output

Damping Factor:

>100 into 8 ohms, 20-20kHz

Gain:

4 (12dB)

Input Impedance:

20k ohms SE

Crosstalk:

>80dB, 20-20kHz

Inputs:

L/R RCA jacks for stereo input, switch for mono input on R jack

Topology:

Fully discrete, fully complementary current feedback, no capacitors in the signal path

Oversight:

Over-current and over-temperature sensors with relay shutdown for faults

Power Supply:

6VAC, 2A wall-wart, 12,000uF filter capacitance, plus boosted, regulated supply to input, voltage gain, and driver stages

Power Consumption:

12W maximum

Size:

5” x 3.5” x 1.25”

Weight:

1 lbs.

MSRP:

$149.00

Website:

https://www.schiit.com

Company:

Schiit

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Design and Sound

I’ve always been a fan of Schiit’s case design on their products; the Rekkr looks great and comes in your choice of black or silver. It’s a Class A/B amp, so there will be some heat, after using it now for a week, it’s a bit toasty, so be careful where you place it. I especially love the back panel making good use of the space for the connections; it’s not too overcrowded like many other small desktop audio components on the market.

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Test System

DAC – ASUS Prime B660-PLUS D4 Motherboard (built-in)
Interconnects – AudioQuest
Pre-amp – Fosi Audio P1
Speakers – Jamo S803 (yes, I got them to fit on my desk!)

Test Music

Lindsey Stirling – Crystallize
Nerv – Demons

So, how’s this thing sound? That’s what really matters here. My biggest concern was this little two-watt amp being able to give me the amount of bass I want, I don’t want a ton, but I do want it to be crisp and detailed. It definitely is solid! I tried this amp at my desktop and then moved it to my garage to really play it loud, well it doesn’t get loud LOUD, but it still kicks. I wouldn’t personally use it for anything but near-field use. The bass does get thin at loud volumes.

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But let’s get back to its main use, desktop listening. It is dead quiet, no hiss, nothing. It’s clean and the sound stage is great. I noticed awesome detail in drums with this amp, that was clearer than other small amps I have tested. I mainly test Class D and I am really happy with this little Class A/B amp. It feels far more alive and warmer than Class D in my opinion. The music feels more there, and it pulls you in.

My only concern is the price of $149 and the two watts per channel. There are many other desktop amps that start around the $60 mark and go up from there. And there are amps right around the $100 mark with built-in dacs and pre-amps, much cheaper than the Rekkr and with more power. Is the Rekkr worth the $149? Maybe, is my honest answer, depending on the system you want to build and your budget.

Conclusions

Is “less power, more better” really the name of the game here? Kind of; it’s a clean-sounding amp with plenty of detail with a Class A/B setup instead of the usual Class D found everywhere now.

Honestly, I feel for the specs, it would be an insane value at $99, $149 is just a maybe from me. Nothing at all wrong with the amp, just don’t hook up some massive tower speakers and it expect it to dance like I did. It’s a cool, very smooth little amp. If you’re looking to build a nice separates system for your desktop, it will fit in just right. This is some very good Schiit, although a bit pricy.

Indiana Lang

Indiana Lang is 26 years old and lives in Apopka, Florida with his wife Miranda. He is currently the owner of Emptor Audio, based out of Orlando. Originally from Wausau, Wisconsin he moved to Orlando at the age of 10 and started working in the AV industry at the age of 17, while still in high school. Within a few short years he quickly gained experience in the industry doing inside sales, pre-wires and custom installation working for some of the largest AV companies in Orlando. Indiana currently holds over 20 industry relevant certifications with major companies like Crestron, Lutron, Savant, Control4, CEDIA, Atlona, QSC and URC; as well as being a member of industry specific groups such as CEDIA, Infocomm and Azione.