Rega Brio-R
- Thread starter Art K.
- Start date
Homeless Harbeths...!
Never fear my friend, I have a home hear for homeless Harbeths! I'll send you the address and you send the Harbeths..what could be easier?
That would be easy, huh? I'm unsure what they're going to end up with for an amp. I need to try them on a few more things here first, but before any of that happens, I need the right stands, and just need to stop procrastinating and buy them. The Brio really intrigues me for some reason.
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
You're playing with fire here my friend.
+1
I think it looks great, and, unlike some people, looks are important to me when it comes to hi-fi equipment.
However, I'm less shallow about people.
I'm betting over the next few days things are going to get pretty damn nice in your system.
poppachubby
Boo Yaka! Boo Yaka!
Wow, looks great Art. I had a listen to the new Brio at the latest TAVE show in Toronto. I have had the Rega dac at my house for a couple days now, just an audition. I understand your excitement.
How do you find the phono stage compared to your Mini? Should be much more detail and accuracy. Infact I would think this would be the biggest jump in fidelity from your previous set up.
Anyhow enjoy...
How do you find the phono stage compared to your Mini? Should be much more detail and accuracy. Infact I would think this would be the biggest jump in fidelity from your previous set up.
Anyhow enjoy...
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
Listening to some classical music and it sounds great this morning.
One thing I've noticed is a just a bit of transformer hum. You have to be within 2 feet and in a quiet room to hear it. Quite common in any amp I've owned that is worth listening to. The Sonneteer had a bit of hum both from the transformer and through the speakers but you couldn't hear it from the listening position. The Brio-R is silent through the speakers. Just because I was then curious I went in to wife's home office and put my ear to the C326BEE and it also has a little hum, but you have a be a little closer to hear it. Again, not a problem, but I want to note everything I notice and believe me if I could hear it from the listening position during quiet passages it would be a deal breaker. Truth is, this is just one fine amp. Bags of resolution, that inner detail that was so wonderful about the Sonneteer and that characterizes class A amps with plenty of kick.
One thing I've noticed is a just a bit of transformer hum. You have to be within 2 feet and in a quiet room to hear it. Quite common in any amp I've owned that is worth listening to. The Sonneteer had a bit of hum both from the transformer and through the speakers but you couldn't hear it from the listening position. The Brio-R is silent through the speakers. Just because I was then curious I went in to wife's home office and put my ear to the C326BEE and it also has a little hum, but you have a be a little closer to hear it. Again, not a problem, but I want to note everything I notice and believe me if I could hear it from the listening position during quiet passages it would be a deal breaker. Truth is, this is just one fine amp. Bags of resolution, that inner detail that was so wonderful about the Sonneteer and that characterizes class A amps with plenty of kick.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
Haven't done much listening to the phono stage yet but believe me I will note my impressions here when I do.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
Much better than either the previous iterations of the Brio or the Nait. You can adjust in very to whatever level you like without fear. Even the remote is easier to use relative to volume than my last amp.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
Hey Pops the phono stage is pretty darn good and in fact you hit the improvements right on the head. The Fono Mini is a pretty damn good phono pre amp for the dough...but the value on this amp is off the scale.
Still getting familiar with it so more later.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
It's a stud, Dan. It's got a lot of running in to do but it really is quite special.
Again, what I love about this change as much as anything is how my wife loves her new setup...she just keeps smilin' and tellin me how much she appreciates the work I did on her setup. She says she now hears the lyrics better and all of the instruments are in place...she loves it...it's a win/win!
Pigpen
www.witchdoctor.co.nz
Hi Art, bloody nice work. I'm looking for a new amp and this thread is swaying me away from some of the more expensive options I was looking at. I recently got to play with a conrad-johnson ET3 pre-amp and c-j Classic Sixty power amp (in my system for several weeks) which totally blew me away and made my Arcam sound like a mere toy. Unfortunately I cannot afford them but I'm craving for that high-end sound and the Brio-R looks like it could deliver.
A while back I was involved in a "shoot-out" of sorts between several high-end DACs including a $20,000NZ Moon and when, for a laugh we hooked up the Rega DAC, it impressed everybody, and I (at least) thought it sounded better than any of the others, sounding cleaner, less digital. And the build quality is fantastic - how would you rate the build quality of the Brio-R?
A while back I was involved in a "shoot-out" of sorts between several high-end DACs including a $20,000NZ Moon and when, for a laugh we hooked up the Rega DAC, it impressed everybody, and I (at least) thought it sounded better than any of the others, sounding cleaner, less digital. And the build quality is fantastic - how would you rate the build quality of the Brio-R?
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
Well...it's not perfect. For $895 something has to give. The front and back are plastic just like with the DAC. Other than that it's built like a tank.
I'm not sure how I can explain this but the bang for buck factor with is amp is off the scale...I mean it. I owned a 3k Sonneteer amp which I loved. If I had that amp here and he Brio-R and had to choose I would take the Brio-R every time. It's obvious that it was designed and by folks who love music. It requires a long break in and the first few minutes are particularly painful!
