Rega integrated amplifiers - good?

[Corvuscorone]

Partly yes

Some of the amps were clipping, maybe? That would explain what you perce

Some of the amps were clipping, maybe? That would explain what you perceived.

Partly yes. Most of the cheap class D amplifiers have a resistance-dependent frequency curve and are too low-powered to drive all speakers correctly. This problem does not exist in higher-power class AB amplifiers and class D Hypex ncore amplifiers. Good bass reproduction requires sufficient power when listening at high volumes.

 

[Corvuscorone]

Some of the amps were clipping, maybe? That would explain what you perceived.

...and the room acoustics have the greatest influence on the sound quality, especially in terms of bass. For the cheapest price, better sound reproduction can be obtained with adequate acoustics in the listening room.

 

[DSJR]

Room-speaker interactions are the last thing that dealers seem to worry about, as the next 'box' up the range and upgrade ladder at higher price and profit will 'fix it' in their minds. been there and done that on both sides of the fence in my less 'clued-up' younger days.

 

[mike70]

Room-speaker interactions are the last thing that dealers seem to worry about, as the next 'box' up the range and upgrade ladder at higher price and profit will 'fix it' in their minds. been there and done that on both sides of the fence in my less 'clued-up' younger days.

Dealers knows perfectly that sound also gets with the eyes
Not only by beautiful / heavy cases / VUs / whatever ... brand name helps.

Your brain do the rest, but I thought anyone here in ASR knows that well.

 

[horn-loaded]

My one-and-a-half-year-old Rega Elicit-R amp recently had thermal cut-out problems due to overheating when driving 4-ohm speakers.
Anyone on this thread want to buy it? Thought not. [sigh]

I foolishly thought a modern 105-watt amp should be up to the job of driving my one-year-old Elac Vela 407 speakers - nominally 4-ohm but dipping lower at low bass frequencies. Sadly the Elicit seems not to deliver enough current for the job.

Inclined to side with the poster above who used the phrase "cottage industry". Try communicating with the company about their products. Good luck. Just as well there are forums where we can find out if others have shared our experiences. Now using a well-known Japanese brand integrated amp of similar rated wattage but which can deliver the current needed by the Velas.

I did like the sound of the Elicit-R (until it had to be returned for warranty repair) and liked the slim form factor. The MM phono stage sounds nice, and I used the optical input to connect to my TV set. The Elicit user interface is a bit basic though. How many times must I toggle the Input button on the Rega remote to change input from phono to (external) DAC? Oh yes, getting down on my knees I can see that 'Input 3' is highlighted. How helpful. Hegel do this user interface better, but they are even more $$$.

Maybe the next amp up the line - the Aethos - might do the job driving my speakers. Bet it sounds good, but no phono stage. No DAC - that is forgivable - but just a basic remote - too hair-shirt for me. For that money I expect an integrated amp to exude quality and last for at least 10 years.

 

[Chrispy]

Not sure of the attraction to English brands' integrated amps....

 

[Corvuscorone]

My one-and-a-half-year-old Rega Elicit-R amp recently had thermal cut-out problems due to overheating when driving 4-ohm speakers.
Anyone on this thread want to buy it? Thought not. [sigh]

I foolishly thought a modern 105-watt amp should be up to the job of driving my one-year-old Elac Vela 407 speakers - nominally 4-ohm but dipping lower at low bass frequencies. Sadly the Elicit seems not to deliver enough current for the job.

Inclined to side with the poster above who used the phrase "cottage industry". Try communicating with the company about their products. Good luck. Just as well there are forums where we can find out if others have shared our experiences. Now using a well-known Japanese brand integrated amp of similar rated wattage but which can deliver the current needed by the Velas.

I did like the sound of the Elicit-R (until it had to be returned for warranty repair) and liked the slim form factor. The MM phono stage sounds nice, and I used the optical input to connect to my TV set. The Elicit user interface is a bit basic though. How many times must I toggle the Input button on the Rega remote to change input from phono to (external) DAC? Oh yes, getting down on my knees I can see that 'Input 3' is highlighted. How helpful. Hegel do this user interface better, but they are even more $$$.

Maybe the next amp up the line - the Aethos - might do the job driving my speakers. Bet it sounds good, but no phono stage. No DAC - that is forgivable - but just a basic remote - too hair-shirt for me. For that money I expect an integrated amp to exude quality and last for at least 10 years.

