Thanks Echoes, I auditioned the B&W with an Elex and then an Elicit. Love how my Elex sounds but definitely an improvement when the Elicit was connected. Will certainly consider the Aethos.
I stand corrected. I recall having seen 40 °C spec in Rega's literature but I should have re-read before making that statement. As it turns out it was the Brio's specs where I saw it.
Curious how the Aethos will compare to the Osiris. The Osiris I’d reference, but also a tad long in the tooth now...
No 4 ohm rating? Might shutdown with continued operation under 6 ohm? Thats hardly the Cursa / Exon package in a single box. Couldn't even drive a pair of Linn Saras. Hard pass.
I heard it partnered with a new Rega P10/Apheta 3 and some B&W’s at a Rega shop demo a month or so ago. Of course it all sounded very nice, as these components should for the money, but there wasn’t the opportunity for rigorous testing or comparisons. I’ve seen one or two very complimentary reviews of the Aethos, but it’s in a competitive market. Over here it’s selling for £3k. There are some near new Elicit R’s going for between £1000 to £1250 and I wonder if the Aethos stands the difference ? Would need to hear it again.
I gave it a pass because of concerns about the lack of a 4 ohm rating and warnings about thermal shutdown. Went with a Yamaha A S3000.
Have been A\B testing Aethos v Supernait 3 (SN3). My setup is: Rega P6, Dynavector20x2l, Aria phonostage, Chord Shawline interconnects/ mains/speaker cables. Buchardt S400's bookshelves (which are incredible BTW if you're tight on space).. Rega Elex-r, Apollo CD. Bluesound Node2i (Tidal/Qobuz Studio). So after hours of full on A/B'ing here's my humble opinion. Overall I found the Rega Aethos sound more engaging, richer and detailed. It sounded great at low vols, this was a big surprise as my Buchardts prefer higher vols but the detail and control at lower vols is really enjoyable and if you crank up the vol I could actually play at higher vols because of the control the Aethos has. My S400's are 4ohm and sound incredible with the Aethos. I liked the volume control, I thought incrementally it's spot on. I noted that the balance between the 2 speakers was better, more equal if that makes sense... I understand the Naim PRaT thing now but the Aethos is no slouch... I like relaxed listening and found the SN a little dry and thin sounding, it's hard to properly verbalise. When it comes to Vinyl the Aethos dug out a little more detail than the SN and sounded richer again, fuller somehow. To balance this out the SN is lighter where bass is concerned but it finds it and controls it better than the Aethos. SN has more grip on the bass but I missed the low end that the SN couldn't quite reach, the Aethos. Surprisingly the Rega Apollo CD sounded great with the SN!! they really complimented one another. The SN also reminded me of the Hegel H390 which is a huge compliment because that Hegel is a cracking amp, I loved it but... Bang for buck I'd get more from the Aethos personally. Soundstage was a tie but Rega edges it with depth, in one review its mentioned a 'walk in' depth & I hear that. The SN was slightly more detailed in the highs on some tracks. Johnny Cash's Hurt for example but the Aethos gave his voice more texture, realness. The SN vocals generally are more forward sounding. I didn't have time to test the headphones amps. Conclusion : I love my Elex-r but the Aethos definately gives more controlled power, detail and textured layers of sound. Having plugged the Elex back in I notice a huge difference... Once I eventually realised it really does come down to 'what sound do you prefer'... it was a relief and I chose Rega...the SN just isn't as much fun to listen too.
Ps re the 4ohm thing. I played the aethos for several hours with the Buchardt S400's 4ohm speakers bookshelves. it got warm but not scarily so...
Has anyone here bought one yet? There seem to be many fans of Rega in the USA, but no mentions so far. Maybe the lockdown has stopped production....
My Elicit-R can get pretty warm with my KEF Refeerence 1s, which can dip pretty low. Overall it has enough power to drive them and sounds great, but it has tripped the thermal shutoff a couple of times in the summer, when the room ambient temp was pretty high and I had left the amp on all day. I really love the Rega/KEF sound, but am thinking the next step will be the Osiris. Have heard great things about the Aethos' sound, but I think for my speakers I need a little more power. More than happy with the Elicit for now though. I don't see an Osiris in my budget anytime soon