AETHOS due out in May. £2999 New casework is nice. Not sure what the “record” button is for? Rega Research Ltd. on Twitter
RECORD is to monitor the recording input. Take a look at the rear panel of the Elicit-R in the manual on the Rega website if you’re interested in seeing what they’re doing.
This should be a pretty incredible integrated unit. Lots of trickle down stuff from the Osiris going in to it.
I'll be going to the Bristol show tomorrow and will have a look (not a listen). I was told no phono stage (you'll need an Aria / Aura). Next - matching 3k CD / DAC?
I spent 2 hours with Rega today at the gift show. Spoke to Phil about the Planar 8 and met Roy Gandy which was a real privilege. Such talented and passionate engineers. The Aethos was out and looks like a lovely bit of kit. All analogue inputs. Brand new power circuit. Roy Gandy said he cried when he first heard it because it was so good! The record button is like a tape monitor on old amplifiers. Not due out for a little while yet though (early summer)
Just sitting on a static display table. Simon Webster described it as a dual-mono, line-level amp with a passive preamp section. Quite heavy, even without the transformer (not fitted to the display model). That's all I can tell you! Oh, and it's already in the 2019 Rega brochure - more info which I'll copy out later.... 125 wpc.
l have the big Rega integrated amp/CD player and they sounded amazing..... will be interesting to see how these pan out. Didn't make me cry mind.
I heard about the development of this amp from a Rega dealer several months ago. He said that the power output would be around 150 watts per channel. Were any specs available at the Bristol show?
Harrow Audio's website says "The new Rega Aethos forms part of the Reference range alongside the Osiris Amplifier and Isis CD player. Shown for the first time at the Bristol Hifi show in February 2019, this stereo amplifier will be on demonstration as soon as its available. "Info is limited at the moment, but here is what we know: "The Aethos stereo amplifier is housed in a brand new custom designed case. Employing four 160w 16 Amp output transistors per channel, this delivers 156w per channel into 6 Ohm. The Aethos is a dual mono deisgn using a custom wound torodial transformer and regulated supplies for the sensitive amplification and driver stages. The Pre-Amp stage uses Class-A discrete circuitry throughout. The Aethos is a no compromise product with one goal: To deliver your music as faithfully as possible. Spec: Headphone Socket Remote Control Direct Input 156w per channel into 6 Ohm (125 w per channel into 8 Ohm)" It will be fascinating to compare it with the Elicit-R.
Definitely like that there is a halfway point between Elicit and Osiris now... i would dearly love an update on the Cursa and Exon separates though and some sort of tube power amp or integrated... ide buy a Rega tube amp in a heartbeat
This is essentially the Cursa and Exon set in a single package, but no room for a phono board. I can see how they'd prefer to leave the can of worms that is an affordable tube amplifier sealed however. -Bill
@KT88 Too right Bill if its dual mono then yea it is a one box Cursa/Exon... i just cant see myself not having tubes in my system from this point forward... my ideal setup would be something like this new amp with a pre out feeding an EL34 based power amp running mids and highs and the SS amp running the woofers... unfortunately my Rega RS5 speakers (and all Rega speakers i think) biamp linking the midrange with the woofer and the tweeter separate so this setup isnt possible with Rega speakers... still one day maybe ill find some nice Exon 3s to go with my Cursa 3 and Cyber 800 EL34 monos
Rega sees tube amps as out-dated and is committed 100% to SS. It appears that Rega is taking on Naim with this new amp. The big question is whether Rega will invest in streamers. So far the answer has been a resounding no.
I'd love to hear this, despite it being well outside my affordability range ... The more time goes by, the more I respect Rega as a straightforward provider of playback gear for folks who just want to get on with it ... if I had to replace my system in a hurry (well, of course, I don't want to be without music playback even for a day!), I might just march down to my local Rega dealer and write a check for a current Apollo/Brio/RX1 system, and be done with it. All for less than $5k! At least for awhile.* *I view audiophilia as a sort of addiction; into which I relapse from time to time. Hence, my continued participation in the hardware forum.
That's my perception of Rega too. I can vouch for the current Apollo and Brio but my local dealer screwed up the RX1 demo. Strangely, What Hifi has recently given Rega's speakers poor reviews but they were typically vague and the criticisms lacked substance. I'm not sure whether the Brio is powerful enough to get the best out of your Harbeth P3ESRs. My Tablette 10s are a great match and I'm told that Spendors are too. It's amazing that we can still get a great sounding, British-made, system for a relatively modest outlay. There is no need to spend large 5, or even 6, figure sums.
Trying not to derail the thread too much but do you or anyone else have experience with rega amps with harbeth speakers? Have heard both separately but not together. Have an Osiris coming in soon and thinking about trying to find some HL5's to demo
I have not had opportunity for direct comparison, but from what I can gather I would say that the new gear should have a more transparent sound. The older units were quite warm sounding, and still very powerful. Power is not an issue for the new gear either, but the development of their amplifiers has lead to more clear and dynamic sound than in the past. -Bill