Schiit Audio

Rekkr Stereo Amplifier

£165 RRP

Desktop audio is a happening sector of the hi-fi market right now, with all sorts of weird and wonderful gadgets coming out to service this niche. To date, most of these have fallen under the ambit of 'head-fi' and are headphone-related in one way or another. But we're now seeing things different from the usual diet of streaming DAC/preamps and/or headphone amplifiers begin to pop up – such as the palm-sized Schitt Rekkr stereo power amplifier reviewed here. This is purpose-designed to drive loudspeakers rather than being a redesigned headphone amp.

Largely due to its diminutive dimensions [127x89x31mm, 450g], it puts out a claimed 2W RMS per channel into 8 ohms, rising to 3W per side into 4; you can also monoblock it whereupon it delivers 4W RMS per channel into 8 ohms, but obviously, you'll need two for stereo. You may say that this is puny, but consider the following: First, it costs less than what most people spend on interconnects or even mains plugs, and second, its design is more about quality than quantity. This dinky power amp is specially purposed for audiophile-grade near-field use, to drive small speakers in a study, office, bedroom, kitchen or whatever – a role it performs admirably, as we shall see…

This product is designed and built in Texas, USA. Manufactured at the company's Corpus Christi facility, Schiit Audio says that the chassis, circuit boards, transformers, etc., are all locally made. This counts for something because there are many products in this market sector and price category that are just rebranded variations of generic Chinese-made designs. The Rekkr, by contrast, is totally bespoke and original.

And it's very clever too. Unlike nearly all its rivals, it's a fully discrete Class AB amplifier with decent components inside. For example, 10A rated output devices are fitted with no capacitors in the signal path. The amp's linear power supply has 12,000uF of filter capacitance, and there's a boosted, regulated supply to the input, voltage gain and driver stages. A plug-in 6V, 2A wall-wart power adaptor is supplied.

Thanks to its heatsink being exposed to the outside world through the aperture in the top of the case, the Rekkr manages to stay cool without requiring a noisy fan – despite not being cool-running Class D. Importantly for a small amplifier that's likely to be used at the ragged edge of its operating parameters, it's fitted with over-current and over-temperature sensors with relay shut-down if needed. Build and finish are excellent at the price.

THE LISTENING

It's rare that I review hi-fi products as inexpensive as this, so I didn't have high hopes for its sound quality. But just seconds into my first test track, I realised I'd been completely wrong. Driven by a Chord Hugo TT2 DAC/preamp and driving a pair of Cambridge Audio Aero 6 loudspeakers (efficiency 91dB), I was taken aback by the Rekkr's sonic performance. This is a clean, open and smooth-sounding amplifier which – although obviously limited in power – gives surprisingly little away to larger, more conventional designs. I suspect that its simple circuit and short signal paths help a lot in the sonic stakes.

Tonally it is pretty neutral, with a light, crisp and spry character that doesn't colour the music going into it. Simple, soulful rock in the shape of Randy Crawford's One Day I'll Fly Away sounded enjoyably neutral. In absolute terms, there was a slight thinness to the lead female vocal, but I've heard far more expensive amps do worse. Percussion was detailed and etched, and the bass supple and engaging. It was pretty light, however – so don't expect it to flatter your Bob Marley favourites. Treble was smooth and nicely atmospheric.

Indeed, soundstaging is something that this amp does way better than expected. The Rekkr creates a larger recorded acoustic than you might expect, giving a surprising amount of scale to the dreamy synth-pop of New Gold Dream by Simple Minds, for example. Not only does it push images further left and right than expected, but it has a great depth perspective for this sort of product too. It made for a dreamy, ethereal sound that's not particularly dynamic on big peaks but was fast and expressive in the way it handled micro-dynamics. The result is a musically articulate amplifier that punches beyond its weight.

THE VERDICT

A great little desktop amplifier, Schiit's Rekkr power amp is true budget esoterica. It's small and cheap yet gives a taste of the sort of sound expected from bigger and more expensive designs. Partner it to a seriously good source and sensitive loudspeakers, and it has much to give – despite its diminutive dimensions.

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