Rega Brio-r Owners....And Mr P!

[Sizzers]

Hi. Hopefully I should be collecting an Apollo CDP tomorrow and I am considering partnering it with the Brio-R amp but I have a critical question.Due to circumstances the majority of my listening has to be done at fairly low volumes. Currently I have a Marantz PM6003 which I am very happy with and does an excellent job in this respect having been paired with Dali Lektor 1's for around the last 2-years (I also use Rothwell attenuators which have been a Godsend). Now bearing in mind my listening levels, in your opinion would the Brio be a worthwile upgrade from the Marantz? I have the option of the Brio at a very good price but I have to make a decision on this by the end of tomorrow and a demo is not a possibility.Music wise I pretty much listen to anything and everything, but detail, clarity, and timing are what I ideally look for. Thoughts, comments, criticisms, all appreciated thanksHi. Hopefully I should be collecting an Apollo CDP tomorrow and I am considering partnering it with the Brio-R amp but I have a critical question.
Due to circumstances the majority of my listening has to be done at fairly low volumes. Currently I have a Marantz PM6003 which I am very happy with and does an excellent job in this respect having been paired with Dali Lektor 1's for around the last 2-years (I also use Rothwell attenuators which have been a Godsend). Now bearing in mind my listening levels, in your opinion would the Brio be a worthwhile upgrade from the Marantz? I have the option of the Brio at a very good price but I have to make a decision on this by the end of tomorrow and a demo is not a possibility.
Music wise I pretty much listen to anything and everything, but detail, clarity, and timing are what I ideally look for. Thoughts, comments, criticisms, all appreciated thanks

 

[Cypher]

If you're happy with the PM6003.............why change ?

I'm not familiar with the new Brio-R but I had the Brio 3 and IMO the PM6003 is better than the Brio 3.

 

[Sizzers]

If you're happy with the PM6003.............why change ?

In some respects that's true of course, but having taken the next level up with my CDP and speakers I'm obviously - or otherwise - thinking about the amp as well. I have the option of a 3-month old Brio-r for £340 hence my interest.

 

[chebby]

Take it!

 

[Sizzers]

Take it!

lol Thought you might say that! Any answer to my original question though? And please don't suggest I can always sell it on if I don't like as I have enough kit to sell already. I really can't afford it to be honest, but at this price....hmmm.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi. Hopefully I should be collecting an Apollo CDP tomorrow and I am considering partnering it with the Brio-R amp but I have a critical question.Due to circumstances the majority of my listening has to be done at fairly low volumes. Currently I have a Marantz PM6003 which I am very happy with and does an excellent job in this respect having been paired with Dali Lektor 1's for around the last 2-years (I also use Rothwell attenuators which have been a Godsend). Now bearing in mind my listening levels, in your opinion would the Brio be a worthwile upgrade from the Marantz? I have the option of the Brio at a very good price but I have to make a decision on this by the end of tomorrow and a demo is not a possibility.Music wise I pretty much listen to anything and everything, but detail, clarity, and timing are what I ideally look for. Thoughts, comments, criticisms, all appreciated thanksHi. Hopefully I should be collecting an Apollo CDP tomorrow and I am considering partnering it with the Brio-R amp but I have a critical question.
Due to circumstances the majority of my listening has to be done at fairly low volumes. Currently I have a Marantz PM6003 which I am very happy with and does an excellent job in this respect having been paired with Dali Lektor 1's for around the last 2-years (I also use Rothwell attenuators which have been a Godsend). Now bearing in mind my listening levels, in your opinion would the Brio be a worthwhile upgrade from the Marantz? I have the option of the Brio at a very good price but I have to make a decision on this by the end of tomorrow and a demo is not a possibility.
Music wise I pretty much listen to anything and everything, but detail, clarity, and timing are what I ideally look for. Thoughts, comments, criticisms, all appreciated thanks

It's all well and good to have wholesale change, but not at the expense of the pot being empty. The Brio-R may well be a very good price... they'll be others.

 

[Sizzers]

I appeciate the sentiment PP but it's not that I can't afford it per se, just that if I were to buy it I would have to go back to work a little earlier than intended that's all (which I'm trying to avoid!)

