Rega’s integrated amplifiers, side by side. Here is the Brio Mk7 between the io and the Elex Mk4 and their specifications, showing what your money buys at each step.

The Brio has been Rega’s most celebrated amplifier for decades, and the Mk7 is the biggest change to it in years: for the first time, a Brio has a digital-to-analogue converter built in. Where every previous generation was purely analogue, this one adds Rega’s own DAC with optical and coaxial inputs, so a television, a CD transport or a streamer connects directly. The rest is a thorough reworking rather than a reinvention: the circuit board has been re-laid, a second power supply added to isolate the sensitive stages from the output stage, and higher-specification op-amps used throughout the line, phono and DAC sections. It remains a compact, half-width, 50-watt Class A/B amplifier made in Southend, and it remains the amplifier most people should hear first at this price.

Brief product overview

A handmade Class A/B integrated amplifier delivering 50 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 73 watts into 6 ohms. New for this generation is an in-house Rega DAC handling PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz, fed by one optical Toslink and one coaxial input, with its power supply isolated from the amplifier’s to keep the digital and analogue domains apart. Analogue connectivity is three RCA line inputs and a dedicated moving-magnet phono stage, the latter benefiting from improved isolation between stages and high-specification MUSES op-amps. Inside, the circuit board has been fully re-laid and a second raw power supply added to separate the output stage from the driver, line and phono stages. There is a 3.5mm headphone output driven from the internal amplifier, which mutes the speakers when used, plus auto standby after roughly an hour without signal, a thermal cut-out, and a new mini system remote. The case is a fully shielded two-part aluminium design in half-width form, weighing around 4.9kg.

How it sounds

The Brio’s reputation rests on timing and musical momentum rather than warmth, and the Mk7 keeps that character while sounding cleaner and more refined than its predecessors, which is what the re-laid circuit and improved isolation were for. It is detailed, articulate and rhythmically taut, with a firm grip on the bass that belies its size. The moving-magnet phono stage is excellent for a built-in design, unsurprising from a company that makes turntables, and the new DAC is good enough that a streamer’s digital output can be fed straight in rather than relying on the streamer’s own conversion. Fifty watts into 8 ohms is not a lot on paper, but they are high-current watts and the amplifier drives most sensibly matched speakers with authority in a normal-sized room.

What we’d partner it with

For speakers, the Brio Mk7 suits well-made stand-mounts of moderate sensitivity. We suggest the Mission 750, a two-way standmount using Mission’s Inverted Driver Geometry, with the 28mm microfibre dome tweeter mounted below the 135mm mineral-loaded polypropylene mid/bass driver to equalise the path lengths from each. It is 86dB sensitive with a 6-ohm nominal impedance and a 4.5-ohm minimum, rated for 25 to 100 watts, so the Brio’s 73 watts into 6 ohms places it comfortably in the middle of that window. Good alternatives from brands we carry are stand-mounts from Wharfedale, Elac, Dali and Triangle.

For vinyl, the moving-magnet phono stage means a turntable connects directly. We suggest the Rega Planar 3, fitted with a moving-magnet cartridge as standard, which plugs straight in; and because it is a Rega deck, the earth connection runs through the phono lead itself, so there is no separate ground wire to attach. A Pro-Ject or Technics deck partners equally well through the same input.

For digital, the Brio Mk7’s own DAC gives you a choice. We suggest the Bluesound Node, which runs BluOS with Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and internet radio: connect it by RCA to a line input and the Node’s ESS Sabre converter does the work, or by coaxial or optical and the Rega’s DAC does it instead. Both routes are worth trying, since the two converters have different characters. The Node’s HDMI eARC port also lets a television join the system.

On cabling, use a well-made speaker cable of appropriate gauge for the run; AudioQuest and Chord are the cable brands we stock.

Who shouldn’t buy it

If your budget is tighter and you have no need for digital inputs, the io offers the same phono stage and much of the same character with 30 watts and no DAC. If your room is large or your speakers demanding, the Elex Mk4 steps up in power and uses a more sophisticated discrete output stage for its DAC. And if you run a low-output moving-coil cartridge, the phono stage here is moving-magnet only, so an external moving-coil phono stage would be needed.

The Brio Mk7 is compact but runs warm, so give it air above and around it; it has a thermal cut-out as a safeguard. For vinyl, connect the Planar 3 to the phono input; as a Rega turntable it earths through the phono lead, so the grounding post is only needed for decks with a separate earth wire. For streaming, decide which converter to use: RCA into a line input for the Node’s DAC, or coaxial or optical for the Rega’s. Place the Mission 750 on stands, ideally Mission’s own, and away from the rear wall, as the port fires backwards; rubber feet are supplied. The amplifier enters standby after about an hour without a signal, which can catch people out until they expect it.