Rega Brio-R is a fairly minimalist box. 5 inputs, one of which is a phono input for MM. Ole - Petter went on a blow because the entrance is not marked as other than " input 1 " , and user manual is for wimps. As I got a hint from both Ole-Petter and the distributor, the specimen of Onkyo CP - 1050 was connected straight into this input at the first attempt. But still without reading the manual.

In addition to the five inputs, there is a Rec-out. Ole - Petter cherished this one, while I personally could prefer a pre-out. If I could choose, and couldn`t have both.  Otherwise we find a single set speaker outputs, and then the backplate is finished described.

Or - not entirely, by the way. We have not mentioned ground terminal for turntables. This we simply won`t find not on the backboard. As known, Rega turntables don`t have separate grounding cable. Thus, one can be mislead to believe that Rega has not bothered to equip Brio-R with such a terminal. Until you find out that it instead is located on the underside of the chassis. Actually not a bad idea - a bit cumbersome to assemble, but on the other hand a more protected location. 

The front is if possible even more minimalist. In addition to a volume control with good quality feel there is a two identical buttons that also have a high finish and tactile quality. We are talking about the power button, and an input selector that is of teh type "PressRepeatedlyTillYouArriveAtDestination" . In other words, a reasonable number of devices on the faceplate. But still they seem to be placed without coordinated planning. For one of the two identical keys are located in almost - , but not quite equal height. Until the idea pops up that location may not be the result of a design committee has been in countless meetings to agree on the design of the faceplate, but without being totally agreed (sigh - I am an architect, so this I know inside out ... ). This is perhaps a result of the inside in the Brioe suggests this particular location to provide the shortest possible signal path. In other words functionalism in practice.

And here we have the thing about Rega - not all of the products have a high wow - factor, when it comes to design, at least not at the very lowest price ranges. But they are very efficiently and optimally designed due to sound parameters, and with consistently high quality. So the compact Brio is not the one to choose if you're going to make an impression on the guys out in the street - perhaps rather if you want to impress your wife how little it makes out of itself.

Maestro

But that is before you start to play music. For when it comes to music, this compact amplifier is rather characterful. It would be a little misleading to say that Brio-R is not neutral, but it is definitely not without a distinctive character.

I want to begin by talking about the power. 2x50 watts into 8 ohms is not very much, but on the other it is sufficient wth most speakers, if you`re not planning to play very loud in a large room. More important is how the amplifier handles transients. And this is rendered very well by Brio.

Most of the time with Rega Brio-R I played vinyl, but also had a batch with TIDAL HiFi. It was an Onkyo CP - 1050 who had the honor of supplying MM-signals to the amp, and in this part of the test period was an Ortofon 2M Bronze beig mounted on the turntable. It had obviously been even more natural to combine this Rega - amplifier with a turntable from the same manufacturer. Price wise may the entry model RP1 be a natural choice, but after listening for a while at Brio I would tend to think that the upcoming glossy and elegang Planar 3 will be an exciting match.

Brio-R has a very good phono - stage. This is of course a natural choice for a manufacturer that to this degree is being associated with turntables that they also equip amplifiers with an excellent phono stage. I've even noticed this topic in my aged Kolektor preamplifier from Linn, which normally controls the signals in the setupt where I choosed to insert the Brio-R. And phono stage of Brio-R not inferior to ditto in Kolektor, perhaps contrary.

During the test period, the amplifier was used with a set of the speakers Master M2 from XTZ, a set of exquisite standmount speakers from Sweden. The property that characterizes the amplifier is a highly music focused reproduction. In conjunction with British gear the term PRat is widely used, and for Brio`s concern this is experienced as spot-on.

Claire Martin's LP Too Darn Hot was rendered with a good rhythmic drive, and a fine timbral Balance tending a little touch of warmth. The bass was tight and Nice, and holography on top. And while we're talking about holography - With Simply Red's debut album Picture Book I got served a perspective that sometimes went far beyond the speakers.

It is also tempting to point out a particularly good match between 2M Bronze and Rega Brio. The rhythmic characteristics of this pickup from Ortofon being extremely well looked after, not to say highlighted in the Brioen, while some bright timbre from 2M becomes slightly tamed by Brio.

Also Linn Akurate DS was connected for streaming music from TIDAL in CD - quality (and then some ... ). Stan Getz its exquisite live recording Cafe Monmartre is recorded in Copenhagen in 1987, the establishment of the same name. This album has accompanied me as a Reference for a long number of years and was mentioned for the first time during the test by some Denon - stuff 13 years ago. I'm not sure if it was when playing this album on Brio I first became properly aware that the term "nerve" is a very apt description of Brio's reproduction of music.

This was anyway very reinforced when I played the pretty fresh album Oscalypso by Erik Friedlander. This is an album I already have singled out as representative of a rather spooky perspective and a detailing from another world. With Brio, it had a somewhat different character than I was used to. The same openness of the soundstage was combined with a warmth that gave a new character on this exquisite recording.

I suggested at the outset that I would come back to a comparison with Cyrus 8, which I tested more than ten years ago. Now it's maybe a bit artificial to choose exactly this amp, simply because its proportions are quite similar. On the other hand, there were some common characters present. At the time I reviewed Cyrus 8 both as preamplifier with external power amplifier, and as integrated amplifier during a hectic long weekend with a borrowed kit from BMH in Bergen. With Brio the same exercise is of course excluded, since it lacks the pre-out. On the other hand, this is largely an academic exercise. For uses as an integrated amplifier, it is the whole that counts. And at Brio-R this whole is insolent good, perhaps just as good as the Cyrus 8, unless my memory plays a trick on me after all these years. What is certain is that where Cyrus 8 with its 2x70 Watt a few times got breathing problems and went into a temporary coma, I have yet to provoke Brio-R to lose his composure - not even to raise the eyebrow a clue. But then, it has not been present on a home alone event ...

I fall in love too Easily

The above title does much better than the more objective and sober title " conclusion " . And moreover it is quite descriptive of what happened during this second opinion review. For Rega Brio came really sauntering onto test attic a bit gratuitous. Or put another way - there was absolutely no reason why I should fall for this little bashful compact amplifier. It was rather a small stroke in the bill, right in my realization that biamping with my two samples of LK100 test speakers XTZ Master M2 is super.

And then along comes the Brio, making a completely new agenda. Because I was so captivated by this little amplifier that has disturbed the agenda for a significant period. And it was especially vinyl playing that glued attention, for it is something special, some indefinable with Brio and vinyl. In addition to what I have already defined, of course ...

Brio-R is particularly interesting for those who want a compact and good-sounding setup, maybe particulary for playing LPs. And I can`t help thinking of how good this might bein combination With the upcoming Planar 3 with a good Pickup, although I like about the rest of the world's population has not heard Planar 3 yet.

For the price of NOK 7.495, the Brio-R is a real bargain. That is, if you are primarily interested in the most spectacular settings in the street - there may be other amplifiers for higher scores. However, if music experience is Your pririty, the Brio-R is Your man.

Thanks to Mono AS for lending us the review sample.

Read more about Brio-R at Rega .

Also read Ole-Petter`s thorough review of Brio-R