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, might be worth staying off work for as long as possible and enjoying the music on the 6003 which you know and love. That way you'll also have time to really appreciate the difference the new Apollo makes and can consider this in isolation from the inevitable change in sound from a new amp.

Just a thought

 

[Sizzers]

Hi, might be worth staying off work for as long as possible and enjoying the music on the 6003 which you know and love. That way you'll also have time to really appreciate the difference the new Apollo makes and can consider this in isolation from the inevitable change in sound from a new amp.

Just a thought

And it's a good and appreciated thought as well. Without pre-judging I'm sure I'll be more than satisfied with the Marantz/Apollo, but as mentioned in taking the next step-up CD/speaker wise I'm also naturally looking at the option of the amp as well. I'm most definitely not looking at spending the best part of £500 on a new amp so looking at the ex-dem/used route, and this is a good deal. True, I could hang fire, arrange a demo and, if I liked it, say bye-bye and go find a bargain on flea bay or wherever but not my style I'm afraid, hence my question would the Brio be a suitable upgrade considering my listening circumstances.

And it's a good and appreciated thought as well.

Without pre-judging I'm sure I'll be more than satisfied with the Marantz/Apollo, but as mentioned in taking the next step-up CD/speaker wise I'm also naturally looking at the option of the amp as well. I'm most definitely not looking at spending the best part of £500 on a new amp so looking at the ex-dem/used route, and this is a good deal. True, I could hang fire, arrange a demo and, if I liked it, say bye-bye and go find a bargain on flea bay or wherever but not my style I'm afraid, hence my question would the Brio be a suitable upgrade considering my listening circumstances.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi, might be worth staying off work for as long as possible and enjoying the music on the 6003 which you know and love. That way you'll also have time to really appreciate the difference the new Apollo makes and can consider this in isolation from the inevitable change in sound from a new amp.

Just a thought

And it's a good and appreciated thought as well. Without pre-judging I'm sure I'll be more than satisfied with the Marantz/Apollo, but as mentioned in taking the next step-up CD/speaker wise I'm also naturally looking at the option of the amp as well. I'm most definitely not looking at spending the best part of £500 on a new amp so looking at the ex-dem/used route, and this is a good deal. True, I could hang fire, arrange a demo and, if I liked it, say bye-bye and go find a bargain on flea bay or wherever but not my style I'm afraid, hence my question would the Brio be a suitable upgrade considering my listening circumstances.

And it's a good and appreciated thought as well.

Without pre-judging I'm sure I'll be more than satisfied with the Marantz/Apollo, but as mentioned in taking the next step-up CD/speaker wise I'm also naturally looking at the option of the amp as well. I'm most definitely not looking at spending the best part of £500 on a new amp so looking at the ex-dem/used route, and this is a good deal. True, I could hang fire, arrange a demo and, if I liked it, say bye-bye and go find a bargain on flea bay or wherever but not my style I'm afraid, hence my question would the Brio be a suitable upgrade considering my listening circumstances.

Have you received the RS1s yet?

 

[Sizzers]

In transit as we speak.

Purchased from here. Okay, maybe not the greatest colour schemes but think I can live with the red at this price!. It's a very long time since I've heard them and really looking forward to getting re-acquainted.

 

[plastic penguin]

In transit as we speak.

Purchased from here. Okay, maybe not the greatest colour schemes but think I can live with the red at this price!. It's a very long time since I've heard them and really looking forward to getting re-acquainted.

A decent pair of sun glasses is the order of the day... They should be a blast. Enjoy.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Sizzers

The new PM6004 improves on the PM6003 and yet Brio R has even greater quality of power and performance then the already impressive PM6004. Therefore the Brio R will offer you a worthwhile improvement over the PM6003. The Brio R is already worth its full retail price of £500 however at £340 and with its ability to also offer an ideal synergy with the rest of your Rega components makes the Brio R a no brainer

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi Sizzers

The new PM6004 improves on the PM6003 and yet Brio R has even greater quality of power and performance then the already impressive PM6004. Therefore the Brio R will offer you a worthwhile improvement over the PM6003. The Brio R is already worth its full retail price of £500 however at £340 and with its ability to also offer an ideal synergy with the rest of your Rega components makes the Brio R a no brainer

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Fair enough - but what if the OP doesn't prefer the Rega Brio-R? It won't appeal to everyone.