It seems that the Elex-R has been one of the best Rega amplifiers. I haven't heard of any problems with it. I bought mine five years ago for €800, used for half a year and with a warranty. I've driven different 4-8 Ohm speakers with it without problems. It doesn't even get hot in use, like Brio-R, which I didn't like very much and I gave it to my son. The Brio-R has been in use for about ten years, without any problems. In my opinion, apart from the sound, the best aspects of the Elex-R are the very good phonostage, numerous rca inputs and the preamplifier output. It of course need a good dac these days but that's not a problem for me as I'd use an external dac anyway. Sorry to hear that the service and maintenance does not work outside Great Britain.

 

[horn-loaded]

Not sure of the attraction to English brands' integrated amps....

Speaking as an NZ resident of 64 years, for me the appeal of British audio gear is partly a cultural thing.

Supposedly NZ is the most 'English' country outside of England. When I left the country for my "Overseas Experience" (OE), London was the place that drew me like a magnet. Dad had British gear. Naim pre-power amps and CD player, Rega turntable and cartridge, Rega tuner, and at one stage he had the Rega Saturn CD player also. I have kept most of Dad's old gear and my sister has the turntable. I own two Rega 3 turntables, the older of which is on loan to a friend. I like the philosophy behind their turntable design. Rega gear is readily available and is well respected in NZ (Naim is not so available right now).

Part of this cultural thing includes a perhaps outdated perception of British gear as sounding 'musical'. My friends and I tended to snub Japanese gear in the 70's and 80's as classy looking but maybe a tad 'bright' sounding. Now after recent problems with the Elicit, I own a Yamaha integrated and I love it.

 

[Chrispy]

Speaking as an NZ resident of 64 years, for me the appeal of British audio gear is partly a cultural thing.

Supposedly NZ is the most 'English' country outside of England. When I left the country for my "Overseas Experience" (OE), London was the place that drew me like a magnet. Dad had British gear. Naim pre-power amps and CD player, Rega turntable and cartridge, Rega tuner, and at one stage he had the Rega Saturn CD player also. I have kept most of Dad's old gear and my sister has the turntable. I own two Rega 3 turntables, the older of which is on loan to a friend. I like the philosophy behind their turntable design. Rega gear is readily available and is well respected in NZ (Naim is not so available right now).

Part of this cultural thing includes a perhaps outdated perception of British gear as sounding 'musical'. My friends and I tended to snub Japanese gear in the 70's and 80's as classy looking but maybe a tad 'bright' sounding. Now after recent problems with the Elicit, I own a Yamaha integrated and I love it.

The british thing may have been more relevant at some point in the past, aside from the commonwealth nation thing. All I've seen of Naim is not conducive to buying anything from them. I've never even seen a Rega product but seems they're more known for vinyl players. I tend to find the whole "musical" sounding thing as just audiophilia nonsense.

 

[DSJR]

Not sure of the attraction to English brands' integrated amps....

Certainly no idea outside of the UK, but here, older-age dealers dealing with older-age clients who were 'bang on trend' in the 80's when all this nonsense was at its height is where the appeal of more expensive UK separates seems to be. The Planar 1 turntable is more widely available, but the rest of it isn't as far as I'm still aware. I doubt many of their dealers and owners know anything about the mediocre tech reviews their electronics and speakers are getting here and increasingly elsewhere, judging by two iffy reviews of the Aya speaker, which I had such high hopes for.

 

[vuittion]

Not sure of the attraction to English brands' integrated amps....

Have you tried any?? Have you listened to any?? It's easy making a statement like that if you haven't.

Its the same as me saying "not sure of the attraction to non English branded amps. It sounds real ignorant dont it.

 

[Mart68]

Have you tried any?? Have you listened to any?? It's easy making a statement like that if you haven't.

Its the same as me saying "not sure of the attraction to non English branded amps. It sounds real ignorant dont it.

I'm British and have a fair bit of experience with British amps.

As a consequence I now use Japanese and American.

In general - since there are some exceptions - low watts, low current, few features, potential reliability concerns with some brands, and in terms of price/performance, not great value for money.

I'd rather it was not that way, we have a balance of payments issue. Happily we have DCS to partly redress that aspect.

 

[Chrispy]

Have you tried any?? Have you listened to any?? It's easy making a statement like that if you haven't.

