Rega Brio-R User Manual

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION, FEATURES AND TECHNOLOGY 1-3

INSTALLATION 3

CONNECTIVITY 4-6

LOUDSPEAKER CONNECTIONS 6-7

IN USE / INPUT SELECTION 7

MUTE / REMOTE CONTROL 8

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION 9

TROUBLESHOOTING 10-13

OWNERS LOG 14

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1

INTRODUCTION, FEATURES AND TECHNOLOGY

Thank you for purchasing the Brio-

R

the latest version of Rega’s best

selling amplifier.

Housed in a brand new case the Brio-

R

draws on the pedigree of the
previous three incarnations of this model. The sonic recipe for the Brio
embodies the best in traditional audio circuits with excellent engineering
practice.

A newly designed output amplifier in the Brio-

R

was born after extensive
research by our engineers to develop a low source impedance emitter follower
Class A driver stage. This is based around a complementary pair of 150w
Sanken Darlington output transistors. The technical and sonic improvement
gained by the use of low impedance drivers is well known, however it can
feature high standing currents in the driver stage when using standard
transistor configurations. By combining the low impedance driver with the
Sanken Darlington transistors (with their imbedded thermal bias network
running at a lower standing current) this combination forms a complementary
emitter follower emulating Class A conditions with good thermal stability with
lower standing currents in the driver stage.

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2

Other notable improvements include the input switches (relays) and rotary
volume control. The input relays are in the optimum position, being placed
directly between the input sockets and the amplifier input, shortening the signal
path at this critical stage.

Remote control has been added to the Brio-

R

for the first time without
compromising the sonic design of the amplifier. This was achieved by keeping
the remote circuit separate to the audio circuit and having its own dedicated
power supply (via a separate winding on the mains transformer). There is no
direct contact between the microcontroller and the signal path, as the
microcontroller controls the relays and volume control motor is using DC
control voltages.

During the Brio-

R

design process Rega reviewed the circuit and improved
the low and high current power supplies, coupling and bypass capacitors,
(where film capacitors are used throughout the signal path). The phono stage
has been improved to reflect the current improvements in the Rega Planar
turntables, where the input sensitivity has been increased along with a revision
of the sub 100Hz part of the phono frequency response.

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3

The output amplifier is capable of driving awkward loads as low as 1.7Ω, below
this the amplifier is protected against shorted speakers and reactive loads.

The power supply uses a low noise generously rated toroidal transformer and
10,000µF smoothing capacitors that provide enough current to drive the most
awkward of loads.

We have avoided superfluous gadgets such as tone controls and headphone
sockets as they obstruct the signal path and degrade sound quality. The Rega
Ear (sold seperately) is a dedicated headphone amplifier designed specifically
for this purpose offering far greater performance than an in built socket.

The Brio-Ris utilising the highest quality components and all of our
engineers’ experience to achieve the best sonic performance and ensuring it is
the most advanced and feature packed Brio to date.

INSTALLATION

The Brio-

R

will work well on most surfaces, such as a shelf or table,
provided there is sufficient air around the amplifier to prevent overheating. If
using a turntable, magnetic interference can be avoided by positioning the
amplifier as far away from the cartridge as the tonearm lead will allow. Never
stack other hi-fi equipment directly on top of the amplifier. The heat produced
by the Brio-

R

is dispersed to the air by the case itself. Ensure that the case
has an unobstructed air passage around it. Never place it directly on fabric or
carpets.

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4

CONNECTIVITY

All the line level inputs and the line level output are made via RCA (Phono)
connectors. The sockets on Rega amplifiers are identified as follows:

Left: Always the upper row and marked in WHITE

Right: Always the lower row and marked in RED

IMPORTANT: ALWAYS TURN OFF THE AMPLIFIER WHEN CHANGING

LEADS & SPEAKER CABLES.

Rear Panel Connections

Input 1 – Phono stage for use with a turntable only.

The Phono input can be used with moving magnet (MM) or HIGH OUTPUT moving coil
(MC) cartridges.

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