Thanks to its newly acquired sonic weight, the Brio is evenly balanced across the frequencies. The top end sparkles and yet there’s a sweetness to it, while bass lines enjoy depth and rumbling textures.
Brand new case design.
The sleek and minimal look was designed to bring elegance to Rega’s classic style but still harks back to the swooped features hidden away in Rega’s past amplifiers. Combining all these aspects makes this Brio case a unique standpoint amongst the competition.
Re-designed circuit.
Key improvements have been made to the circuits. The PCB layout has been fully upgraded to handle higher specifications for all critical parts. A second raw power supply has been added to provide further isolation between output stage and the driver stage/line and phono amplifiers. This improves the isolation between high and low level signal stages of the amplifier. Higher specification MUSES operational amplifiers have been used in the line and phono amplifier.
Headphone Socket.
For convenience, the Brio has the capability to drive standard hi-fi headphones from the internal amplifier. Adding a headphone socket was only possible by finding a way to reduce its impact on the main signal path so it doesn’t disrupt the overall sound quality. We have paid special attention to the switch that deactivates the main speakers.
Specifications
Input sensitivities for rated output level:
Input 1 (phono) input sensitivity = 2.1mV at 47KΩ in parallel with 220pF.
Maximum Input 1 (phono) input level = 100mV
Input 2-5 (line) input sensitivity = 210mV at 47kΩ
Maximum input 2-5 (line) input level = 10.25V
Power outputs at 115V supply voltage:
50 Watts RMS both channels driven into the rated load of 8Ω
73 Watts RMS both channels driven into the rated load of 4Ω
At the end of the day, I want to forget the gear, pull on my faded old-man jeans, pour a glass, and let the music have its way with me. Rega Research's Brio integrated amplifier understands me. It's a cracking brilliant music maker with big tone, big beat, and big ambitions. With the Brio as my guide, I felt totally sated with the sound of music. It lets me forget my cares, forget websites and hi-fi mags, and simply be one with my music. At $995, the Brio is better than it should be. Roy Gandy has done it. Again.