Schiit Rekkr vs T9 Pro! 2 Watts vs 50! Class AB vs D! Which is right for you? 

Which one would you prefer? The Rekkr or the Aiyima T9 Pro?

Great video man! I started with the Aiyima and then the Rekkr and totally agree with your assessment. Chinese amps are good, but the Rekkr is truly great at any volume. Schiit really did it this time, amazing product at a comparable price. Plus, made in Texas, you can't go wrong with that 🎉

Great video! I love my Rekkr. I have it paired with Sony SS-CS5 in a small spare room I use to workout out in and it has plenty of oomf for what I need.

Crazy comparison. Lot's of fun. I have a couple of Schiit Modi 3 DACs and I love them. I would take a Schiit any day. Wait...that didn't come out right. With a high quality component like the Schiit, you won't have to replace it in a few years. My favorite 3 watt Class A component is my 1936 Silvertone radio.

t9 is good too has a tube so its tubey n also bluetooth and has usb connectivity and i have never had any problesm with t9 ayima paired with polk studio 50's

Quality vs Quantity

I just unboxed my T9 Pro last night and I'm very unimpressed. It's got some nifty features, but the sound quality is exactly as described here - thin and flat. My old SMSL SA-36A Pro sounds much better as a pure amplifier and that unit is over 8 years old.

Thanks for the review. I don’t understand why there are so few reviews on the rekkr. I really wanted to know how well this will power a desktop near field setup for decent bookshelf’s. You gave me a good idea. I currently have a modi and magni plus stack.

The irony is the Rekker is made in Texas, but the heart of the T9 is built around Texas Instruments.

Great review and comparison! I prefer the Rekkr myself, it’s just so cute LOL and they make it in silver too 🤣 I enjoyed the video but now adhd has kicked in and digging into my vinyl to find DMs Violator..... Have a great weekend and thank you for all the information!

15w and this product would be a winner , im afraid of loosing too much base for those shows and movies at my desktop

I am very glad I found this review. I needed to upgrade my PC audio and had a pair of Sony SSCS5's sitting around and, my preference came down to the T9 pro and Rekkr. In the end I went with the Schiit Modi and the Rekkr and have been very happy so far!

PS- don't get me wrong I own alot of these little amps I love them. Fosi,FX-Audio,Douk,Aiyima,etc. The bang for the buck is ridiculous😅!!!!

I think these amps are a joke, not you, but it's an interesting review, but you loose diamics in the sound and bass control with those little amps. I belive you should have more power for stereo I ha e parrasound 2250 v2 and Hitachi amplifers.

If you have issue at lower volume settings. Try removing the "absolute volume" setting. Then rise the volume of the t9 pro at about 70%. Then adjust volume on the device or phone to have a smoother less mudy low volume playback.

Fascinating. I have been considering adding an amp to my Schiit stack. Two of these little Schiit amps would be very neat, but it raises another question. My Vali II outputs less than 1 watt. Can a man use two of the little Schiit amps to drive headphones at 4 watts? Loved the new video, very nicely done, please carry on!

I was using the Douk st-01, basically same as T9, and got a gjallarhorn when they were released. Now I use the douk as a dac/preamp into the ghorn and there is a big upgrade in soundstage. Imaging and depth of soundstage is much better compared to the class d amp

Great video. Was on the fence about adding the Rekkr to my existing desktop/office Schiit stack (Modi 3+ and Magni Piety) and you answered all the questions I had. Thanks!

I want to grab the new svs bookshelves to use as desktop speakers when released. Would the rekker and sys be enough or ahould i go up to the gjallarhorn?

I think a better comparison would be to use the T9 Pro as a preamp for the Rekkr, so you are using the same preamp stages for both amps. This current review doesn't make any sense because you use a different preamp for the Rekkr.

a single Rekkr runs a pair of Klipsch RP-500M on my desktop, plenty of volume!

You shoulda used the t9 as a preamp/ dac and the rekkr for your power amp

"Schiit" what a great name for a product !

I don't think this comparison makes much sense. It's an apple to apple pie comparison and the apple gets a lot more expensive in comparison (you'll need a preamp and a dac which will add to price considerably - and i'm not even consedering all the features - tubes, remote, bluetooth, 3.5mm out, etc. - that you don't necessarily get with any preamp and dac). Also, watching this video, one gets the impression that - apart from features - the t9 pro is trash and that completely contradicts the other videos you made on the unit.

The Rekkr costs $216 in the UK. Shocking.

I've experienced a similar BT input whine from the T9 Pro. I bypass this by streaming to the T9 Pro via AirPort Express > Optical input.

