Rega Elex-R, anyone?

I'm not sure if the Elex falls into the "quietest noise floor possible" category. Obviously it has no discernible background noise, but I'm not certain it's SNR is as high as the likes of Yamaha or Audiolab.

 

No discernable background noise would be fine, not sure how you get quieter than that. The volume remote also buzzes when engaged on the Rogue. It's frustrating because other than the noise issues it can sure make my speakers sing.

 

I would consider the Sphinx II. I believe the issues you have with yours has been addressed. Perhaps a demo side by side. Not to take anything away from the Rega.

 

Actually that's a good idea, since I do like the way it sounds. I have a Rogue dealer near me so a side by side would be easy to arrange. I might also put a call into Rogue to see If these are in fact normal V1 issues or if perhaps I should send the amp in for a check.

 

I've had an Elex-R for a while now. Wonderful amp. Using it on RX3s and other speakers. Great drive, large soundscapes, with a bit of forward presence at times, depending on source material.

 

Do you have any experience with the RS3 or RX1? I have an Elex R still in the box and these are my two main option for speakers.

 

Event the V2 Sphinx and Rogue Pharoah have some low level hiss when music is not playing. It's just the nature of their circuit design. The volume control noise is also normal, it's caused by the Pot's motor. They're not any worse than the average amp. If you want something with almost zero discernable hiss, look at the upper end Yamaha integrateds. The A-S1100 was silent in my system.

 

Hi SteveCam,
Yes, I do. Have owned RX3s and heard RX1s. The 3s sounded a bit laid back and 'hollow' but had pretty good bass.
Midrange drivers were pretty sensitive to loud playing, easy to damage due to them not being doped. The RX series drivers are all hand doped not to mention being better sounding. The RX1s have more resolution, dynamics, and frequency range than the old. Reference back to the old/past Rega amps' sound compared to the new gen ones and it would be the same comparison. I think if I was to make a decision it would boil down to requirements; can you drive your room with monitors, or do you require floorstanding speakers, also based on your music tastes? That would be my approach. The option you have in the future w/RX1s is to add a subwoofer- such as REL. That allows you to cover and combat more bass problems in your listening venue IME. Using speakers with ample bass extension still limits you with regard to placement and achieving all around balanced bass response.
I hope this helps.
Cheers and happy listening.

Dan

 

Another consideration for your amp is an aftermarket power cord also. It responds very positively to one. AQ, entry-level Synergistic Research, classic Audience, DiMarzio, Kimber, etc. I use Kimber PK10 Palladium and Audience AU24 SE MP.
Try and select based on what your system is doing and what tonality and traits/trade-offs you're after.

 

One of the things that bothered me about my Rega Brio was the hum noise that always came through the right speaker, also that when turning it on it emitted a popping noise through the speakers. On the other hand my new Creek Evo50 amp is silent in every way as far as I can tell.

 

Thanks for the tips and feedback. I see you referenced RX3. Did you mean RS3? I will look into an after market power cord also. My room is around 12 feet by 13 feet but then extends into another 12x12 dining room. I think stand mounts like the RX1 will work but they are the same or more price as the older RS3 floor standers that I can still get locally. I will have to add decent stands too, so the initial cost of stand mounts will have to include that cost.

 

Oddly, it's actually easier to live with knowing it's normal. I was beginning to think something was wrong with the amp which was really bugging me.

 

You're quite welcome. Yes, I meant RS.
Make sure you invest in sturdy, fillable stands. They pay big dividends. Couple speakers with BluTac (poster putty) to them.

Regards.

 

Thanks! If I choose RX1 or any other stand mount that is the plan. I would get good stands that can be filled for extra weight and the blutac. It's the extra cost for the stands that is sending me towards the RS3 floor standers.

 

It's always a drag to spend money on hardware that doesn't produce sound. Mini monitors have their place however .......
Take also into account that you gain resolution, truth of timbre, dynamics, better imagining and sounstaging, etc with the new series. Usually a quality speaker purchase is a long lasting one affair.

D

 

If it's a Rega stand mount it will be a RX1 as I can't source the older RS1 new. There is a set of the older RS3 floor standers available locally, brand new. I also have the option of the RX3 but as I have posted before, these have really gone up in price.

 

Is there any trick to getting a non-Rega turntable, one with a grounding wire, hooked up to this amp? Also, since the Brio just got an update can we expect that an Elex update is around the corner? Thanks.

 

Ive used an old thorens with ground wire connected to a Rega brio-r. The Rega had the ground connecting knob underneath the housing. Does the Elex-r come without a "ground knob"?

 

It has one, as does any integrated or pre-amp with a phono input.

 

That explains it. I've been looking at photos of the rear of both the Brio and Elex-r and didn't see the "ground knob". Thanks.

 

Elex-R does have a grounding connection on the back.....left side of the unit next to the RCA inputs.

http://www.the-ear.net/sites/default/files/elex-r-back-brt.jpg

 

Thanks, Goldprint. Somehow I got myself right confused on this one.

 

Yes, just plug in your tonearm leads and hook up the ground wire to chassis. LOL.
The Elex-R won't be revised anytime soon, it is just two years old. Typically a Rega model has a lifespan of about 5 years.
Please elaborate on what else you might've meant by "a trick to hooking up a table to this amp" if you care.

 

Thanks for the suggestion not to wait for an update to the Elex-R. That's good to know. Regarding the ground wire, I was confused as I previously stated. Not sure further elaboration is necessary.

 

I spoke to a Rega rep here in the UK recently about new versions generally and he said 'there are only so many hours in the day!' So I guess their R&D dept is busy enough.