Rega Brio MK7 Integrated Amplifier

Reference:

3047

Condition:

New

The Rega Brio is an exceptional amplifier: musically complete, has a refined and powerful sound, and goes far beyond its class for balance and tunefulness

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€990.00 (tax incl.)

Available for immediate shipping.

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Brand:

Rega

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Description

The Brio MK7 is a handmade high-performance stereo integrated amplifier. The MK7 version of our best-selling amplifier is the most advanced and feature-rich Brio ever produced. Our engineering team has completely redesigned the Brio circuit, optimizing it for performance and reducing distortion. Housed in a compact, custom half-width aluminum case, the Brio MK7 delivers an impressive 50 W per channel into 8 Ω and 72 W per channel into 4 Ω, providing ample power to drive even the most demanding speakers. The Brio MK7 now includes a Rega-designed onboard DAC with two digital inputs for greater flexibility with other components. A new mini system remote (compatible with future products) is supplied to operate the standby function, allowing the unit to be powered on and off via the remote.

Redesigned Circuit

Key improvements have been made throughout the circuit. The PCB layout has been fully upgraded to handle higher specifications for all critical components. A second raw power supply has been implemented to provide additional isolation between the output stage and the driver/line and phono amplifiers. This improves isolation between the high- and low-level signal stages of the amplifier. Higher-specification MUSES operational amplifiers are used in the line, DAC, and phono sections.

Headphone Output

The Brio MK7 has an onboard circuit to drive standard hi-fi headphones from the internal amplifier. The headphone circuit is intelligently designed to minimize its impact on the main signal path, preserving overall sound quality. Special attention has been given to the switch that deactivates the main speakers when the front-panel headphone socket is used.

Auto Standby

This unit is equipped with an auto standby function. After approximately one hour of no signal on the selected input, the unit will automatically enter standby mode. This function can be disabled if desired.

Thermal Protection

If the amplifier reaches a temperature that could damage internal electronics, the thermal protection system will first disable the speaker outputs, indicated by the MUTE LED lighting up on the front panel and the input LED turning off. If the over-temperature condition persists, the unit will automatically shut down.

Short-Circuit Protection

If the speaker leads are shorted, fold-back short-circuit protection will safeguard the output stage from excessive currents. This protection circuit is not in the audio signal path and therefore does not affect sound quality.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Power Output

50 W per channel into 8 Ω

72 W per channel into 4 Ω

Power Consumption: 200 W

Power Consumption in Standby: 0.4 W (activated automatically if no signal is present after 1 hour)

Digital Inputs:

S/PDIF Isolated 0.5V 75Ω Coaxial

S/PDIF Optical Toslink

Supported Sampling Rates:

32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz

THD+Noise (A-weighted)

Typically 0.005% at 1 kHz

Dimensions (W x H x D)

216 x 79 x 365 mm

Weight

4.9 kg

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Product Details

Reference 3047

Designer

The first Rega - A star is born

Roy was now working for Ford as a technical editor but spent most of his free time installing friend's hi-fi equipment and building loudspeakers to sell. He became a part time retailer and found he had to spend a ridiculous amount of time repairing new turntables before his conscience and common sense would allow him to sell them to others! Out of frustration and a strong feeling he could do better, the Planet turntable was born. Roy and a partner registered "Rega" (Tony RElph, Roy GAndy). In 1973 and for a couple of years, Roy stayed at Ford and made turntables in the evening, helped by his partners: mum (who agreed to help out for two weeks and stayed for fifteen years!) and a succession of lads. The first turntables were sold through Cosmocord in the UK and a year later under the Rega name in West Germany, Denmark and France.

Roy was now able to leave Ford; he collected a redundancy check and promptly blew it on a factory in Rochford. Soon after the partnership with Tony Relph split, Roy swapping his share of Rega. Terry Davies joined as Rega's financial administrator.

In 1975 the Planar 2 was developed and quickly took its place in the market as the finest budget turntable. In June 1977 HI-FI News and Record Review announced the Planar 3 saying "The complete unit is worth a look"! Rega's usual blaze of non-publicity.

By 1980 Rega employed thirteen staff, exported to twelve countries, had twenty UK dealers and there were those dreaded 'waiting lists', mainly by eager customers shop-hopping!

In 1980 Roy found an old mill (Park Street) in a residential area in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. The building had been deserted for twenty years and judging by the rot, seemed to have a millstream still running through it! Rega snapped it up for £30,000 and turned it into a compact but highly functional hi-fi factory, liberally painted bright green.

In 1983 after five years of dabbling and two years of intensive development, the RB300 and RB250 tonearms were produced. For ten years Rega had used Japanese and Danish manufactured arms on the turntables but after some searching Roy found a casting company prepared to work with him to develop an entirely new production method enabling the one-piece tube to be cast.

Rega won an international award for the RB300 casting, presented by Modern Metals 'awarded in open competition for excellence in the field of Aluminium Die Casting'. In their accompanying letter they wrote: 'we are still trying to figure out how you produce such a long cored hole so accurately'. This made up for never winning any prizes breeding budgies!

For five years, Rega sold a cartridge, the R100, made to specification in Japan. This was followed by the RB100, which was designed and developed by Rega. However, the cartridge had inevitable design limitations as it was being manufactured by an outside company.

In March 1988 the Bias and Elys cartridges went into production in house and sales exceeded 1000 in the first month, five times more than anticipated! The cartridges were a vital step on the way to a complete Rega system.

Completing the system...

In the summer of 1989 the Ela loudspeaker was introduced. Designed and developed at Rega, they were originally produced in Denmark but soon thereafter were manufactured in house.

In 1991, a period of dramatic expansion was heralded with the move into the world of electronics and the launch of two amplifiers, the Elex and the Elicit. The reason for producing these two amplifiers was simple; Rega was presented with a design it could not resist! Most importantly, the amplifiers fit into the company policy - which is to manufacture high quality, specialist hi-fi components that are reliable, consistent and sensibly priced. This development completed the Rega system.

A new factory was built in 1992 on the Temple Farm Industrial Estate in Southend-on-Sea under Roy's design and guidance to house the production of loudspeakers and amplifiers and to ensure room for further developments.

2014....

Over the past 40 years we have come a very long way. Now selling to more than 40 export markets and producing on average 2000 turntables alone every month, Rega now employ's almost 90 people in our purpose built 30,000 sq ft design and manufacturing facility in Essex, England.

Rega continues to grow and develop new products, all of which strictly follow those early Rega virtues of excellent build quality, long life and amazing value for money all backed up by a lifetime warranty against manufacture defects.

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