Description
Rega Brio – Big sound from a small amplifier
The latest generation of Rega’s Brio amplifier is set to carry on the legacy of its highly acclaimed and award-winning predecessor, and it’s a task 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 for under 7000 kr. Now it’s Brio 2017 that’s it. The latest Brio takes its predecessor’s entertaining, rhythmic, dynamic and detailed sound and refines it. The Brio, on the other hand, doesn’t just refine the qualities of its predecessor, but also adds a more powerful sound that makes the Brio not sound as “skinny” as its predecessor, making it much easier to match with different speakers.
Highlights:
- New and compact aluminium enclosure for better heat dissipation
- Modern and minimalist design
- Integrated headphone jack that does not affect sound quality or signal paths.
- Excellent MM phono stage for turntables
- Dedicated mini remote control
- Even better than its predecessor
Redesigned with new function
The new Brio has a much more contemporary front design, and it’s equipped with an all-new, stronger aluminium cabinet for better heat dissipation and durability. On the connection side, the Brio can now be connected to as many as five sources, and when it’s Rega, one of the sources is of course for a turntable with MM pickup. Here you can match the Brio with Rega’s
Planar 1
and Planar 2 series, and you’ll be rewarded with a really great sound for the price. You can now enjoy this sound through your headphones, because as a new feature, Brio comes with a built-in headphone amplifier that you can plug them into.
Upgraded on all parameters
In order to improve the new Brio, Rega has upgraded their PCB layout to accommodate the brand new and better specified key components. In addition, they have added an extra power supply, which makes the amplifier’s strong and weak signals better isolated from each other. This gives an audible improvement on all sources, but it’s the much more sensitive RIAA where the difference becomes particularly apparent.
Excellent headphone jack
With the built-in headphone amplifier, Rega has been innovative to ensure that it does not affect the overall sound quality. They’ve done this by developing a high-quality relay that disconnects the headphone amplifier when it’s not in use, so they can’t 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.
Specifications:
Output power: 50 W in 8 Ω, 73 W in 4 Ω
Power consumption: 195 W.
Inputs: 1 x MM Phono input, 4 x line inputs.
Exit: Record output
RIAA input: 2.1mV 47KΩ
Line input: 210mV 47KΩ
Headphone output: 32 – 300Ω
Dimensions: 21.6 x 7.8 x 34.5 cm
Weight: 5,1 kg.
