New Rega Elex-R amplifier.

[Vladimir]

Why did the di(l)do got edited out? Now my whole post feels weird.

 

[stevebrock]

I think the Elicit R & Brio R look brilliant!

That Leema? WTF it looks like an outdated skybox - hideous

 

[stevebrock]

the leema looks like a cheap freeview+ box :rofl:

A cheap one at that

 

[Thropplenoggin]

Rega would always be a strong contender for me alongside Exposure and Creek. These are three brands who make equipment which somehow brings the music to life and makes you forget about the equipment.

Where would you rank Arcam's A19 among these three brands, Matthew? I'm still hesitating around this price-point for an integrated amp.

Throppers

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

Sorry guys, but the Leema Pulse mkIII looks like a Corolla from 97...



A Big happy family... :rofl:

 

[bigfish786]

if i were the guy in charge of Leema, i would be Hurridly making an "upgrade" facia for those unfortunate looking boxes. the Sky-box look is not good at all. the pulse/tucana/pyxis look great. it is a definite case of "what the hell were you thinking"??

the old addage of- if it ain't broke, don't fix it should be adhered to in this case. it's a shame, 'cos they probably sound brilliant.

Getting back on topic, i think the Rega looks very good. better than the old George Formby Grill-Look of the 1st gen Elex.

 

[Vladimir]

Well that integrated DAC money had to come from somewhere for the Pulse III.

 

[gregvds]

Hi,

I'm much interested by this one, as I'm on my way to replace my old (and quite splendidely sounding) Puccini SE. At first was very enthusiastic about the Brio-R, that naturally match the rest of the Rega Apollo-R, Dac and RS-5 I recently acquired and am happily living with, but home test was a disapointment. Puccini SE (old first version, no remote) definitely had more power, better definition and tighter control on the low register. Bass notes were much more easily identified through the Puccini-Se than the Rega. Man I was disappointed, I really wanted to complete the family.

Elicit-R is an option, but quite another budget, towards what I'm no leaning.

Then enters the new Elex-R. That could be the cheap elicit-r but better sounding than the entry Brio-r? I will definitely audit the Elicit-R at home, and maybe simply go up to it, but Elex-R is very tempting too.

I simply would like to know if someone can clearly explain to me the meanings of

Combined feedback and passive volume control preamp

I don't quite catch what they mean by that.

Also, Rega refers to their output stage as 'simulating class a'... I would really like to know what it refers to.

To give you my understanding capacity, I understand no problem difference between class B, class A, even class D and T, I understand. Class A/B is easy to catch too, and a push-pull Darlington is part of the stuff I grasp intellectually. In my puccini SE, I too understood the way they enlarged the output voltage swing of the power stage having used a bootstrap tech (signal somehow is used to make the voltage rails swing before, allowing more headroom in terms of output voltage). So if someone can hint something here, most welcome .

In general, I would be interested to know the ratio on which a given amp is working in full class A if they do. Surely the Elicit-R is biased in class A more than the no fins Elex-R, which must be more than the Brio-R too.

All the best

 

[NHL]

Hi,

I'm much interested by this one, as I'm on my way to replace my old (and quite splendidely sounding) Puccini SE. At first was very enthusiastic about the Brio-R, that naturally match the rest of the Rega Apollo-R, Dac and RS-5 I recently acquired and am happily living with, but home test was a disapointment. Puccini SE (old first version, no remote) definitely had more power, better definition and tighter control on the low register. Bass notes were much more easily identified through the Puccini-Se than the Rega. Man I was disappointed, I really wanted to complete the family.

Elicit-R is an option, but quite another budget, towards what I'm no leaning.

Then enters the new Elex-R. That could be the cheap elicit-r but better sounding than the entry Brio-r? I will definitely audit the Elicit-R at home, and maybe simply go up to it, but Elex-R is very tempting too.

I simply would like to know if someone can clearly explain to me the meanings of

Combined feedback and passive volume control preamp

I don't quite catch what they mean by that.

Also, Rega refers to their output stage as 'simulating class a'... I would really like to know what it refers to.

