Rega Brio integrated amplifier is certainly the best amplifier for turntable and other recorders nowadays.
It has a new two-compartment design, which improves the heat dissipation. The amplifier itself has a “very high class” built-in MM phono stage. The developers have added a second power supply circuit – it separates the output stage from the amplifier stage.
With a load of 4 ohms, the amplifier is capable of delivering 73 watts of power for a pair of speakers and 93 watts per channel. At a load of 8 ohms, these values correspond to 50 and 58 watts. The maximum input voltage at the phono input is 100 mW, the sensitivity is 2.1 mW at 47 kΩ. The line inputs have a sensitivity of 210 mW into 47 kΩ. The headphone output delivers 1.8 watts (32 ohms). At 300 ohms, the power is 5.9 watts.
Rega Brio Pros and Cons
Pros
- Well-defined highs and mid-range, and strong punchy bass
- Excellent phono stage and channel balance
- Great performance both with digital sources and turntables
- Solid aluminum casing
- Built-in input for the headphones prevents interferences from the loudspeaker channel
- Compactness, small chassis
Cons
- At low volume, the hiss can be audible
- Some buyers reported second channel breakage after 3 weeks of use
Alex Smith is the senior home entertainment editor at theGuruchoice and focused on reviews. His specialities are: technology, home theatre systems, music reviews.