Rega DAC-R DAC Review

[restorer-john]

Insides:

View attachment 320263

Cabling is all over the place,no wonder about the mains noise and performance.
That's unfortunate.

Thanks Amir!

With you and other people commenting about Rega's poor wiring practices based on this picture, you probably should ensure it is exactly the same as the unit that @amirm reviewed.

When I look at the picture, I see significant differences. The most obvious being the fuse placement is above the IEC in your picture, versus off to the side and PCB mounted in the Amir's rear panel picture. So we are likely looking at a completely different version to the one tested.

This review from 2015 shows a totally different layout of the DAC-R...

Review: Rega DAC-R

If you mention the brand name “Rega” to audiophiles and music lovers around the world, most will immediately recognise it. Nearly everyone has owned, heard or at least seen a Rega Planar turntable at some point in time.

www.stereonet.com

 

[Sokel]

With you and other people commenting about Rega's poor wiring practices based on this picture, you probably should ensure it is exactly the same as the unit that @amirm reviewed.

When I look at the picture, I see significant differences. The most obvious being the fuse placement is above the IEC in your picture, versus off to the side and PCB mounted in the Amir's rear panel picture. So we are likely looking at a completely different version to the one tested.

This review from 2015 shows a totally different layout of the DAC-R...

Review: Rega DAC-R

If you mention the brand name “Rega” to audiophiles and music lovers around the world, most will immediately recognise it. Nearly everyone has owned, heard or at least seen a Rega Planar turntable at some point in time.

www.stereonet.com

View attachment 320476

And here's another one with different cabling than both the other two!

Купить Стационарный ЦАП Rega DAC-R BLACK в Москве, цена: 69930 руб, 2 отзыва о товаре - интернет-магазин Pult.ru

Купить Стационарный ЦАП Rega DAC-R BLACK в интернет-магазине Pult.ru: цена: 69930 руб., 2 отзыва о товаре , Рейтинг: 5 из 5. Комната прослушивания в Москве, доставка по всей России

www.pult.ru

Review/add is from 2018(?) and says something about changes from the 2011 model witch also looks similar.
This one also has the fuse at the upper side.
Is Amir's older or newer?

 

[dogmamann]

This Rega R dac dont use any IC at the analog output. Its a discreet design. It mirrors the sound of an older Linn Klimax DS, almost the same dacs used ( Wolfson 8742 and 8741) and using filter 2 on the rega has about the same filter caracteristics as a Klimax.

Regarding the Rega , its a very polite sound without any digital glare combined with a very good and tight bass drive .
Maybe a coloration, but its a good one

There is no such thing as a digital glare when you spray lot of noise, you hear nothing crystal clear. This Rega is as good as old radio from 1950s

 

[dogmamann]

The WiiM pro with its internal dac sounds very inferior to the Rega dac R .
Ofcourse I would use it If it sounded better.
And now comes the question - how can that be ?

You are saying Rega is superior, but meaurement shows it’s total bullshit. I guess you have no perspective of how hi fidelity is. Buy a topping e30 and listen few days to learn it

 

[restorer-john]

This Rega is as good as old radio from 1950s

Oh come on. That's ridiculous and you know it.

 

[BDWoody]

And now comes the question - how can that be ?

It's not like we haven't covered this before. You consistently make unlikely claims, for which you have zero evidence.

Let's not do this in yet another thread.

 

[thecheapseats]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Rega DAC-R stereo DAC. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $1,195 when it came out in 2015...

...We can make a bit of dispensation for an older design but this is still poor...

very often, a calendar does the hard work - usually in hindsight...

 

[pablolie]

If you like what you have a home, measurements may well be an indication of why and what you might like in the future. Nothing wrong with personal preference.

I certainly could not care less if some newer equipment pumps 500W with a Sinad that is 4dB better than 90dB or so. Been disappointed way too often about new, hyped equipment not improving my music enjoyment one iota.

 

[G|force]

I like to use a Hilo AD/DA because it is easy.
brutalize the signals with 500 series outboard, making noise, all sorts of pleasing distortion and bring it back to a pair of 8341 to listen.

 

[pablolie]

I wouldnt extrapolate this singular event of measurement tests as an overall revelation of the British HiFi industry in general. It's just WhatHiFi that gives it a bad name these days with their incompetence.

 

[DACs_Lover]

Luckily around 2015, I bought a Benchmark Dac 1.

 

[pablolie]

Luckily around 2015, I bought a Benchmark Dac 1.

Which by the way Amir tested and did not recommend, either...not that that would bother me if I enjoyed it. Hearability thresholds probably easily met.
Personally these days I could not care less if someone comes out with a DAC with a 300dB Sinad. It just no longer makes a difference. We have been way past hearability thresholds with competent designs for many years.

 

[Billy Budapest]

And build quality, overall functionality (ease of operation, displays, noises/clicks, response times/delays etc) reliability and cost.

Most of those except for cost and reliability were covered by feature set and appearance IMHO. But yes, all of the above are differentiators.

 

[Billy Budapest]

And here's another one with different cabling than both the other two!


View attachment 320478

Купить Стационарный ЦАП Rega DAC-R BLACK в Москве, цена: 69930 руб, 2 отзыва о товаре - интернет-магазин Pult.ru

Купить Стационарный ЦАП Rega DAC-R BLACK в интернет-магазине Pult.ru: цена: 69930 руб., 2 отзыва о товаре , Рейтинг: 5 из 5. Комната прослушивания в Москве, доставка по всей России

www.pult.ru

Review/add is from 2018(?) and says something about changes from the 2011 model witch also looks similar.
This one also has the fuse at the upper side.
Is Amir's older or newer?

Amir tested the v2 version. The picture above is of the v1 version. You can tell as it has five filter choices rather than three in the v2.

 

[MyCuriosity]

Why the reference to John Atkinson?

 

[Sokel]

What's this strange sign on the board "Best Used With EL84 Valves" ?
Does Rega has such an amp?

 

[amirm]

Why the reference to John Atkinson?

'cause what he wrote is what I quoted. He did the Stereophile measurements and made that conclusive remark.

 

[milosz]

Even though this DAC doesn't measure all that well, it will still measure at least an order of magnitude better than playback measurements of any vinyl setup, Rega or otherwise.

 

[dogmamann]

Have you owned it or heard it?

I can see the measurments here and I don’t want to hear or own it ever. Thanks to ASR.

 

[dogmamann]

Even though this DAC doesn't measure all that well, it will still measure at least an order of magnitude better than playback measurements of any vinyl setup, Rega or otherwise.

Yeah Vinyl sucks. Digital is the right way to go. Analogue guys are just delusional.