Schiit Rekker Desktop Amplifier Review

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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