Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Now, let me start off by saying that everything written is my own opinion, and my opinion only. There is no need to get angry, sad, unhappy or anything like that. Furthermore, my experiences are based around with less than 10 pairs of very different speakers, many listened just briefly for home testing purposes. (KEF Q100, KEF C30, Monitor Audio BX2, Elac BS 182, ATC SCM7, Linn Majik 109, Amphion Helium 3, Totem Arro, few others I don't recall..) If it is just an issue with power, do the math. Compare the headroom of your old amplifier to that of the Rega and to the efficiency of your chosen speakers. Looking at the Rega, it appears to be a moderately small unit at about 50wpc/rms/8, more at 4 ohms. Not knowing at all how it behaves at clipping, my only comment is that this is a rather small amp and may suffer from that smallness into certain speakers. For sure it would not drive either my Maggies or my AR3a speakers very comfortably - but those both are known power-pigs. But the point is if you are replacing a 100 watt amp with a 50-watt amp, all other things being equal you _will_ be disappointed. I note that the NAD you mention is only 40wpc/8. So, given that the KEFs are not particularly efficient, a 10-watt power difference is negligible. You would need at least a 100-watt amp to make a substantial difference.
Rega | Brio Amplifier Rega | Brio Amplifier
About covers much (but not all) of the high-end audio industry's attitude towards their customers. Bluntly, I can get noise from my speakers with the volume up, especially in the phono mode. But with the volume at 0, or with no signal other than in phono -not really. If I short the inputs on the power-amps they are dead-quiet. As it should be. I have to ask: If you had a customer come into your shop and ask for an integrated amp - then complained about a buzz - which you could also hear - what would you tell him/her? Somehow I do not think you would tell your customer to 'put up with it, it is the price you pay for good sound'. To feed off the Rega's infectious sound, we've opted for a slightly left-field but entirely entertaining choice: the Neat Iota Alphas. They’re a fair bit shorter than your average floorstander, but the sound they produce is surprising: large-scale dynamics, excellent timing and heaps of fun. Sure, there are more transparent speakers, but the way these little Neats tie all musical strands together is hugely enjoyable to listen to.No. That implies that the noise should be well below the audible threshold when the system is quiescent. -70dB would be a good start. My worst of integrated amps is down 75dB. The best 80dB. Both are dead-silent when quiescent. Second major issue has been a pretty poor stereo image and 3-dimensionality. I know we're talking about cheap speakers here, but let me tell you, KEF Q100's with NAD were trying really hard to convince me that there was a small band playing in my room - they tried so hard that a 300€ amp and 500€ speakers can. It was pretty impressive. What Rega did? Instruments move around the stereo image when different pitches and dynamics occur, with every speaker so far, while the vocalist has a hard time standing still in the middle. The vocalist also sounds like a smurf, or being on his knees. Not to mention the obvious problem of cheap amps - most units have bad volume pots, so that the channel balance is bad on low listening volumes.
Product Timeline Rega Product Timeline
quote="Hepokatti"]Now, let me start off by saying that everything written is my own opinion, and my opinion only. There is no need to get angry, sad, unhappy or anything like that. Furthermore, my experiences are based around with less than 10 pairs of very different speakers, many listened just briefly for home testing purposes. (KEF Q100, KEF C30, Monitor Audio BX2, Elac BS 182, ATC SCM7, Linn Majik 109, Amphion Helium 3, Totem Arro, few others I don't recall..) Onkyo's A-9010 is a fantastic stereo amplifier for the money and owns a area of the market where there's been a real shortage of talent lately. The design is functional rather than flamboyant, but the captivating, energetic sound is what's crucial here. Then to the tonality of the amp; what has been described as musicality and speed, seems to be just over emphasis of higher mid-range frequencies resulting in additional shrillness regardless of the speakers. This gets tiring really fast and I see it as the major issue with the amp. A couple of things right off the bat: If, with no input and at 0-volume you are getting anything other than dead-silence at your speakers, the amp is defective. Full Stop. No well made amplifier (and a great many mediocre amplifiers as it happen) should have any sound/buzz/fuzz/hum at any level under those conditions. And no matter how well things are thought to be, an occasional defect gets past quality-control once in a while. So, if you are accurate in your description of this artifact, return the amp for a *replacement*, NOT a rework. You are entitled to a 100% new, defect-free unit, not one that has been repaired. My Revox A720 into my Citation 16 is also dead-silent when quiescent into Maggie MG-IIIs. So, it is entirely possible. For there to be audible noise at all times is a defective design, however it is wrapped and presented.
The Dali Zensor 3s are a great, affordable pair of speakers that punch well above their weight – even with partnering kit, as here, at double the price. They're an easy listen but exciting with it, and will keep you entertained for hours. When I first plugged in my Rega, I heard something totally different. The sound was amazingly exciting and with a good drive! I immediately noticed that some "power" was gone, but I thought to myself that maybe it will return after some burn-in. No, it didn't. As for the excitment, well it's always a good thing, right? No. Listening fatigue. The excitment ended up being harshness and shrillness, but more on that later. Most importantly, the Planer 2 received Rega’s new RB220 tonearm, which features new ultra-low friction ball bearings, a stiffer bearing housing and an automatic bias setting, making it virtually plug ’n’ play.
Related:
Great Deal 
New Comment