Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn

Introduction to the Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn Review

Schiit Audio is a USA-based manufacturer known for going their own way. After reviewing the amazing headamp called Midgard I’ve found myself craving more. One of the most interesting products was the Gjallarhorn: a small, stereo power amplifier for speakers. It is second in its class after a tiny, discontinued Rekkr – its smaller brother. Next up are his full-size cousins: Aegir 2F and Vidar 2F. It stands as a top desktop amplifier in Schiit’s range. But what makes it so interesting? 

Being priced at $299 it attempts to rival desktop amplifiers from Chinese companies while being manufactured and designed in the USA. Furthermore, uniquely it is a fully linear design: a class AB amplifier powered by a relatively large toroidal transformer. While similarly sized class D amplifiers offer powers in tens or even hundreds of watts, Schiit went another way. The Gjallarhorn offers a staggering 15W @ 4Ohm or 10W @ 8Ohm. It feels like it’s been ages since I was educated. Let’s do that now. Is it a lot of power? No. Is it enough? Unless you are trying to power up some insane speakers… Yeah. We got bamboozled and spoiled with insane amounts of power. 

In many cases, I would even call 50W+ desktop amps kind of overkill and impractical. Take a low-sensitivity speaker like KEF LS50 Meta which was measured at a sensitivity of 83dB/1W/1m. A 50W amp will destroy not only your hearing but also your speakers and spill your morning coffee. We are talking about 100dB at 1 meter, so near-field. At 3m we’re talking about a more reasonable 90dB.

A 15W amplifier will give you 95dB at 1m and 85dB at 3m. With a more reasonable sensitivity of 86dB – in the range of a lot of floor standers and bookshelf speakers, we are talking 97dB @ 1m and 88dB @ 3m. And just for the sake of it with Klipsch Heresy IV rated at 99dB/1W/1m we are talking about 110dB @ 1m and 101dB @ 3m. More or less. I would argue that how you deliver those Watts is way more important than the exact amount of them. 

Music is a signal with low power density, meaning we reach for power mostly when playing bass notes. Have you heard about Nelson Pass from Pass Labs and First Watt? The First Watt was named that because most of the music is often being played by the first Watt of the amplifier. You can easily read more about that. I recommend you do, Mr. Pass is a great educator and quite a writer.

Packaging

We can copy and paste this part from Midgard’s review. A simple box, closed cell foam interior. Sturdy, secure and 0% fancy. They do everything they can to keep the cost low on those. Wait, what do you mean this paragraph is too short? Umm, well. The box is boxy. It’s one of the boxier boxes I have seen, but not the boxiest. A reasonably boxy box. There, you happy?

Design, Build Quality

Well, it looks Schitty, doesn’t it? Graphite, coarse finish, curved top/front panel, minimal design. First of all, it’s a look immediately identified with Schiit Audio. But it is also a very cost-optimised decision. I’ve read some posts from Jason Stoddard about how hard it is to find a company that will deliver consistent, high-quality enclosures. Powder coating, which I assume is utilised here is much cheaper than brushed metal panels (not even talking aluminium). 

A simple, but spotless finish like that is still called premium by manufacturing companies and is considered a pain in the ass by them. Funnily enough, I heard a similar story from a friend of mine about speaker enclosures. Carpenter shops don’t want to bother with complicated speaker enclosures that need to be perfect when they can do 10 kitchen sets at the exact same time.

Back to the reviewed Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn. Its top panel has ventilation holes: two large and a row of small ones. Through big ones, you can clearly see the main radiator. It looks good and in my opinion, adds a really cool touch to the device. It stands apart from other devices and attracts the look.  The build quality is what Schiit made us used to: good. Solid. 

Nothing bends, and fitting is great. There is not much to go on here, just a solidly built device. We are talking about a desktop-sized device: 23 x 15 x 6,5 cm. You shouldn’t have any issues with making it fit on your desk, especially since you can just stack it with source/preamp.