To give you my understanding capacity, I understand no problem difference between class B, class A, even class D and T, I understand. Class A/B is easy to catch too, and a push-pull Darlington is part of the stuff I grasp intellectually. In my puccini SE, I too understood the way they enlarged the output voltage swing of the power stage having used a bootstrap tech (signal somehow is used to make the voltage rails swing before, allowing more headroom in terms of output voltage). So if someone can hint something here, most welcome .

In general, I would be interested to know the ratio on which a given amp is working in full class A if they do. Surely the Elicit-R is biased in class A more than the no fins Elex-R, which must be more than the Brio-R too.

All the best

A previous thread tells the story of where the Rega amp designs originates from. Quite interesting stuff.

 

[gregvds]

Can you remember the thread's name? Was it a departure from the original post, or a real rega amp design discussion?

 

[Vladimir]

Naim amps run only 0.0032W in Class-A and people stll like them and buy them for prices exceeding much larger real Class-A Pass Labs amps. Each to their own liking.

IIRC Rega Elicit-R is high biased AB, not true A. I don't think it has more than 800mA of current going to the trannies. If anyone knows the right data please post it.

 

[NHL]

Can you remember the thread's name? Was it a departure from the original post, or a real rega amp design discussion?

The 'Rega Elicit R - Happy' thread, page 22-

(feeling like a librarian)

 

[gregvds]

You have the very required qualities for it, promptness, precision, concision, thank you very much for the reference .

 

[matthewpiano]

Rega would always be a strong contender for me alongside Exposure and Creek. These are three brands who make equipment which somehow brings the music to life and makes you forget about the equipment.

Where would you rank Arcam's A19 among these three brands, Matthew? I'm still hesitating around this price-point for an integrated amp.

Throppers

Sorry Throppers, only just noticed your question!

I've had a difficult relationship with Arcam amps over the years. I've owned Alpha 7R, A65+, A70, and A18. The 7R and A65+ I found enjoyable in many ways, though both can lean towards the overly 'safe' sounding side. The A70 was quite honestly one of the worst amps I've had. I found it totally gutless - a real damp squid. I replaced it with a NAD C325BEE which walked all over it. The A18 did a lot of things well but struggled with some speakers (B&W 686 especially) and the only speaker I ever heard it sound totally convincing with were the PMC DB1i, which I couldn't afford. Through the PMCs it was heavenly.

I've only heard the A19 briefly and it seems to address some of the negatives of the A18. Reviews seem to back this up. It could prove to be wonderful (as Arcams always have at least the potential to be) but I'd recommend a lengthy audition with the rest of your system before comitting.

I've owned a lot of amps but the best ones I would say were:

NAD C325BEE

Creek 4330R

Marantz PM6003

Denon PMA720AE

Denon PMA1500AE

Rotel RA04SE

Cambridge Audio 740A

Exposure 1010

All for different reasons. The amp that satisfied me for the longest period of time was the PMA720AE, probably followed by the NAD and PM6003.

 

[Thropplenoggin]

Thanks, Matthew.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply at such length. Very reassuring to see so many 'budget' amps in that list! As you may well recall, I have a Denon M38 micro-system. How much of a difference do you think I would hear were I to try the Denon 720ae amp? Or is it more likely I'd hear a difference if I shifted brand, given they seem to each have a 'house' sound?

Best regards,

Throppers

 

[matthewpiano]

Thanks, Matthew.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply at such length. Very reassuring to see so many 'budget' amps in that list! As you may well recall, I have a Denon M38 micro-system. How much of a difference do you think I would hear were I to try the Denon 720ae amp? Or is it more likely I'd hear a difference if I shifted brand, given they seem to each have a 'house' sound?

Best regards,

Throppers

It is no problem. My hi-fi has been in constant motion for about 4 years and I hope that at least by sharing my experiences this can at least be of use to others.

One of the things I tried briefly was a DM39 - just before I bought into the 720 seperates. There is a big difference, in my opinion. The seperates have a much greater sense of ease about them and the bass in particular sounds less cardboard and more natural. However, I'd really recommend making sure you hear for yourself before parting with your money. Please don't just take my word for it.

 

[bigfish786]

I've been reading through this post, and once again come across another slating of the Arcam A70 amp. I had one for six years and found it an extremely enjoyable amp to own. For the price i paid new £270, it was unbelievable value.

