Rega’s integrated amplifiers, side by side. Here is the io alongside the two models above it and their specifications, showing what your money buys at each step.

The io is Rega’s smallest and most affordable integrated amplifier, and its argument is a simple one: rather than spread the budget across features, put it into the parts that make sound. So the io borrows its power amplifier and its moving-magnet phono stage directly from the larger, award-winning Brio, and then stops. There is no DAC, no Bluetooth, no network streaming and no display. Three inputs, a volume control and a headphone socket. For a first serious system built around a turntable, or a compact second system, that focus is exactly the point, and it is why the io sounds like a considerably more expensive amplifier than it is.

Brief product overview

A Class A/B integrated amplifier delivering 30 watts per channel into 8 ohms, built around Sanken output transistors, an Alps potentiometer and a linear power supply with Rega’s traditional toroidal transformer. The power amplifier stage and the moving-magnet phono stage are the same as those in the Brio above it. Connectivity is deliberately spare: one moving-magnet phono input with a grounding nut, and two line-level RCA inputs, which between them cover a turntable, a streamer and a CD player. There is a 3.5mm headphone output on the front, driven from the power amplifier stage through relays so that inserting headphones does not degrade the signal path, and a compact remote control that also operates other Rega components. There are no digital inputs of any kind. Rega recommends loudspeakers of 6 to 8 ohms nominal impedance; 4-ohm designs will work, but sustained high levels into that load will make the case run notably hot. The chassis measures 180mm wide and 68mm tall, and it is made in Southend-on-Sea.

How it sounds

The io is lively, detailed and rhythmically direct rather than warm or smoothed over, which is the Rega house character and worth knowing before you buy: if you are looking for a soft, euphonic sound, this is not it. What it does is start and stop notes crisply, resolve fine detail well beyond its price, and drive music along with real momentum. The phono stage is the standout, unsurprisingly given it is the Brio’s, and vinyl through the io sounds substantially better than the amplifier’s price suggests. Thirty watts is modest, and it is enough for speakers of reasonable sensitivity at sensible levels in a small or medium room; a large room, or insensitive speakers played loud, is where the Brio and the models above it earn their extra power. Being Class A/B in a small case, it runs warm in normal use.

What we’d partner it with

For speakers, the io suits compact designs with a friendly impedance. We suggest the Dali Sonik 1, the smallest model in Dali’s new Sonik range, a two-way bookshelf with a 29mm soft dome tweeter and a 5¼-inch wood-fibre Clarity Cone woofer using Dali’s SMC magnet technology, 86dB sensitive with a 6-ohm nominal impedance that sits squarely within Rega’s recommendation. Dali suggests 25 to 100 watts, so the io’s 30 sits at the lower end: the pairing works well in a small or medium room at sensible levels, though a more powerful amplifier would give more headroom. Good alternatives from brands we carry are stand-mounts from Wharfedale, Elac, Mission and Triangle.

For vinyl, the built-in moving-magnet phono stage means a turntable connects directly. We suggest the Rega Planar 1, supplied with the moving-magnet Rega Carbon cartridge, 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 Debut EVO 2 or a Technics deck partners equally well through the same input.

For digital, the io has no converter of its own, so the source supplies it. We suggest the Bluesound Node Nano, which runs BluOS with Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and internet radio, and carries an ESS Sabre DAC feeding the amplifier through its RCA analogue output. A WiiM streamer does the same job.

On cabling, use a well-made speaker cable of appropriate gauge for the run, terminated at the banana sockets or as bare wire; AudioQuest and Chord are the cable brands we stock.

Who shouldn’t buy it

If your room is larger or your speakers less sensitive, the Brio offers 50 watts with the same phono stage and character, and the Elex Mk4 more still. If you want digital inputs, Bluetooth or streaming built into the amplifier, the io has none of them, so plan for an external source. And if you prefer a warm, relaxed presentation, the io’s lively, forward character may not suit; it is worth hearing before committing.

The io is small but runs warm in use, so give it air above and around it and do not stack anything on top. Its rear sockets are closely spaced, so slim RCA plugs and speaker cables make life easier than bulky ones. For vinyl, connect the Planar 1 to the phono input; as a Rega turntable it earths through the phono lead, so the grounding nut is only needed for decks with a separate earth wire. For streaming, connect the Node Nano to a line input using its RCA output, since the io has no digital inputs. Place the Dali Sonik 1 on stands or a shelf, and follow Dali’s guidance of somewhere between 1 and 50cm from the rear wall, since the port fires backwards; the speakers also have an integrated keyhole bracket if you would rather wall-mount them.