Tech

Now for the fun part. This paragraph is going to be surprisingly long for just a 15W amplifier, so bear with me. I’ll begin with the power supply. It is relatively large for this amp. The heart of the reviewed Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn is an 80W transformer. It is over two times the rating than the total output power of 30W. Not many amplifiers have a ratio like that. 

It is followed by around 30 000uF of filtration capacity, which would be respectable even for an amp 2-3 times more powerful. But here is the kicker: the power supply features two different supplies. A +/-15V, unregulated rail for the output stage and a boosted, CFP stabilised +/-20V rails for the input stage and drivers.  What is a CFP? Complementary Feedback Pair is a two-transistor setup, which uses current feedback (hence the name) to make it more linear. But why the boosted rails? Don’t most amps use one type of voltage for everything? Boosted rails are a must in an amplifier like this due to headroom issues. The +/-15V rails are very low for an amp. 

To make it short, you can’t use all of your “volts” for signal, you need to “give” transistors in the amplifier some of “those volts” for them to work. Let’s say it’s around 3-5V. While it’s a minimal difference in normal amps that use +/-35V rails or higher, with only +/-15V available the input stage, voltage amplification stage and drivers wouldn’t be able to properly drive the output stage. Hence, we need to give them a little more voltage to work with, in this case, +/-5V. Thanks to that we can extract all of the power from the output stage that’s run at +/-15V. Also, did you know that Accuphase uses a solution like that in many of their amplifiers? Now you know.

The actual amplifier uses Continuum S topology, biased in class AB. According to Schiit, it is a current-feedback, fully discrete and complementary circuit. In plain English: it is pretty fancy. The whole tested Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn is way fancier than you think. 

This amp won’t shock you with the amount of available power. It offers 15W @ 4Ohm, or 10W @ 8Ohm. In bridged mono configuration, power doubles to 30W @ 8Ohm. The distortion numbers are in the range of below 0,005% at 1V, so basically negligible. Wide bandwidth is here thanks to the CFA (current feedback) design. At +/-3dB it goes up to 500kHz, which is a lot. Current feedback amplifiers tend to be fast and have a wide bandwidth.

What I appreciate about Schiit Audio is that their smaller amplifiers are just smaller amplifiers. Unlike many companies that castrate top models to make cheaper ones. You can’t afford the big Schiit? Take a smaller one, it’s still the Schiit.

As a power amplifier, reviewed Gjallarhorn features two sets of inputs: stereo RCAs and a mono XLR. The output connection only accepts banans plugs due to size limitations.

The sound of the reviewed Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn

Analogue sources: Pioneer PL-50LII with Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge, Wayne Colburn’s/DIYaudio.com Pearl 3 phono

Digital sources: Roon server, HiFiMan Serenade, Questyle M15

Preamplifiers: Schiit Audio Saga 2, Wayne Colburn’s/DIYaudio.com Whammy

Amplifiers: S.M.S.L AO200 mkII, Fosi Audio ZA3, Marantz PM14S1 SE, 

Speakers: Indiana Line Diva 3, KEF LS50 Meta

Well, for starters let’s talk about the listening conditions I used the Gjallarhorn in. At first, it was near-field with KEF LS50 Meta when I still had them. Currently, I’m using the Gjallarhorn with Schiit Audio Saga 2/HiFiMan Serenade and Indiana Line Diva 3 in my main room, which is around 13 sqm. In both setups, the output power of the Gjallarhorn was more than adequate. I wouldn’t recommend using it with lower-sensitivity speakers in a larger room. 

My first impressions were positive but also kinda expected. The Midgard set the bar pretty high. Speaking of which I feel that they have one important characteristic in common. Common with other pieces of Schiit too (heard Jotunheim, Wotan, Kara, Yggy and Bifrost): they are both smooth and detailed. Frankly, that’s what floats my boat. Usually, it’s one, or the other, or stupidly expensive. 