Seems like the rekkr might be great as a tweeter amp in an active crossover system

I use two Rekkr's to power compression drivers in my two way horn speakers and they are absolutely perfect for this usecase. ANd they dont heat up my living room

Hey man, I have the Aiyima A07 Pro and I have the same noise issue.... in Bluetooth mode, noise from the right speaker. Only the right. Thought it may be defective or something.

I also have the noise in the right speaker with bluetooth! For me it helps when I loosen up the antenna a little bit.

I have powered subs. How would these pair?

The T9 Pro is currently $135 with a digital coupon on Amazon, FYI

I can't come to grips with a 2 watt desktop amp when my HEADPHONE amp is 9 watts.

Try bantam 'stealth' amp...i own one and also have the Rekkr..for what it is the Rekkr is fab! The stealth is no slouch either...

Just a thought but the T9 pro requires a while for the tubes to heat up which takes longer at lower volumes - this could explain some of the muddiness.

Have never heard the Rekkr, but just wanted to say i haven't noticed the issues you mentioned with the Pro. In fact it's so quiet I'm never sure whether it's even on. I'm driving a pair of 30yo 301s, and it sounds great at any volume!

sending love and peace to everyone...

Just ordered a Rekkr to power my new (to me) Martin Logan Motion 4s (4ohm, 90db) on a desk system. Looking forward to hearing this combo. System will go like this: Laptop >> iFi Uno DAC/Headphone amp >> Schiit Rekkr >> DefTech ProSub 800 (speaker level inputs) >> Motion 4 speakers (via speaker level outputs)

Hi - I also have the pulsating issue on my right speaker only with the T9 pro !

Every class D amp I have heard: vague and rolled off treble. Class D amps modulate noise in the upper frequencies and have poor filtering anyway. Some people call this "Tube like smoothness". The tube gear I have is not rolled off like that. I get an extended treble, not some vague "smooth" nonsense. The class D that I have tried do their best at medium to loud volume, but still aren't high fidelity. They are better as sub amps. They will appeal to those with an incorrect sense of the tube sound and just want rolled off treble.

I've always felt that an amplifier doesn't get going until it's about three-quarters up on the volume knob. You know it when you're listening it's that sweet spot where the Dynamics in the headroom and everything come together. That's why Steve guttenberg audiophiliac uses low powered amplifiers usually in his own listening space. And I myself a Greek what's where I live I really can't belt it out so I got myself MUZISHARE X3T Tube Headphone Amplifier Balanced XLR 6.5mm Class A sinle-Ended EL84 Valve Integrated Amplifier. so it's a balance headphone amplifier but it also has a 5-watt class a tube amplifier. And I tell you I put it up against other more expensive amplifiers and something about this thing just has that magic😮 I mean I've got a Yamaha 801. Wilsonten R8. And don't get me wrong they sound great but they just don't have that magic. And that Yamahas their top-of-the-line last year and it's built extremely old school I mean it's incredible if you take the cover off. it weighs 35 lb. But anyhow I just thought I'd share that I'm a big fan of a low-power quality amplifier!!!!😂 I enjoy your work thank you so much!!!! Look forward to more take care please stay healthy!!!! BigErik

i have the noise on the right speaker, it goes away if you ground it or put a better antenna on it

Great vid! who does those art prints signed with NM on your wall? That B Boys one is killer!

The T9 what power supply did you have

Did you ever try the rekkr in monoblock mode? i have one, and some klipsch RB61 on my desk. I am tempted to try getting another, to help fill out the sound at moderate listening levels. Not sure there will be any benefit, but i think the monoblock setup would help the RB61 do the freq closer to 80hz where it is crossed over via the emotiva SE8 Flex Sub RCA xover

I'll take the Schiit over that Chi-Fi shit any day!

Would have been better to have aiyima a07/pro with upgraded power supply (36v 6a) or the aiyima a08 pro, using the same preamp/dac. Rekkr is good, I love schiit products, but you also need a dac/preamp, which I don't think it really overlaps with the market for the T9 pro.

Guys... What do you suggest for PC + bluetooth + passive Subwoofer use in small room 5x5m? I mean anything not only these two....Also do i need subwoofer? I know its stupid question but i am new to this topic...

So for someone sizing down from a good AB amplifier to rekkr, biggest downgrade would be in bass quantity and quality? I was extremely disappointed with class D and am afraid I'd also be with rekkr. Do you think Rega IO at €450 would be better bang for the buck than rekkr at €250(eu pricing)?

Thanks

Excellent overview. I was about to buy the T9 pro for the office and 95% of the time, I’ll be listening at low volume levels. ...and a whopping 2 Watts certainly sounds like it would be anemic especially paired with low sensitivity speakers.

I have an OG T9 and a rekkr....i think the T9 sounds better....i mean it has a tube. The rekkr is good for a clean little desktop setup, but i think the t9 is kinda magical

t9> rekkr