I bought it to replace a Cambridge Audio A1, which seemed to sound more powerful, so i emailed Arcam, who replied explaining to me how the amp had been designed to use the whole spectrum of the volume control to produce a better sound. After having this explained to me, i ran the amp at around half volume to 3/4 volume and it sounded wonderful. My friends and myself have spent hundreds of hours listening to that amp, and not once did anyone ever think it lacked in any way. I would happily go back to it if I needed to.

 

[Audioholic2013]

Will there be a hybrid Apollo-R/Saturn-R CD player to match the new amp?

 

[stevebrock]

Will there be a hybrid Apollo-R/Saturn-R CD player to match the new amp?

if so then i reckon it will be a winner - may even get one myself

 

[jonathanRD]

So this amp is likely to be on my demo list soon, but I have not seen any comments about it around here recently.

Has anyone purchased it or demoed it, or heard anything about it?

 

[creepy]

So this amp is likely to be on my demo list soon, but I have not seen any comments about it around here recently.

Has anyone purchased it or demoed it, or heard anything about it?

Yes, I demo'd the amp only a few weeks ago. I initally went to re-demo an all Rega system that I had heard a few months earlier but had failed to get on with (though this time, for some reason, I really liked it). Anyway I asked to listen to a few other options whilst I was there and an Elex-r was promptly wheeled out.

What can I say, if you like the Brio you will love the Elex. It is a truly excellent amp with noticeably better bass depth and definition and a truly 3D soundstage. I put on an Elbow track and Guy Garvey's voice was pushed forward of the rest of the band, lending the song real depth. The Brio R gave no indication of this depth at all even though I tried both amps with several speakers (RS1, RS3 and RS5). However, and here is the rub, I still bought the Brio because to really appreciate the brilliance of the amp, I needed to go with the RS5's (yep, not even the RS3's were good enough) and I could not quite afford to do this.

So go and demo it in full confidence that the Elex-R will easily better the Brio, as long as you invest in the appropiate speakers as well.

 

[jonathanRD]

So this amp is likely to be on my demo list soon, but I have not seen any comments about it around here recently.

Has anyone purchased it or demoed it, or heard anything about it?

Yes, I demo'd the amp only a few weeks ago. I initally went to re-demo an all Rega system that I had heard a few months earlier but had failed to get on with (though this time, for some reason, I really liked it). Anyway I asked to listen to a few other options whilst I was there and an Elex-r was promptly wheeled out.

What can I say, if you like the Brio you will love the Elex. It is a truly excellent amp with noticeably better bass depth and definition and a truly 3D soundstage. I put on an Elbow track and Guy Garvey's voice was pushed forward of the rest of the band, lending the song real depth. The Brio R gave no indication of this depth at all even though I tried both amps with several speakers (RS1, RS3 and RS5). However, and here is the rub, I still bought the Brio because to really appreciate the brilliance of the amp, I needed to go with the RS5's (yep, not even the RS3's were good enough) and I could not quite afford to do this.

So go and demo it in full confidence that the Elex-R will easily better the Brio, as long as you invest in the appropiate speakers as well.

Thanks Creepy, all very interesting.

I have the old Brio and I'm keen to move up the ladder, hence my interest in the Elex-R. I also have the space for the RS5's and can stretch my budget if I think something is worth it. So the Elex-R & RS5's are likely to be a reference point for me. A holiday coming up after which I will begin my search properly.

 

[yani]

I am new to this forum so go easy on me please. I recently purchase an Elex R to replace an Audiolab set up. The speakers are getting on a bit at 12 years old and are 4 Ohm Celestion A1 standmounts. Quite large in a 10ft square spare room. The are on 24" heavy sand filled stands. I use CD only and have a Rega Saturn (not the 'R'). Speaker cable is Van Den hull CS122 with a Chord Sig interconnect. I had the amp home for 3 days to see if it was to my taste. Initially I really liked it. The bass was really powerful (and still is) , 3d soundstage was lovely also. This is something I really must have.

My problem now sems to be in the upper frequencies which are sounding bright and rather hard. This was not the case with the Audiolabs. Can anyone offer any advice. Is this a speaker problem or is it to do with the amp. I heard the amp at the dealers also but paired with Focal 906. This sounded very nice with no grating top end.

Yani

 

[chebby]

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[chebby]

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