That drives one of my conclusions about Gjallarhorn: it sounds like a high-end amp, but it’s smaller with less power capabilities. I feel that the tech paragraph supports this theory, as it is built with solutions usually found in much more expensive gear. Smaller, but not necessarily worse. Gjallarhorn’s sound character is well-balanced, with no ranges being favoured. Together with an extremely (for a price) linear response of the Diva 3, I was rewarded with a very realistic and natural sound. Together with LS50 Meta, the sound went into more detailed, and precise and had a (I hate this adjective) “studio” sound. Overall, this amp is so transparent, that you can assume its sound characteristic will be dominated by other equipment.

Bass

Let’s kick things off with a punch. There aren’t many songs as iconic as Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) by Offspring. The intro drums surprised me with how widely they were spread out in the soundstage. Clean and snappy, will make you tap your foot in no time. The extension was really good, reviewed Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn can go low and is clearly limited by my bookshelf speakers. What makes it stand out is how natural the drums sounded and it sets the rest of the review.

Let’s switch things to Jessie Ware’s Selfish Love. This might be my favourite song by this British singer. She blends pop and RnB in an extraordinary way. The bass in this song sounded clean and satisfying. The reviewed amp doesn’t add any colouration. Textures are reproduced well. There is no bass bleed into the midrange. Control over the sound is excellent, until you push it too hard, which for me happened at unusable levels.

Midrange

Dua Lipa and Elton John in one song, live? That happens in her album Live From The Royal Albert Hall. I wasn’t ready for how revealing the tested Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn is, but as my number one politician once said “A Surprise to Be Sure, But a Welcome One”. There are multiple layers of midrange in this song: two distinct voices and a whole-ass orchestra with string instruments. Each part is completely separated and can be focused on with no effort. The separation is stellar. Vocalists are the dominating force here: forward, colourful and engaging. The orchestra sounds smooth like butter and functions as a background. The tonality is very natural and organic.

Another demanding song is Bleed It Out by Linkin Park. Here we have Chester’s legendary vocals, gritty guitars and rhythmic claps. I love this song, it’s a short, energy bomb. Gjallarhorn tackled it with ease. Similarly, as with the previous song, it shocks me how well it handles anything I’ll throw at it. What I really appreciate is how well it separates sounds that usually get mixed together.

I’m pleased to say that in my mind the reviewed Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn sets a new standard of midrange for desktop amps. 

Treble

The stereotype is that class AB is still much better at treble than class D. While I have heard extremely good class D amps, in this budget it is the reality. The Gjallarhorn continues to deliver. It is transparent. Let’s start with Children Of The Moon by Alan Parsons Project. The cymbals were crisp, shiny and simply on point. They have the natural ring, they have the natural decay. This is how I remember cymbals. They can be a little harsh if it is in the recording. Or they can be perfectly smooth, as illustrated by Soren Bebe’s Echoes. It’s a high-quality recording, sounding on the different side of the spectrum. Smooth and relaxing. Cymbals steadily wander in the background, airy and nuanced. They feel like a blanket hugging the sounds of a piano. I know I repeat that over and over but I’m pleasantly surprised by how transparent this amp really is.

Soundstage

I’ll stick with the Echoes for now. Not only is it a well-done recording, but it’s also one of a few jazz pieces that don’t annoy me. Which for jazz is a lot. The Gjallarhorn sets the stage in line with the speakers, leaving a lot of room for depth back and forth. The sound easily separates from the speakers. If a lot is going on in the song, you’ll hear it. In terms of width, it also does amazing. Each sound source was precisely set in space, well-defined and almost holographic, which is a word I don’t use much. This song sounded very realistic with a mix of big forte and small piano. For a harder test, I went with Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer. It’s an intense and rich track, with lots of instruments all over the place. American amp handled it with no sweat. Stellar separation and open sound are the name of the game. There isn’t anything to complain about here at this price.

