Recommend Alternatives to Rega Brio-R

geoffreyc

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Looking to replace my Brio-r. I know the Brio does punch well above its price but would prefer something non Rega. The Brio has had a slight hum from day 1 (which I understand is because of the position of the transformer?) but frankly I'm fed up with it now and want something that doesn't!.

The rest of my system is all Rega (up to now) RP6, Apollo-R CD, Rega DAC, and RS3's

Auditioned the new Elex-R from Rega and wasn't that impressed frankly, was thinking of the Arcam FMJ A19 or maybe the Roksan Kandy K2.

Budget up to 1K.
 

Hi-FiOutlaw

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Nice system!

I had a Rega Brio R for 1 year and never humed, but that is a old discustion in this parts about Brio R huming...

Others do as well, if you take take another amp home it might hum as well, it could be from your mains... Or not...

About the new amp, demo Creek 50A, it is a very nice souding amp!
 
geoffreyc said:
Looking to replace my Brio-r. I know the Brio does punch well above its price but would prefer something non Rega. The Brio has had a slight hum from day 1 (which I understand is because of the position of the transformer?) but frankly I'm fed up with it now and want something that doesn't!.

The rest of my system is all Rega (up to now) RP6, Apollo-R CD, Rega DAC, and RS3's

Auditioned the new Elex-R from Rega and wasn't that impressed frankly, was thinking of the Arcam FMJ A19 or maybe the Roksan Kandy K2.

Budget up to 1K.

If you don't mind s/hand this'll be hard to beat for under £1000. Otherwise Arcam, Creek and MF M3i would be good alternatives.
 

fpeepingtom

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I also owned a Brio-r and let it go on account of the hum. Although the white noise coming from the speakers was worse. I bought an Arcam A19 and I've been very happy with it. Construction seems to be of a high standard (it's certainly the heaviest amplifier I've owned) . There is some transformer noise, as you'd expect, although I can only here this with my ear close to the casing. Best of all the speakers are dead quiet. I don't want to get into the sound too much, as it's so subjective and prone to different influences. Suffice to say although I loved the sound of the Brio-r I prefer the Arcam.
 

BigH

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Try the Creek 50A best amp I heard under £1k. Croft also get recommended but I have not heard it, also Exposure maybe worth trying. I heard both the Arcam and RK.
 

hoopsontoast

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I had a Brio-R for a while, it did not hum but I just did not get on with it long term.

It sounded fine with my SCM10s but not the smoothest and best bass control, I know it would not be the perfect match but I then got my current Bryston B60 and its miles better despite similar on paper specifications. Its also a great match with my current Rega speakers.

I actually quite like the Audiolab 8200A that I tried, although it was a few years back now, went well with my then ATC SCM7s so I would have thought it would have no issues with the Rega speakers.
 

brandmartyr

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I have a Naim Nait 5i(2) which I run through RS3 speakers (love these).

The pairing feels very natural. The Naim amp does provide quite a forward sound which is brilliantly dynamic but does lack a little depth and space. However, I aware that my Arcam rLink DAC is probably a weak link in the system at the moment and might remedy this.

It would seem the new Naim Nait 5 would come in at around your budget of £1,000 or you could possibly look at a second hand (XS)?

Good luck

m
 

brandmartyr

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I have a Naim Nait 5i(2) which I run through RS3 speakers (love these).

The pairing feels very natural. The Naim amp does provide quite a forward sound which is brilliantly dynamic but does lack a little depth and space. However, I aware that my Arcam rLink DAC is probably a weak link in the system at the moment and might remedy this.

It would seem the new Naim Nait 5 would come in at around your budget of £1,000 or you could possibly look at a second hand (XS)?

Good luck

m
 

james_LR90

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Perhaps you could give the NVA AP50 some consideration. There are people that use or have used NVA with Rega speakers and have loved the results.
 

unsleepable

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I auditioned the Brio-R before deciding for my A19—I very much preferred the sound of the latter. The sound of the A19 is more open and detailed. By the way, I can't hear any transformer noise in my amplifier.

As for the Creek 50A, there seems to be much hype about it in this forum. I bought a Creek Evolution 2 and was able to compare it side by side with the A19, and I still preferred the latter. The sound presentation is somewhat similar, but the A19 is still nicer for my taste, and the bass a tad tighter. The couple of reviews I have found that compare the Evolution 2 with the 50A both agree that the bass departament is much weaker in the 50A, so I wouldn't go for the 50A if that's important to you.
 
unsleepable said:
As for the Creek 50A, there seems to be much hype about it in this forum. I bought a Creek Evolution 2 and was able to compare it side by side with the A19, and I still preferred the latter. The sound presentation is somewhat similar, but the A19 is still nicer for my taste, and the bass a tad tighter. The couple of reviews I have found that compare the Evolution 2 with the 50A both agree that the bass departament is much weaker in the 50A, so I wouldn't go for the 50A if that's important to you.

This is one reason for suggesting the Leema. Bass doesn't come much tighter or neutral. It'll probably sell for around £400. A steal.
 

Thropplenoggin

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I have the Exposure 1010, which would be an excellent budget replacement (50 watts sub-£500), though if the budget allows, you might like to try the higher spec model 2010S. The 1010 has great build quality, amazing ability to cope with dynamic needs of classical music, and never seems to get hot. The remote also adjusts the volume pot in pleasingly small incremental notches.
 

Electro

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You could take a chance on one of these Abrahamsen V20 integrated amplifiers .

http://www.store.abrahamsenaudio.no/

They are selling for just over £500 and will drive any speaker you care to use , they are built to last a lifetime and have a very large power supply and high current output with exceptional transient power that is many times the RMS figure .

They are designed and built by Per Abrahamsen who was one of the original designers of Electrocompaniet amplifiers .

You would have to add an outboard phono stage to use your RP6 as there is not one built in .

The equivalent Electrocompaniet amp to this one sells for over £2000 and is very similar in design .

It is definitely worth a phone call or email for more info because it is one hell of an amp . :)
 

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