Rega Brio Integrated Amplifier Review & Comments

Jefke13

Hello everyone,

This amp is a giant killer. And i know that's a bold statement but man o man what a great amp. I have had some expensive amps in da house over the past few months and this one beats every single one.

The most important sentence in the review is: it pulls you into the music. So true, so true. Unbelievable! I put down my ipad every single time i fire it up. Just want to listen and listen and listen. I also have no idea how they did it. Had to post this guys. Happy holidays!

daisy chain

I have the new Brio in a second system with a pair of Wharfedale 220s - need to upgrade these to allow the amp to shine. I was thinking of the Rega RX1s as an obvious match but they don't seem to get a good press.... Possibly the Mission QX2 but would they be that much better than the 220s?

muljao

Probably better to start a new thread to get more hits.

The thing about speakers and amp matching is that the sound is very personal. If there is something you feel the setup lacks it's easier to get advice. I'm sure it sounds great now and I'm sure better speakers will improve it overall but what one person prefers may not be for you.

Having said that those missions get universally good write ups with many saying they are unfussy in nature, I'd doubt you'd go far wrong

Jefke13

wouldn't go with the rega's either, mission should be excellent, i have a great match with my Audiovector QR1, a match made in hifi heaven! But more expensive off course...

gibbsy

I have a pair of KEF R300s mated to my Rega Elicit-R. Fantastic bass control just the way I liked it. The Rega simply slayed the Naim Nait XS2 in the audition. Tremendous sound with the combination when playing SACDs.

The Brio could manage a pair of R300s.
KEF R300 Bookshelf Speakers

Jefke13

The new kef R3 would be pitch perfect... but even more expensive, but kef r300 excellent also

Jefke13

Or maybe sonus faber sonetto or dynaudio evoke even better...also more expensive sorry

corum

Hi,

I've had a 2017 Brio for a couple of months now and have been very pleased with the sound quality so far, however all is not well.

The first issue became apparent within a couple of days. On switching the unit on, there were two or three occasions where no sound could be heard coming from the unit and it was necessary to power the unit off and on again for it to start working properly. This seemed to resolve itself after a week or so of operation so I decided to ignore it and hope it didn't repeat itself.

Today I used the headphone jack and with no signal present immediately noticed a low hum coming from the right earpiece. I unplugged the headphones and placed my ear next to the right speaker and sure enough the hum was present. It is also present in the left speaker but is not as loud. I noted that:
The hum is present on all inputs.
The hum is present when there are no inputs connected.
The hum seems fixed and does not change with changes in volume.
As well as the hum mentioned above, there is also a distinct hiss that appears when input 1 is selected and the volume dial is set at 11 o clock or higher.
I normally only use input 2 with a DAC.
I have tried unplugging everything from the AMP and relocating to another room, then plugging only the headphone into the amp but the hum is still present.

Should I be looking to return the unit? Having googled around (even before I bought it) it was apparent that others have had problems with unwanted 'hum' from various iterations of the Brio.

dannnielll

The distinct hiss I would not be concerned about when you are close to full volume. Would I be correct in assuming that input 1 is a phono stage?..
I would be more concerned with a hum.  If the hum is present  when there are no inputs then it is internal. If you have added new device s it could be an earth loop. Hum  is typically associated with poor performance of the major capacitors in the power supply.  What that can mean is that the electrolytic capacitors are drying out,and their capacity is reducing. A quality amplifier should have no hum.

corum

Hi, yes that is correct, input 1 is the phono stage. Sounds like I will need to contact the vendor or Rega about the hum then.