Its the same as me saying "not sure of the attraction to non English branded amps. It sounds real ignorant dont it.

Why would I "try" an amp particularly? That sounds somewhat ignorant to begin with. I've never found a reason to buy most integrated amps let alone british branded ones, let alone power amps. YMMV.

 

[ivayvr]

Have you tried any?? Have you listened to any?? It's easy making a statement like that if you haven't.

Its the same as me saying "not sure of the attraction to non English branded amps. It sounds real ignorant dont it.

I did try the current Brio after reading all the hype how musical it is/was. Before it I had NAD D3020. Before making a switch, I asked on one of the British forums if it is worth making a change. I was surprised when a few people responded that would be a lateral move. The amp was offered as a combo with Planar 1 at almost no cost. I simply could not resist and took the deal. I can't explain how disappointed I was! At that time, I had a pair of Focal Aria 905 and Brio was not a proper match. They started singing when I made a switch from Brio to Bluesound Powernode.
I am sorry that I did not find any special refinement or intoxicating musicality of the Brio. I did not find the high heat of the amp appealing either.

 

[reggiegasket]

Interesting. Just to add my 10p, I recently demoed a Brio against a Powernode and preferred the Brio. My mate bought a Node+Brio, over the Powernode.

The Rega amps I've demoed (Io, Brio, Elex 4, Ellicit 5 and Aethos) were all pretty good. The Io and Brio were vivid and vibrant, and had good energy but were quite forward. They were good value in a budget system, in my view, and I bought an Io for my daughter to take to uni. The others were more 'hifi' and sophisticated but still had that Rega 'vibrancy'. The Aethos in particular was impressive.

 

[BDWoody]

Have you tried any?? Have you listened to any?? It's easy making a statement like that if you haven't.

Its the same as me saying "not sure of the attraction to non English branded amps. It sounds real ignorant dont it.

No, it really isn't.

This is an evidence based kinda place, and casual listening sessions without meaningful controls aren't reliable or terribly meaningful.

Lots and lots of 'I know what I hear, and I trust my ears!' in the later part of this thread. We aren't really about that.

Try this, and see how it goes.

 

[DSJR]

Interesting. Just to add my 10p, I recently demoed a Brio against a Powernode and preferred the Brio. My mate bought a Node+Brio, over the Powernode.

The Rega amps I've demoed (Io, Brio, Elex 4, Ellicit 5 and Aethos) were all pretty good. The Io and Brio were vivid and vibrant, and had good energy but were quite forward. They were good value in a budget system, in my view, and I bought an Io for my daughter to take to uni. The others were more 'hifi' and sophisticated but still had that Rega 'vibrancy'. The Aethos in particular was impressive.

Sad to say, I now feel that 'vibrancy' which goes up to the Osiris as well, is actually, carefully judged distortion and it's audibly worse when said amps are first switched on. I suspect it depends on the speakers that dealers dem the stuff with and here, the choice is often rather limited, said (UK admittedly) dealers, sticking to the usual suspects. I have to say I had a pleasant morning doing turntable work a few years back with an Io, driving at low levels a set of Harbeth M30.2-XDs using I think, a Saturn R disc player and it was very pleasant indeed. Too meek for serious higher level listening though and I'd never now support an amp with such a bad performance in today's market, knowing what else is available. The Brio R has now gone, tellingly, along with the now incredibly dated Dac R and the latest Elex amp model has crept up in price rather a lot for a 'value' brand, too (£899 to £1,199 it seems).

The Brio R and Wharfedale 220s in a pal's system did sound very good too, but I'd avoid 'toppy screechers' where speakers are concerned. he also has some 'vintage' Spendor SP1's which are very smooth and non-resonant up-top and these also sounded great with an amp like this.

 

[Mart68]

The Brio R has now gone, tellingly, along with the now incredibly dated Dac R and the latest Elex amp model has crept up in price rather a lot for a 'value' brand, too (£899 to £1,199 it seems).

Is it or has it ever been a 'Value brand'?

In the old days it was what the UK mags advised us to buy if we couldn't afford Linn/Naim or Exposure. (Japanese kit was only for background music and people who were not serious about sound quality and American was over-priced and overblown).

Rega was only cheap or budget seen in the context of the UK high end at the time. I certainly couldn't afford it then.

Nowadays I've no idea who their market is, but they obviously still have one.