The only I have seen about the damping factor of Rega amps is in this review of the old Brio: http://www.this.pl/files/userfiles/reviews/Rega_Brio-R_review10.pdf
Thanks, the damping factor is 127 for the previous gen BrioR. Up until a couple months ago I had a couple amps with damping factor of 200. Then I got a Rogue Sphinx V2 (tube pre/class D amp) with a damping factor of 600 and feel it works very well with my speakers. Then I noticed some of the Hegel integrateds have DF of 2000 and 4000. Thanks again!
I wonder if that is why my Sphinx v2 sounds so good with my B&W 805s. I replaced my Sphinx with a Primaluna, which at 4x the price is at a whole other level sonically. But I keep the Sphinx as a back up and had occasion to put it back in my system this week. It is a very nice sounding integrated indeed.
I think the Sphinx would work well with many speakers in the 200W and under/86 dB sensitivity and higher range. I currently have it hooked up to 83 dB/750W Carver Amazing Silver MK4 and the low end is a bit lacking, especially at louder volumes (3, 12" open baffle stereo subs get <100 Hz) and it is not uncommon for me to run it full blast, but I like my music louder than most. Overall it is a very good performer with these speakers, but hardly ideal for them, especially at higher volumes. If I didnt damage my Innersound ESL 800 with static electricity from my fingertip, I will likely use the Sphinx as a preamp.
Maglorine: Can you speak to soundstage of the Rega Elex? Is it holographic at all? Most reviews I've read on the Rega are very good, but I havent learned much about the soundstage of it. I'd be interested in hearing your comments. Thanks!
I was able to listen to the Elicit-R in my system yesterday... the Elex-R is miles ahead in every discipline... and than I listened to the Classé CAP-2100... a very different animal
I think that’s because the pre out of the Rega Elex r is very low. I just got a benchmark to test and am using the Rega Elex r as a pre amp and it’s lower in volume wiht the benchmark than the Rega alone.
Are you judging that by the volume knob position? You want to set the amps gain to the lowest level that will still allow for a volume a little higher than you would ever normally listen, even if that means the volume knob is near its maximum travel.
Curious if you could offer more detail about your findings with the Elex vs Elicit-R? I have not heard the Elex but really love my Elicit-R. In particular I like the resolution, detail, and neutrality. Great soundstage and imaging with the speakers too. The only thing I don't like is that it can sometimes run hot with my speakers (KEF Reference 1). It does drive them well, though. I am interested to try the Aethos someday, which many say has a similar sound to the Elex. I still worry if it would run hot too.
Do you have adequate ventilation around the amp? I have owned the Brio, Elex, and Elicit (all at the same time) and they all ran 'hot', isn't part of the power delivery biased toward Class A? I seem to remember reading that somewhere.
Yeah I know that is the design. Definitely plenty of space around the amp. My listening room is in the attic, so it is only a problem in the summer when the ambient room temp is much higher. I have only tripped the thermal protection on the Elicit twice in four years. So not that big of a deal I guess. Both times were on the hottest days and with bass-heavy music. I was thinking of putting a small fan behind the rack for this summer.
what speakers do you have and what’s their impedance ? I have the Elex R and Proac speakers and my amp runs cool
Ones description doesn’t mean much. Have to hear for yourself just the way things are forever I heard the NAIM was the ultimate for PRAT. And I love all that. But when I got the NAIM X3 which is substantially more expensive than my rega Elex r I didn’t like it AT ALL. go figure
Speakers are KEF Reference 1. Nominal impedence is rated at 8 ohms, but they measure down to 3.2. Sound is fantastic with the Elicit-R, but it just runs hot at times.
Call rega dude. They will let you know what is normal. My Elex R doesn’t run hot but I heard the Elicit does. call and see what they say. Don’t listen to us.
Not to derail an Elex thread, but as you may recall I procured an Elicit-R a few months ago. I do love it, (Taylor at Goldprint says it has as much oomph but more detail than the Elex which could easily be interpreted as more clinical/less warm) but it was made much better with an addition of a Schitt Loki in my environment. To your point, it could not handle my living room set up (a 30 x 40 x 8 space) as I have some current hungry speakers in there with low impedance needs. In my experience, save for the esoteric names, only my Yamaha gear can drive my speakers in there without working overly hard. Rega makes exquisitely simple and beautiful amplifiers (Brio/Elex/Ellicit) that are a joy to use, but they cannot handle the ‘80s.
I've got an Elex r on the way and I'm excited. I'm debating buying a higher end phono preamp to use with it tho.
it’s a great amp man. Your gonna love it. I love mine and although I’m probably gonna replace it with a Benchmark AHB2, I could still live with the Rega Elex R for the rest of my life for enjoyment. great amp