Two Gjallarhorns, double the fun?

Well, in my case the biggest change when using two Gjallarhorns was in the soundstage. It took the precision and separation to the next level. Surprisingly, dynamics and bass weren’t improved much with Diva 3. Perhaps with LS50 Meta in a far-field setup, the difference would be larger. It was a nice improvement, but to buy two units straight away? I wouldn’t say so. Two Gjallarhorns equal to $598, which is getting dangerously close to a Vidar 2F at $899. On the other hand, you can start with one unit as a desktop amp. You move to another home: now you have space for floor standers. You can just grab another Gjallarhorn and call it a day. The modularity is a nice feature, but it doesn’t come for free.

Comparisons

Fosi Audio ZA3 48V @ $135

The Fosi ZA3 is a really strong contender in its segment. How does it compare to the American amp? The ZA3 is a more direct, more exciting and dynamic-sounding device. It is also more fun. But, and that’s a big butt: it lacks the refinement and maturity of Gjallarhorn. The bass is meatier and stronger with the Chinese amp. It has more drive and retains a similar amount of detail and control. The midrange is where Schiit pulls ahead. While ZA3 gives a respectable performance, it sounds strained and forced. It lacks smoothness, while not delivering the same amount of detail. The soundstaging of the ZA3 is very good. It rivals the Gjallarhorn. Maybe not as pinpoint accurate, but it’s not an unfair comparison. All in all, the ZA3 is a good amp for those who value dynamic sound, available power and bass. It is also much cheaper at $135 for an integrated vs $299 for a power amp. If you listen to music that has some real instruments, you’ll find the price difference easily justified. If you need something for EDM, or for parties, the ZA3 is up your alley.

S.M.S.L. AO200 mkII @ $249

The good boy of desktop amps, the AO200 mkII is a very pleasantly sounding integrated amplifier. It features a remote and a terrible DAC+BT combo. Its selling point is a combination of warm sound and ease of use. And pairing, as this is a warmer-sounding device that goes well with most speakers. If you expect your stereo to always sound at least nice, it is an excellent choice. While the Gjallarhorn is an extremely transparent amplifier, this one will mask imperfections and ensure that you enjoy yourself. The bass of the AO200 mkII is warmer, thicker and bigger than both Fosi and Schiit. While not as controlled, it creates a nice pillow for the sound to ride on. The midrange follows a similar pattern: richer and less detail-oriented than with competitors, it is also much more forgiving. Finally treble: smoothened out and rolled off. It lacks the resolution of Schiit, but also the harshness of ZA3. For $249 it’s around half of what a system with Gjallarhorn comes at. Its sound quality is solid, the feature set is good (please don’t use the DAC) and it might appease people who prioritise simplicity and relaxation in their listening sessions.

Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn Review – Summary

The Gjallarhorn is a surprising little box. It’s a stunningly small class AB amplifier, that is unpredictably complex and sounds unforseeingly mature. While low power of just 15W per channel will discourage some people, I’ll say WAIT. It is enough power for a lot of us. The quality of this power is stellar. It feels like a scaled-down hi-end amplifier, rather than a simple desktop amp. It is extremely revealing. The tonality is nailed. Midrange and treble are insanely good. It reminds me of amps that were many times more expensive. 

There are cons too. The price is pretty steep for a desktop amplifier. At $299 with no preamp, you need either a pre or a DAC with a regulated output. But then again it is designed and made in the US of A. It is also different from anything else, which can count as a pro.

So, is it worth it? If you have decent speakers and can spend that much, I would say yes. It’s not like you trip on unique, excellent-sounding amps on your way to work. If you have reasonably sensitive, high-quality speakers, and you like neutral and natural sound it is a strong recommendation from me. If you still think that 15W per channel is not enough, or have low impedance, low sensitivity speakers… Well, Schiit Audio’s Wotan is one of the best amps I have heard.

Highly recommended.