I have had a Rega Io amp in a small room system for about a month or so. It is my first use of Rega equipment and I think it is a great little intergrated amp with a very good internal phono. I have it connected to a Technics 1210 GR. The combination is just great fun to listen to. Tuneful and dynamic.
My Rega corner.... Fono MM MKIII and Brio-R. Both components were purchased in 'gently used' condition, for less than $800 combined. Superb value!
Looking to upgrade from my Schiit Modi 3, I have just purchased a used 2015 DAC-R from @GoldprintAudio for a very reasonable price. It had been recently traded in by @mike catucci , who alerted me that it was available at Goldprint. I've always had good luck with Rega components, and I expect this will be a nice complement to my recently purchased Rega Fono MM MKIII.
I'm glad you were able to grab it. It was well cared for and never moved off the shelf it was placed on. Bonus was I had everything it came with including the original double boxes. Good luck and would love to hear what you think of it. I actually second guessed myself several times and almost kept it. It is that good.
I actually found an old post you made about the DAC-R right after you bought it, and you were singing its praises.
I was speaking to an audiophile friend of mine this afternoon and mentioned that I had just bought a DAC-R. I didn't know it before, but he actually owns one, and told me how much he enjoys it. He described his impressions of it - fulsome body, detailed but not etched, etc. - which is in line with what I have come to expect from Rega electronics and what I was hoping for with this purchase. Me thinks I will like it very much.
Once upon a time... 1996 Sold my pair of Magnepan SMGa and bought a pair of Rega Kytes. 1999 Bought a used Planar 3 and had the Kytes modified to Super-Kytes (reviewed by Art Dudley in Listener). 2002 I flirted with a Clearaudio Aurum Beta S, but otherwise have kept it Rega Rega Rega cartridges - Elys, Super Elys and currently Elys 2. I also bought my only non-Rega TT upgrade - a Heavyweight counterweight. 2017 The grills of the Kytes had almost turned to dust. I found a guy in the UK who makes replacement grills 2018 Installed a 24V motor 2020 Bought a Neo power supply unit and the Rega strobe to dial it in.
Basically any of the vm carts will work great on the Rega 2 I did end up removing the anti skate on mine and it made my life a lot easier Interesting to read they recently fixed the fixed that issue Upgraded Rega RB220 tonearm with adjustable antiskate
The DAC-R arrived a couple of days ago, and it was in like-new condition, as I was told to expect. The entire transaction with @GoldprintAudio was a stellar experience. According to the What-Hi? review, its performance with USB is good but not great, but that's all I had on hand. It's sounding quite wonderful, very detailed and spacious, and the tonal balance and texture is spot-on. I wonder why Rega decided to stop making DACs? I've ordered a Toslink cable + adapter (for use with my Mac Mini's 1/8" optical/headphone output), which should be arriving on Monday. It's already sounding great with USB, and if using an optical cable will add even more performance, it will be very impressive indeed.
Great point and I forgot all about this. It does sound better with the Toslink. It isn't something you won't notice either. You can hear the difference!
I just got my optical cable, and yes, the DAC-R does sound noticeably better with optical vs. USB. Much more holographic and 'natural,' with reverb trails floating all over the room.
No way! Seriously, the DAC-R is really blowing me away now. It sounds so much more nuanced and fleshed out.
I love British audio brands, have been playing with Arcam amps for years now and I can't say goodbye to my good old Meridian 588 CD player. I even invested quite some money in repairs and maintenance a few years ago so the latter can stay with me for years to come. In the past I had several speakers (Quad, Wharfdale) and CD/DVD players (Arcam) from the Island. In general, at least to my ears, the sound of British gear is sophisticated, a bit laid back, non fatiguing, transparent, quite neutral and always very musical. Of course there are differences between the brands. Meridian does not sound completely the same as Arcam. The Meridian CD player for instance delivers great insight in the recording, showcasing micro details, but the sound stage is a bit boxed in. Arcam CD players have a very wide sound stage, but do lack some depth......Now to Rega......for some reason it was only until recently that I auditioned it. Funny, since I've started the audio hobby over 40+ years ago. This summer, due to Covid-19 and a canceled vacation, I decided to ad a modern turntable to my system. In spite of the price tag I fell in love with the Rega Planar 8 / Apheta 2, not only thanks to the wonderful sound but also the esthetics. Although the P8 was a more than good match with my Arcam Rphono stage and I thought things couldn't get better, I was proven wrong after auditioning the Rega Aria. This amp really makes the P8 shine, if not creating vinyl nirvana. With these experiences in mind I couldn't help asking myself what the Rega DAC-R would bring in my digital system. The Meridian CD player is sort of a diva that relentlessly reveals all shortcomings in bad or mediocre recorded CD's and the Oppo BDP 83 is not one of the latest multi players. I use this Oppo for other digital formats like Blue Ray's and (SA)CD's. By adding the Rega DAC-R I was not aiming at getting a vinyl like sound in my digital system, but to my surprise this DAC does resemble the characteristics of the Rega turntable and phono stage.......it's a very musical, engaging and lifelike sound. All in all, I'm more than happy with the Rega sound and it does very well with my Arcam A32 / P35 amps, Paradigm Signature S4 speakers and REL Stampede Sub.