 

[Sizzers]

Hi Sizzers

The new PM6004 improves on the PM6003 and yet Brio R has even greater quality of power and performance then the already impressive PM6004. Therefore the Brio R will offer you a worthwhile improvement over the PM6003. The Brio R is already worth its full retail price of £500 however at £340 and with its ability to also offer an ideal synergy with the rest of your Rega components makes the Brio R a no brainer

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Thanks for the reply Rick.

My Apollo isn't going to arrive until Monday now which has put a little bit of a spanner in the works as ideally I would have liked to have paired it up with the Marantz beforehand. Oh well. Anyway, critical question is, how does the Brio perform at low volumes, and how would you say it compares to the 6003 musically? Two of the things that I like about the Marantz is that it's very musical and not in your face so thoughts please. Thanks.

 

[Sizzers]

In transit as we speak.

Purchased from here. Okay, maybe not the greatest colour schemes but think I can live with the red at this price!. It's a very long time since I've heard them and really looking forward to getting re-acquainted.

A decent pair of sun glasses is the order of the day... They should be a blast. Enjoy.

Not needed PP.

The finish is absolutely drop dead gorgeous but the colour isn't as bright as I thought it might have been - maybe I should have had the yellow!

I wasn't going to set-them up until tomorrow with the Apollo but that's not going to arrive until Monday now, so do I just hook them up to the 603?, or can I be bothered to set-up my 6003 kit. Decisions....

 

[BenLaw]

Hi Sizzers

The new PM6004 improves on the PM6003 and yet Brio R has even greater quality of power and performance then the already impressive PM6004. Therefore the Brio R will offer you a worthwhile improvement over the PM6003. The Brio R is already worth its full retail price of £500 however at £340 and with its ability to also offer an ideal synergy with the rest of your Rega components makes the Brio R a no brainer

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Fair enough - but what if the OP doesn't prefer the Rega Brio-R? It won't appeal to everyone.

If your criticism had any validity there'd be no point anyone posting anything other than 'you'll have to demo'. Pointless when the OP said they can't.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi Sizzers

The new PM6004 improves on the PM6003 and yet Brio R has even greater quality of power and performance then the already impressive PM6004. Therefore the Brio R will offer you a worthwhile improvement over the PM6003. The Brio R is already worth its full retail price of £500 however at £340 and with its ability to also offer an ideal synergy with the rest of your Rega components makes the Brio R a no brainer

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Fair enough - but what if the OP doesn't prefer the Rega Brio-R? It won't appeal to everyone.

If your criticism had any validity there'd be no point anyone posting anything other than 'you'll have to demo'. Pointless when the OP said they can't.

Ben - with respect this isn't the first time you've had a pop at me. Please STOP! not needed.

 

[BenLaw]

Ben - with respect this isn't the first time you've had a pop at me. Please STOP! not needed.

I agree, anyone having a pop at anyone else is not needed

 

[Anonymous]

although £340 is a good price for the brio-r i would just like to remind you the warranty will not be transferable so if anything goes wrong you could have a costly bill, to be honest i would buy it new and have the full rega 2 year warranty, just for peace of mind!

 

[VinylRush]

Yes get a Brio R, it is an awesome amp for the money. I can imagine it will knock the spots of the pm6003.

I have read chatter on another forum that Rega won't be releasing an R version of the Mira (next amp up in line in the Rega range) because the Brio R is that good. So they will probably release something between the Mira and Elicit price-wise.

The Brio-R will go down as a legendary amp in Rega's history for sure.

 

[spockfish]

Take it. It's a no-brainer

Seriously, as a previous Marantz owner (which I had for 15 years) I was amazed by the improvement. Together I think there actually pretty too ;-)

 

[Sizzers]

Yes get a Brio R, it is an awesome amp for the money. I can imagine it will knock the spots of the pm6003.

I have read chatter on another forum that Rega won't be releasing an R version of the Mira (next amp up in line in the Rega range) because the Brio R is that good. So they will probably release something between the Mira and Elicit price-wise.

