Rega Brio 2017

Rega Brio – Big sound from a small amplifier

The latest generation of Rega's Brio amplifier must carry on the legacy of its highly award-winning and critically acclaimed predecessor, and this is a task that Rega has not taken lightly. Rega has made a complete upgrade of the Brio's interior as well as its exterior so that it is no longer the Brio-R that is the best amplifier under DKK 7000. Now it is the Brio 2017 that is. The latest Brio takes its predecessor's entertaining, rhythmic, dynamic and detailed sound and refines it. Brio, on the other hand, is not satisfied with simply refining its predecessor's qualities, because it also adds a more powerful sound, which means that the Brio does not sound as "skinny" as its predecessor, and therefore it is much easier to match with different speakers .

Highlights

• New and compact aluminum cabinet for better heat dissipation
• Modern and minimalist design
• Integrated headphone jack which does not affect the sound quality or the signal paths.
• Excellent MM phono stage for turntables
• Dedicated mini remote control
• Even better than its predecessor

Redesigned amplifier with new function

The new Brio has a far more up-to-date front design, and it is equipped with a completely new and stronger aluminum cabinet for better heat dissipation and durability. On the connection side, a total of five sources can now be connected to the Brio, and when it is Rega, one of the sources is of course for a record player with MM pickup. Here you can advantageously match the Brio with Rega's Planar 1 and Planar 2 series, and then you will be rewarded with a truly wonderful sound for the price. You can now enjoy this sound through your headphones, because as something completely new, Brio comes with a built-in headphone amplifier that you can connect to.

Upgraded on all parameters

In order to improve the new Brio, Rega has upgraded their circuit board layout to accommodate the brand new and better specified key components. In addition, they have added an additional power supply, which means that the amplifier's strong and weak signals have been better isolated from each other. It gives an audible improvement on all the sources, but it is especially the far more sensitive RIAA where the difference becomes particularly clear.

Excellent headphone amplifier

With the built-in headphone amplifier, Rega has been innovative to ensure that it does not affect the overall sound quality. They have succeeded in this by developing a high-quality relay that disconnects the headphone amplifier when not in use, so they cannot affect the main signal to the speakers.

Reviews

What Hi-Fi? - click here .
Tone Publications - click here .
The Ear - click here .
Sound & Image - click here .
Stereophile - click here .