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June 20, 2007 - 8:57am
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Amp for Rega P1 table and Epos 3 speakers
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Welcome Chris. Thanks for joining the forum. It's nice to see you here, and congratulations on rekindling your love for vinyl.
You've already made a couple of great buys. Are there any amps you already have in mind? I'm sure you'll get a few great recommendations for an amp (and probably for a few other things, too!) here.
One amp I am considering is the Rega Brio 3, which I have read great things about. But because my primary listening on this system will be vinyl, I fear that the built in phono stage may be an afterthought, and that I might be better off with a phono pre amp. I also fear that the Brio 3 might be too much amp for this modest set up.
Thanks for the welcome, Stephen. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Your preliminary choice of the Rega Brio is a fine one relative to your planned use and your other components. "Too much amp...." is never a problem. Forget that. As for the included phono pre being an afterthought, the Rega brand is above that. On the other hand, no matter what price level of integrated amp you consider, the included phono pre can almost always be bettered by a fine quality dedicated phono pre.
There are certainly other integrateds which deserve consideration, but you've got a very good one in your sights and if you have a good brick and morter dealer who'll allow an audition with your other gear and in your office, go with it. Chances are you'll like what you hear.
If you haven't done so already, you might want to check out Erik B's posts on the Brio. After researching the market for several months, he recently took delivery on a Brio and is delighted with its performance in a set up not significantly different from the one you contemplate.
Best of luck, and keep us advised.
Fantastic! Thanks for your response. I just noticed that Erik B had another thread praising the Brio 3, and I asked him a similar question.
Chris,
Welcome!
As Stephen and Clay have commented, you've already made some good choices.
I have heard the Brio 3 and P1 and they are a great combination. The Epos 3 are also most impressive. If you're interested in an external phono pre-amp check out the Music Hall A25.2, along with the MH pre-amp (www.musichallaudio.com). I have this very same set-up, with the Epos 303s...marvelous sound.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Mike
Thanks Mike.
Does anyone have an opinion on the Cambridge Audio Azur 340A paired with the 540P Phono Pre Amp? I live in a wasteland of big box stores without much of an opportunity to demo.
Thanks again.
I haven't heard the 340A/540P, but I've listened to the NAD C325BEE/PP-2 extensively and they're always a pleasing pair.
Take a look at MusicDirect. They're one of the excellent on-line dealers who'll offer you a good selection, good advice, and a return policy which allows up to a 30 day in-home demo. I've spent a significant amount of money with them over the years on equipment and music and have never had anything but a good experience. Stay away from those box stores, they're evil.
I just wanted to update everyone on my progress.
I received my Rega P1 and Epos ELS-3 speakers. I connected both to my old JVC receiver that has a phono amp built in. The Rega and Epos replaced an old JVC turntable and cheapie Yahama bookshelfs, respectively. I am please to report that, even with my old JVC receiver the sound improvement was nothing short of amazing! I was instantly hearing things in my albums that I simply had not heard before - either on the albums themselves or in the digital versions on my computer. The high quality of the Rega and new speakers highlighted the shortfalls in my old receiver - I can hear that these new items are brimming with more potential.
SO, based on everyone's recommendations, I got in touch with Walter at Underwood HiFi and he is sending me a Music Hall A.25 Integrated Amp and the MMF Music Hall Phono-Pack (I think it was Mike that has this pair). I will update further once these new components arrive.
Awesome. Glad to hear it!
Excellent!
Correct you are, Chris. Do keep us posted, I guarantee you'll be most satisfied.
If you find yourself wanting for more bass the Epos ELS SUB with the Epos ELS-3s is outstanding. I listened to them a couple of weeks ago in Minneapolis. Probably a bit more than needed in a small room, but really fleshes out the sound not lacking.
I'm probably chiming in a bit late here. But if you don't like the gear you're currently trying out, you might consider moving up to a Creek SE5350 integrated. It's a bit expensive for your set-up maybe, but you can get discounts on demo models on Audio Advisor.com That's how I got mine. The phono preamp module is quite good for an entry level vinyl system and only adds another $150 or so to the price. It's also a killer headphone amp. So for me this was a good buy because I didn't have to get a separate phono pre or a separate headphone amp. There must be some economy of scale when you don't have to build another power supply and chassis for each component.