Estimates on break in are 1-3 weeks but changes start to occur within 10 minutes of start up.
Tonight I'm listening to phono stage, each input breaks in indepentendly...(I know and don't give me any shit about it....ok). I've not hear any MM phono pre amp sound better for under 1k...yeah, that good. Again though it took time and was not that good to start with...
To quote another post I wrote today;
"First off the C326BEE is a fine amp, to use a cliche, punching way above it's weight. My wife is enjoying it as I type. But the Brio-R is beyond belief IMO. The bang for buck is simply off the scale. I'm listening to it break in now and the phono pre amp is every bit as good as any I've heard for MM cartridges at the 1K and below level....what the phono stage alone! ....yeah.
You may remember me talking about inner resolution...in Jazz in particular, because it is an improvisational art form the dialogue between the artists as the piece plays out is the key to understanding the piece as a whole. With the Unison, NAD, Rega Mira, to differing degrees I heard the piece as a whole but didn't "get" how they reached their musical conclusions. That's OK for casual listening but not for critical listening. With both the Sonneteer and the Brio-R the inner dialogue of the musicians is laid bare and I can hear into the conversation that the artists are having as the piece is created...that is key to understanding the piece and not just hearing it.
Still breaking in and according to the latest review it has almost 3 weeks to go!"
watt
no on
Holy heck!
I always enjoy reading your impressions, Art. I'm not exactly in the market for a new amp, but I am intrigued. Glad that this new purchase is working out so well for you.
You're selling Brio's tonight, Art.
I'm confused here. The Brio has been Rega's entry level integrated for a while. Not that price is necessarily reflective of quality, but you've owned some very serious amplification such as the Sonneteer Alabaster, Unison Unico, Mira 3, and the Brio is better than those? Apart from your glowing impressions, by comparison to what you've owned, it would seem like a downgrade. What specifically did they do to the new Brio to make this surpass the others you've owned or to make you believe it would be better than those? It's the same price as the old Brio, and that one didn't set the world on fire. I own Rega, love Rega, just don't get what's so special about the new Brio.
I'm confused here. The Brio has been Rega's entry level integrated for a while. Not that price is necessarily reflective of quality, but you've owned some very serious amplification such as the Sonneteer Alabaster, Unison Unico, Mira 3, and the Brio is better than those? Apart from your glowing impressions, by comparison to what you've owned, it would seem like a downgrade. What specifically did they do to the new Brio to make this surpass the others you've owned or to make you believe it would be better than those? It's the same price as the old Brio, and that one didn't set the world on fire. I own Rega, love Rega, just don't get what's so special about the new Brio.
Pigpen
www.witchdoctor.co.nz
I like the DAC's build so no worries there, for me.
One thing that impressed me with the conrad-johnsons was the way cymbals sounded so real - metallic and they decayed realistically. How do you think the Brio-R does in that respect? (Sorry about all the questions, I'll have to arrange an audition soon!)
Makes sense that the phono stage would burn in independently from the rest. :yes:
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
Good question...I dunno?!?!
I don't work for Rega so I have no idea what they did.
BTW the new Brio R is $200 more than the previous iteration the Brio-3. It appears that they went to work on creating a bare bones integrated much like the Sonneteer (look inside one, beautiful yet simple) with the most important components being top priority. I can tell you that the previous Mira 3 was a bore by comparison. This amp IMO is an attempt at immortality by Roy Gandy & company. This is their Nait 2. I'm just glad that I'm flush time around!
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
The Brio-R is not like a tube amp or pre amp. Cymbal timbre will not have nearly the same realistic timbre that they would with CJ or some of the other great amps. What the Brio-R gets right is the entire Gestalt. That which makes music music. Not the pieces and parts but the whole. Ever listened to a Naim Nait 2 with Linn standmounts. Nothing about that would make you think about individual instruments, right. It was about the music as a whole.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
To elaborate..
Every one of the fine integrated amps I've owned did something special. The Prima Luna Prologue 2 and Unison Research Unison Unico P, timbre if not pace. The Sonneteer Alabaster, inner dialogue and good timing, if not excitement. The Mira 3 had good synergy with the other Rega pieces and never offended (or impressed). The NAD warm and friendly enough to help you get over the loss of the others without waxing tragic. The Brio-R does everything well enough to be a classic and nothing poorly enough to be a turn off. It's a Jack-of-all-trades and too damn good to be a master of none.
Every one of the fine integrated amps I've owned did something special. The Prima Luna Prologue 2 and Unison Research Unison Unico P, timbre if not pace. The Sonneteer Alabaster, inner dialogue and good timing, if not excitement. The Mira 3 had good synergy with the other Rega pieces and never offended (or impressed). The NAD warm and friendly enough to help you get over the loss of the others without waxing tragic. The Brio-R does everything well enough to be a classic and nothing poorly enough to be a turn off. It's a Jack-of-all-trades and too damn good to be a master of none.
