Rega knocks it out of the park - new integrated and phono amp

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ls35a, Oct 9, 2021.

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  1. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    I keep reading from a couple people here and on another audio forum about the nude black diamond ellipticals for the Stanton carts. One guy is 'cafe latte' from Australia who sings the praises of this particular aftermarket stylus. As I run a 680EE with an OEM Stereohedron stylus on my old Denon DP-23F, I wonder what I'll do next. I was a big Stanton fanboy back in the day and had a 681EEE for years always replacing the stylus with OEM Stereohedron styli until they disappeared.

    This is the one being discussed but I'm gathering one manufacturer is making it and it's being marketed under different names:

    ANALOGIS | BLACK DIAMOND, BLACK DIAMOND, Replacement Stylus Stanton D 6800 E | BLACK DIAMOND

    [​IMG]
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  2. Drew769

    Drew769 Buyer of s*** I never knew I lacked

    Location:
    NJ
    I heard the Rega IO at Audio Connection, playing a Bluesound Node 2i through a pair of Vandersteen VLR CTs. That little setup sounded great. It’s hard to believe that little amp could sound so great. It’s got to be one of the best deals in high end audio at under $600.
     
    bhazen, Leao and shug4476 like this.
  3. IRG

    IRG Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ithaca, NY
    Or at least under $650 now
     
  4. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC
    Cs: I have heard about that Black Diamond stylus but never used it. I use OEM Stanton styli that were made to accurately transfer vinyl to digital platforms. They work extremely well in my Rega and sound wonderful.
     
  5. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    I can buy one for about $60 USD from Mr. Stylus (if you go direct through email they can drop the VAT tax) but I don't know that I want to take a chance on someone else's recommendation. And if I don't like it, sending it back to Germany or wherever he is sounds like no fun.
     
  6. Art K

    Art K Retired but not tired!

    Location:
    Corvallis, Oregon
    I sold my Brio and kept my IO.
     
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  7. Swingburn

    Swingburn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Did NOT like the IO. Plastic-y buttons. Loads of input channel bleed. Noisy phono stage. Dull top end. Cramped inputs/outputs on the back. Lots of stuff crammed into a little box is going to have issues. I recommend trying before buying.
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  8. SpeedMorris

    SpeedMorris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa
    Why would anyone get an SL-1200 GR when most people do fine with an LP120?
     
  9. Freedom Rider

    Freedom Rider Senior Member

    Location:
    Russia
    Plenty of people will probably read that as "not ear-bleeding bright, good":)
     
  10. Drew769

    Drew769 Buyer of s*** I never knew I lacked

    Location:
    NJ
    Maybe you got a bad unit? The tactile feel of buttons is obviously a personal thing (and I agree…I love great controls), but the sound quality of the one I heard (albeit with all digital inputs) was absurd. It embarrassed an Integrated we A-B listened to, a unit that was literally 5X the cost of the Rega.
     
    bhazen, Freedom Rider, ls35a and 2 others like this.
  11. Freedom Rider

    Freedom Rider Senior Member

    Location:
    Russia
    Did you notice any buzz / hum with this amp? Seen some reviews mention that.
     
    bever70 likes this.
  12. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head!

    Location:
    Belgium
    Lol, so another buzzer/hummer like the brio?!
     
  13. Freedom Rider

    Freedom Rider Senior Member

    Location:
    Russia
    I dunno, don't have it yet...could be a unit to unit issue.
    Otherwise seems like a cool little amp.
     
  14. ls35a

    ls35a Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Eagle, Idaho
    Mine's dead quiet.
     
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  15. murphythecat

    murphythecat https://www.last.fm/user/murphythecat

    Location:
    Canada
    Happy to see the rega io is a class a-b design and not a stupid class d in a fancy case like many other "high-end" brands.

    class ab
    big toroidal transformer
    alps pot

    seem very decent for the asking price indeed. how does the IO compares to the previous Rega amps?
     
    ls35a likes this.
  16. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    Are there tone controls?
     
  17. ls35a

    ls35a Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Eagle, Idaho
    You did hear me say 'REGA', right?
     
    alanb, Art K and bhazen like this.
  18. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    So no, then? I have far less fascination with Rega than most here. It was a simple question.
     
  19. Swingburn

    Swingburn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    It could have been a bad unit. Bought it "Open Box" to save a few bucks. Probably a bad idea because now I have a bias against Rega.

    The other strange thing about Rega is... many people say their gear sound great, but they always use words like "fun" or "engaging" or "rhythmic"... but I never hear technical explanations of why Rega sounds that way. How do I listen for it? Is it a certain EQ? Are there little Rega fairies inside the gear who bless it with magic?
     
    csgreene and Drew769 like this.
  20. Omarstringer

    Omarstringer No One You’d Know

    Location:
    Dallas
    They are solid. If you like that you should wait a bit and try the Brio. Even much better is using a Rega deck with either. Rega is one of the most consistent brands in HiFi. Solid pros work there.
     
  21. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    What makes you classify the IO toroidal transformer as "big"? Just asking.

     
  22. shug4476

    shug4476 Nullius In Verba

    Location:
    London
    I have owned three Rega amps. They were all fantastic but they really do sing with vinyl and with a Rega turntable in particular. I think their founder said in an interview they are voiced with vinyl as the source and it shows. Although they are excellent for digital sources too.
     
  23. Pmds55889397

    Pmds55889397 Forum Resident

    Why on earth should they have tone controls, its no longer the 60's
     
    Ragged Glory, ls35a and Art K like this.
  24. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    Pretty ignorant comment.
     
  25. IRG

    IRG Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ithaca, NY
    It’s a small amp, the transformer therefore looks kinda big when you see this pic. Only 30w, so proportionately it might be large.

    pic didn’t show up, there it is[​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2021
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