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Rega IO vs. Brio 2017

There is a bit more into in the Rega book 'A Vibration Measuring Machine' which I would highly recommend for any Rega fan.
The circuit is based around a John Linsley Hood design which tried to get close to Class A performance without the heat penalty. Hard to get working at the time (c1970) as the design requires close physical and thermal coupling of drivers, thermal tracking diodes and output devices. Today using surface mount tech and Sanken output devices which integrate some of the parts (look closely at the IO output transistors and you'll see 5 legs instead of 3).... well it now works. Brio is the same and so I believe is the Elex R and Elicit R.

Ah. I searched a bit online and found the circuit in question:

https://startfetch.com/jlh/jlh-1970-ab-amplifier.pdf
 
Have you been able to do an a/b comparison between the Nait 1 and the IO ?
Only from a very distant memory only had the Nait 1 a year before 42- 110.
I enjoyed the Nait 1 but the IO would walk all over it.It's just got so much tonal colour and can do the PRAT just as well from my memory of Naim amps.
TBH Gervais I can't believe Nait 1's command such high prices 2nd hand.
Nice enough amp but nothing as musically engaging as the IO.
 
Reading in to all this I would imagine that pairing the little amplifier with a warm, laid back sounding speaker may not be the best idea?
 
I have a pair of Guru QM10, but I mainly listen to my headphones.

Interesting, I hardly use my headphones anymore.
Never really bothered with anything than dedicated HP amps, in general very restricted HP listening, a bit silly I have more than a handfull cans, some even still sealed, (Massdrop was too tempting)

All HP amps are gone now apart from a trusty Rega hidden away.
Maybe next winter I may get the old EAR out and connected to do a little bit fun compare
 
Reading in to all this I would imagine that pairing the little amplifier with a warm, laid back sounding speaker may not be the best idea?
Second this question.

On the other hand, while people generally mention the IO's warmth, I've also seen some people describe it as a bit bright - is that true?
 
No brightness here too.

Indeed, I'm having better results with more open sources (MC AT-OC9XML) than MM AT-VM95ML.

The same with regards to headphones:
better the more open HIFIman Sundara than the Massdrop Sennheiser HD6XX.
I would like to try the AKG K702.

It could be due to my ageing ears.
 
The second-hand price is set to remain high, certainly no less than £ 300.
At £379 it probably makes more sense to buy a new unit.

It's new and my uneducated guess is Rega (currently) sells many more Brio's than iO's simply based on the proven history and numbers of satisfied owners of the former in the Past. It has been a stalwart and Rega go-to budget recommendation for a long time.

That's not to say the newer, smaller amplifier will not set some sort of standard at its price and may become a company best seller over time. I certainly hope so.

The business must be the shining example of British owned and based Hifi engineering (even though the cases come from Switzerland).

I have tried to 'raise awareness' of the little amp over at ASR (with another well known integrated) but as usual, anything other than Chinese chip amps doesn't get much look-in ... .

Of course this could also be a Distribution issue in the Americas.
 
Only from a very distant memory only had the Nait 1 a year before 42- 110.
I enjoyed the Nait 1 but the IO would walk all over it.It's just got so much tonal colour and can do the PRAT just as well from my memory of Naim amps.
TBH Gervais I can't believe Nait 1's command such high prices 2nd hand.
Nice enough amp but nothing as musically engaging as the IO.
It really seems people at Rega did their homework !
 
I would like to say its the new NAD 3020 but the situation nowadays is that many prefer integrated solutions.

Now if Rega could come up with a matching multi input R/C DAC for 250 quid (and Google re-issue the the fabulous CCA to hang out the back) that would make an interesting little small footprint system.
 
The second-hand price is set to remain high, certainly no less than £ 300.
At £379 it probably makes more sense to buy a new unit.
I agree, after seeing the only 2nd hand one I could find had sold for £300, I thought new was the way to go.
 
But what's the message on the PCB?
And what's with the name? Brio without Br?
So many questions.
 
It's new and my uneducated guess is Rega (currently) sells many more Brio's than iO's simply based on the proven history and numbers of satisfied owners of the former in the Past. It has been a stalwart and Rega go-to budget recommendation for a long time.

That's not to say the newer, smaller amplifier will not set some sort of standard at its price and may become a company best seller over time. I certainly hope so.

The business must be the shining example of British owned and based Hifi engineering (even though the cases come from Switzerland).

I have tried to 'raise awareness' of the little amp over at ASR (with another well known integrated) but as usual, anything other than Chinese chip amps doesn't get much look-in ... .

Of course this could also be a Distribution issue in the Americas.

I have no idea about Rega sales figures, but guess they will sell bunch of System One combos, once their decks are becoming available again.
IO, Modern days equivalent to 3020 or a Nait killer.. maybe both.
If you want one get it, doubt the price will stay put.
 
I have no idea about Rega sales figures, but guess they will sell bunch of System One combos, once their decks are becoming available again.
IO, Modern days equivalent to 3020 or a Nait killer.. maybe both.
If you want one get it, doubt the price will stay put.

Well, the price is the attraction. Increase this and it takes the shine off.
 
I have no idea about Rega sales figures, but guess they will sell bunch of System One combos, once their decks are becoming available again.
IO, Modern days equivalent to 3020 or a Nait killer.. maybe both.
If you want one get it, doubt the price will stay put.
For example, the price of Rega Aria phono stage has almost doubled in just a few years.
 


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