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Best Buy Award – the-ear.net
Best Buy Award – avforums.com
Five Stars – whathifi.com
The Most Advanced and Feature Packed Brio Yet
The Brio MK7 from Rega Research is a handmade high performance stereo integrated amplifier. The MK7 version of Rega's bestselling amplifier is the most advanced and feature packed Brio ever released.
Rega's team of engineers completely 're-laid' 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 watts per channel into 8Ω and 72 watts per channel into 4Ω, which provides ample power to drive the most challenging loudspeakers.
The Brio MK7 now includes a Rega-designed on-board DAC with two digital inputs for greater flexibility with a range of 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 handset.
Award-Winning Performance
The Brio MK7 earned a Best Buy Award from the-ear.net. According to Jason Kennedy, "If you are looking for an amplifier that will keep you entertained no matter what music you play this is the strongest option on the sub £1,000 market right now."
"The Rega Brio has always been a strong contender in the affordable amplifier stakes and in its seventh iteration the Brio retains this advantage. You might find a smoother sounding amp and you will undoubtedly find one with more bells and whistles but I would challenge anyone to build something that has the authority and musical coherence that the Brio Mk7 displays for the same price."
"A Truly Lovely Sounding Amp"
Another Best Buy Award comes from Ed Selley at avforums.com, who reports, "The Brio Mk7 takes the lessons learned in the Elex and Elicit and brings them down to under a grand. It's not the most powerful, sophisticated or flexible amplifier at the price... but it is the one likely to make you smile the most. It's a truly lovely sounding amp."
England's What Hi-Fi? magazine gave the MK7 its top rating of Five Stars. "Rega has taken a real step forward with this amplifier," notes Ketan Bharadia. "We worried that the jump in price was going to be a problem, but that hasn’t turned out to be the case. This integrated is a strong all-rounder that is made all the more appealing by its great-sounding digital section."
Bharadia concludes, "If you are looking for a top-class stereo amplifier anywhere near this price level, the Brio Mk7 has to be on your shortlist."
A Masterclass in Dynamics
Throughout the design process, the Brio MK7 was meticulously improved in every aspect. From the quality of materials to the manufacturing process, the Brio MK7 is by far the most advanced Brio to date.
This compact amplifier includes an integrated Rega DAC, plus standby, auto standby, and thermal cut-out features, all of which are new features of this latest generation of Brio. Connections extend to three line-level inputs, and, of course, phono, with an onboard dedicated MM Moving Magnet stage for spinning your latest vinyl. The phono stage benefits from improved isolation between stages inside the amp and high spec op-amps, providing gain for attached cartridges.
The Brio circuit is often described as one of the most musically rewarding amplifiers in its class. You can expect even more refinement from the latest generation, along with equally outstanding performance via the headphone output.
'Re-laid' and Upgraded Circuit
Key improvements have been made across the circuit. The PCB layout has been fully upgraded to handle higher specifications for all critical parts. A second raw power supply is implemented to provide further isolation between output stage and the driver stage/line and phono amplifiers. This improves the isolation between high-level and low-level signal stages of the amplifier. Higher specification MUSES operational amplifiers have been used in the line, DAC, and phono amplifier.
Built-in Headphone Stage
The MK7 has an onboard circuit to drive standard hi-fi headphones from the internal amplifier. The headphone circuit was intelligently designed to reduce its impact on the main signal path, so it doesn’t disrupt the overall sound quality. Rega has paid special attention to the switch that deactivates the main speakers once the socket on the front panel is used.
New Auto Standby and Thermal Cut-out Features
The MK7 is equipped with auto standby functionality. After approximately one hour of no signal being present on the selected input, the unit will automatically enter a standby state. This function can be turned off, if you prefer.
Should the unlikely ever happen and the amplifier reaches a temperature that is liable to cause internal electronic damage, the thermal protection system kicks in. First it will first disable the speaker output, indicated by the illuminated MUTE led on the front panel and the input LED indicator turning off. If the over-temperature condition continues, the unit will turn itself off, safeguarding amplifier circuitry.
Note that thermal cut-out should only occur with continuous over-driving of a difficult load. If it occurs under normal conditions, there could be a problem with insufficient airflow around the heat sinks or a fault with the loudspeakers. In this case, it is advisable to contact your Rega dealer.
Short Circuit Protection
If the speaker leads are shorted, the built-in short circuit protection will protect the output stage from excessive currents. This protection circuit is not placed in the audio signal path and therefore does not affect sound quality.
