Rega Brio-R

[southall-1998]

I'll be purchasing the Brio-R in a couple weeks...Which will go into the small spare room.

The source, is going to be my old, but very decent Planet CD Player. Along with basic compact JPW speakers.

For cables...I'm going to be using Rega Couple Interconnects (mk1), Linn K20 Speaker Cables.

Just out of curiosity. Does the Brio-R have some ''cult following'' synergy with particular speakers?

Thanks.

S.

[Ali Tait]

Heard one sound very nice with RS 3, wired with TQ Black. It was the cable that really made a difference.

[hifi_dave]

Doesn't need any particular speaker. I sell them to partner everything from vintage Tannoy to modern Spendor or their own range and Harbeth. Lovely little amp which has a performance way beyond the very reasonable price. Will go very well with your JPW.

When you are ready, take a look at my 'Bargain Basement'.

[southall-1998]

Doesn't need any particular speaker. I sell them to partner everything from vintage Tannoy to modern Spendor or their own range and Harbeth. Lovely little amp which has a performance way beyond the very reasonable price. Will go very well with your JPW.

When you are ready, take a look at my 'Bargain Basement'.


The JPW I like using are the ML-110i. Very musical wee speaker!

S.

[Jason P]

Mine works well with my Dali Suite 2.8s, but they may be a bit big for a second system. Cracking amp though...

[southall-1998]

Sadly I've never heard any of Dali's offerings. They sure do look impressive!

Have some tried Dynaudio 110 with Brio-R?

S.

[struth]

I would think the Q Acoustics would be good with it too.

[southall-1998]

I would think the Q Acoustics would be good with it too.

''Gromit'' (Richard) who is also a member on here, appreciates the 2010i speakers.

In his personal experience, he finds that the 2010i responds best with ''hefty'' amplification.

But, all I can do is give it a try :eyebrows:

S.

[RichB]

Heard one sound very nice with RS 3, wired with TQ Black. It was the cable that really made a difference.

+1 for the rs3 or maybe their r3 predecessors. Very musical combination indeed. Floyddroid was flogging some here not long ago.

Can't vouch for the TQ black as I couldn't justify spending more on the cable than the amp itself, I need a decent run of it. The TQ blue I acquired here for around half the rrp also made a very noticeable difference and would also work well. A very budget friendly option would be some Rega quattro. I ran this in my all Rega set up to very good effect and it's cheap as chips. Qwin and I did a recent comparison with the budget offerings from vandamme and NVA. The quattro more than held its own.

[southall-1998]

I borrowed a pair of RS3 for only a few days.

They sounded pretty clear and musical. They are like Ela's with better behavior :)

S.

[Clive197]

The Dali's are a good option, I used to sell them and never had any issues. As for Q Acoustics used to sell them too, please ,please don't go there.

[DSJR]

Personal taste of course, but I loved the clear midrange of the RS3 (and hope the RS1 is similar here). The bass can be good if the room suits them and the hf is to taste really (just don't compare them with sweet Harbeths in the high treble although you can in the midband) :lol:

[southall-1998]

The Dali's are a good option, I used to sell them and never had any issues. As for Q Acoustics used to sell them too, please ,please don't go there.


Why?

S.

[Clive197]

Why?

S.

Q Acoustics are made in China and brought into the UK by distributers Armour Acoustics. IMO they nice to look at but poorly made and as for the speaker terminals underneath the box are of poor construction.

[southall-1998]

Q Acoustics are made in China and brought into the UK by distributers Armour Acoustics. IMO they nice to look at but poorly made and as for the speaker terminals underneath the box of poor construction.


Well, the build quality on mines feels fairly substantial.

Plus they don't cost the earth, and can sound good with quality electronics.

Just my opinion of course!

S.

[Clive197]

I have no issue with the made in China bit. My experience of them is you get what you've paid for which in this case is not very much. However I do appreciate there is a market for inexpensive speakers and Q Acoustics may tick some peoples boxes.

The Dali's are a little more expensive but are far better made.

[southall-1998]

Will Brio-R work OK with this speaker cable? - http://www.custom-cable.co.uk/talk-3-speaker-cable-per-metre.html

S.

[struth]

Well, the build quality on mines feels fairly substantial.

Plus they don't cost the earth, and can sound good with quality electronics.

Just my opinion of course!

S.

Ive had 2 pairs and with the right gear sound very good... they especially like big valves like kt88's. Obviously they are not going to compete with a grand set of speaks but they punch well above their weight. the build quality is excellent although I agree about the sockets on the bottom being a pain it the bottom;)

[hifi_dave]

Will Brio-R work OK with this speaker cable? - http://www.custom-cable.co.uk/talk-3-speaker-cable-per-metre.html

S.

Yep. I sell lots of Talk-3 with Rega and other amps. It's an excellent cable at a reasonable price.

[southall-1998]

Yep. I sell lots of Talk-3 with Rega and other amps. It's an excellent cable at a reasonable price.

Have you tried Linn K20 with the Brio R?

S.

[struth]

Yep. I sell lots of Talk-3 with Rega and other amps. It's an excellent cable at a reasonable price.

got some talk cable lying in shed. bought ages ago and never got round to terminating it. dunno if its any good or not. must do that soon. actually got too much speaker cable now

[Gazjam]

Heard Talk 3 with my RS3's when I had them.
It was the second best cable I'd heard with them, only bettered by TQ Black.

Even then the Talk 3 got very close.
Best of the rest, great cable...recommended 100%.

[hifi_dave]

Have you tried Linn K20 with the Brio R?

S.

It will work, no problem but the Talk-3 is a better cable. IMO

[eisenach]

Will Brio-R work OK with this speaker cable? - http://www.custom-cable.co.uk/talk-3-speaker-cable-per-metre.html
S.

I use Talk 3 with a Brio-R and ATC SCM11s. It all sounds very good !

[southall-1998]

I use Talk 3 with a Brio-R and ATC SCM11s. It all sounds very good !


Martin,

Are your 11's the newer curved version?

How is the Brio R gripping the 11's? Is the room small?

S.

[eisenach]

No, they're the previous incarnation. The room is quite small: 13' x 12', solid brick walls and concrete floor. I think the Rega drives them very well, but I don't listen to much rock or heavy-metal.

I tried them on the end of a Quad 606; it was better, but not by much. I think the R has more oompf than some would give it credit, or maybe the 11s don't need as much power as some say; or maybe I'm just deaf !

[southall-1998]

@ Martin, Thanks for that. As they say, ''trust your ears''.

Does the Brio-R fair well with VDH speaker cable?

I've also got ''The Snowline'' speaker cables as well. http://www.vandenhul.com/products/cables/the-snowline-halogen-free

S.

[hifi_dave]

The Brio-r works well with any cable, why shouldn't it. If you already own the VDH, you can buy a Brio-r, confident that it will sound good.

[southall-1998]

Thanks for the reassurance, Dave :)

S.

[southall-1998]

Chaps,

The volume on my Rega Brio-R...

When turning down VERY low, one channel will disappear. While the other one can be heard.

Is this amp employing a rather cheap volume pot?

S.

[dantheman91]

I borrowed a pair of RS3 for only a few days.

They sounded pretty clear and musical. They are like Ela's with better behavior :)

S.

Cable impedance:scratch:. Seems strange i know that some old amplifier designs are like this i guess i could be the same here. No expert in this area just an ideal.:scratch:

[walpurgis]

Is this amp employing a rather cheap volume pot?

Probably. Or just an out of spec one that got through.

Not the end of the world though. I've had loads of supposedly decent amps like it.