The Brio-R will go down as a legendary amp in Rega's history for sure.

Thanks for the reply - and no offence to yourself or anyone else - but no one has answered the critical question (for me) as to how it performs at low level listening.At weekends I can let it go a bit but that doesn't cover the rest of the week. As mentioned earlier I'm sure I'll be very happy with the Marantz/Apollo combo and I wasn't thinking/ looking to upgrade the amp at this stage. However, I have been given this offer - and this is a personal offer, circumstances not relevant - so if I can be reasonably happy that it will perform at relatively low listening levels then I will buy it, if I don't like the sound fine, different matter.*Footnote* I'd almost forgotten just how utterly brilliant these little Rega speakers are. Only hooked up to my 603 so far as didn't see the point in setting up my 6003 kit as the Apollo won't now be here until Monday. Vocals, acoustics on Nirvana "Unplugged" beautifully crisp and clear with wonderful plucked strings (listening to it as I type....mmmm.) Bass slightly on the woolly side on "Raising Sand" but blame the 603 for that, everything else hits the spot. Amy next, then a Chinese, then flop down to "Wish You Were" to make these babies really sing!

Thanks for the reply - and no offence to yourself or anyone else - but no one has answered the critical question (for me) as to how it performs at low level listening.

At weekends I can let it go a bit but that doesn't cover the rest of the week. As mentioned earlier I'm sure I'll be very happy with the Marantz/Apollo combo and I wasn't thinking/ looking to upgrade the amp at this stage. However, I have been given this offer - and this is a personal offer, circumstances not relevant - so if I can be reasonably happy that it will perform at relatively low listening levels then I will buy it, if I don't like the sound fine, different matter.

*Footnote* I'd almost forgotten just how utterly brilliant these little Rega speakers are. Only hooked up to my 603 so far as didn't see the point in setting up my 6003 kit as the Apollo won't now be here until Monday. Vocals, acoustics on Nirvana "Unplugged" beautifully crisp and clear with wonderful plucked strings (listening to it as I type....mmmm.) Bass slightly on the woolly side on "Raising Sand" but blame the 603 for that, everything else hits the spot. Amy next, then a Chinese, then flop down to "Wish You Were" to make these babies really sing!

 

[matthewpiano]

The Brio-R is an excellent amp and is the natural choice for your new speakers. I'm not sure about the low level performance though. This is a particular strength of the PM6003 and, in particular, the Marantz manages to maintain excellent channel balance at very low levels, which isn't something you can always take for granted with every amp (my Onkyo is excellent in this respect too, as is the Cambridge 650A, but I've had issues on several other amps).

Personally, given that you have already purchased the Apollo and the RS1s, I'd press the pause button for now and see how it all sounds before making a further change. Like somebody else said, I'd want the Rega warranty as well and would personally pay more to get a new one with this support.

 

[Sizzers]

The Brio-R is an excellent amp and is the natural choice for your new speakers. I'm not sure about the low level performance though. This is a particular strength of the PM6003 and, in particular, the Marantz manages to maintain excellent channel balance at very low levels, which isn't something you can always take for granted with every amp (my Onkyo is excellent in this respect too, as is the Cambridge 650A, but I've had issues on several other amps).

Personally, given that you have already purchased the Apollo and the RS1s, I'd press the pause button for now and see how it all sounds before making a further change. Like somebody else said, I'd want the Rega warranty as well and would personally pay more to get a new one with this support.

Glad you've turned up, I've been waiting all day! *jj*I'm not concerned about the warranty; elsewhere by repute Rega have honoured second owner's claims but that's by the by, my choice. I've only asked what I consider to be a very simple question which no one seems to be able or willing to answer, or do they only listen at full pelt? At least you've ackowledged my question even though you can't express an opinion, so thank you

Glad you've turned up, I've been waiting all day! *jj*

I'm not concerned about the warranty; elsewhere by repute Rega have honoured second owner's claims but that's by the by, my choice. I've only asked what I consider to be a very simple question which no one seems to be able or willing to answer, or do they only listen at full pelt? At least you've ackowledged my question even though you can't express an opinion, so thank you.