Dipping my toe back in with a new Rega Brio...

iamjaymo

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Was out of audio for over a year, and said I was never coming back...but now dipping my toe just slightly back in with a new Rega Brio. Had sold everything off ‘cept a Schiit Lyr at the office but wanted to get some tunes back in my life (long story).

My last system was a fantastic Exposure 3010S2d paired with magnificent Fritz Rev 7s. I won’t be able to match that level anymore with meager finances dedicated toward audio but saw the new Rega...it’s updated...headphone amp now included...friendly price considering where I've been...so what the hell!

The new Brio will be here later in the week. Tune in if anyone is interested.
 
Last edited:
I'd say you're off to a good start. Those Brios are a pretty good value. Sorry about the meager finances.

...r1
 
Yeah, I was late to the party to get your Exposure amp. Had to buy one from Gene Rubin. Hard to explain the magic of simple British gear. I hope the Brio surprises you.
 
Got the Rega in-house last week...listened for 2 straight days with my entire music catalog. I have to say I am impressed. Like it very much so far - checks all the boxes for me. I would highly recommend it. Can't imagine anything better at the price point. Enjoying it.
 
Last edited:
New user here. My new Brio came in the mail yesterday. After two and a half years with the Brio-R I found the new Brio more punchy and fuller sounding. The amp really opened up after about 2 hours. My complaint with the first Brio was brightness and uncontrolled bass although now im learning my original Brio may have a defective phono stage as these problems weren't present when streaming on inputs 2-5.

rp6, ortofon bronze, kab rf1 filter, wharfedale diamond 250s.

So far have played the following LP's and all have sounded excellent.

John Mayer - Born and Raised, Paradise Valley, Search for Everything
Tool - Undertow
Kendrick Lamar - Damn., Good Kid Mad City
Portugal the Man - Woodstock
Glass Animals - How to Be a Human, and Zaba

For this weekend,

Tool - Aenima
Da Grassroots a Passage through Time
Rage Against The Machine - self titled
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

on a side note, i stumbled acorss the Brio thread where Art mentions to leave the amp on 24/7. I didn't do this with my past Brio but will be leaving this one on 24/7. Will report back when this baby is fully run in.
 
So the Brio had a pretty bad "Hummmmm". It was faint, but it was there; I just couldn't get over it. Back it went to Music Direct for a refund. I will spare the details but any and all trouble-shooting wasn't successful. The hunt continues...
 
Swapped the Rega out for a Peachtree Nova 150. We’ll see how that goes...
 
Last edited:
I just picked up a Marantz 6005 from Music Direct....open box deal was pretty good for a second system. Still burning it in...a little fatiguing right now but I am anticipating it settling down shortly. Interested in hearing what you think of the Peachtree...
 
Last edited:
Got the Peachtree up and running. I gotta say, out of the box for the first 20 mins, it's pretty rough. Harsh high-end and the bass is a bit flat and thin. Gobs of power though. Will let it run in over the next week or so. Running it through it's own Sabre DAC via USB.

Beautiful finish and construction...boxing was nice, I guess that's a positive. Will post up a new thread in another forum as this obviously isn't British audio. More later.
 
I just picked up a Marantz 6005 from Music Direct....open box deal was pretty good for a second system. Still burning it in...a little fatiguing right now but I am anticipating it settling down shortly. Interested in hearing what you think of the Peachtree...

Well I'm back to the Rega Brio...that should tell you how the Peachtree audition went. This time, instead of an "open box" Brio, I got a brand spanking new one. Hoping the hum issue was just a fluke and maybe the reason my previous unit was an "open box" unit. Will have it late next week hopefully.

I REALLY liked what I heard musically from the Rega when I had it (save the hum).


Back to my original...the Exposure 3010S2D! Done.
 
Last edited:
iamjaymo,

Sweet. That Rega Brio looks to be a great piece of gear. Just curious, how many hours were you able to put on the Nova 150? Did it have decent tonality? Thanks.

Cheers,

Scott
 
I did a serious listen at exactly 135 hours of burn in. There was a lot I really liked about the Nova - the vocals were fantastic as well as it's reproduction of music in the higher regions. It sounded like no other Class D amp I have heard - warm and musical - not at all sterile, cold or bright. In the end, it just didn't have the low-end grunt I was looking for. The bass to me was flat and did not change from the day I took it out of the box. The vocals and higher end sparkle did perk up after the burn in however.

I do believe it was NOT the amp section that was the problem...it was the DAC. I have never been a fan of Sabre DACs but I had not heard the 2KM version of Sabre in the Nova. To me, the DAC in the Nova sounds the same as other versions I had heard. I connected my Cal Audio tube DAC to the Nova and it immediately gave me more of what I was looking for. It just didn't make sense to me to keep the amp if I wasn't going to use it with the internal DAC. That, after all, was why I purchased the Nova in the first place as it provided me with a true integrated unit. If I was going to have to use an external DAC then the Rega at $700 cheaper made more sense and sounded better to me anyway. It came down to economics and the fact the Nova DAC wasn't to my liking. Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
Very informative post, thanks. That is great you were able to use a different dac with the Nova. I bet your right about the dac section.

In my experience with the equipment in my budget it seems the manufactures "cheap out" in the pre-amp and dac sections of their integrateds.

Cheers,

Scott
 
Agreed on the "cheap out" comment. It's hard to cram EVERYTHING into one unit and have it perform like separates...if it did, there would be no need for separates! Integrates are always a give-and-take. I have auditioned Sabre DACs many, many times in the past and have never liked it in any iteration. To my ears, it has always sounded thin and fatiguing; but very detailed with great sparkly highs as a positive. Again, to my ears only - I'm sure there are many out there that like it. All the "professional" reviewers seem to adore the Sabre DACs but not me. Sound is such a subjective thing.

Most other DACs I like: the AKM chipset in the Schiit DACs sound great to me as does anything with a TI chip in it. Those Sabre DACs...yuck! I should have known better. The ability to play DSD doesn't mean a heap if FLACs sound like garbage. But again, this is my opinion and mine only.
 
Last edited:
Congrats on the 3010S2D. I am fully enjoying mine. It is not cheap but so composed, solid and elegant..........sometimes the long way round is the shortest way home..... (c. s. lewis)
 
Congrats on the 3010S2D. I am fully enjoying mine. It is not cheap but so composed, solid and elegant..........sometimes the long way round is the shortest way home..... (c. s. lewis)

My second go-around with the Exposure...I realize just how good it was since it's been gone. Best amp I've had and I have had A LOT! And not even for the price - it just is.
 
Did you write that you got a hum from the Brio? And you don't have that issue with the Exposure?

My Exposure 2010s2 had a hum, seemingly caused by the electrical system. I wonder if the 3010 S2D is isolated better.
 
Did you write that you got a hum from the Brio? And you don't have that issue with the Exposure?

My Exposure 2010s2 had a hum, seemingly caused by the electrical system. I wonder if the 3010 S2D is isolated better.

Yes, I was the one who had a hum in the Rega Brio (2017 version). The Exposure I obtained is actually my original one, the owner graciously agreed to give her back to me. My Exposure doesn't exhibit any hum at all, never did, and it's always been dead quiet. I have plugged many amps into the same electrical circuit as I did the Rega and none of them had any hum issues, to include many amps with toroidal transformers as well as Class D, etc. I don't know about the 3010S2D being better isolated but it sure does sound great!
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom