Signature Rega sound in a highly accessible package
View online review whf.cm/io
While Rega used to make a high-end DAC called ‘io’, the naming of this amplifier is almost certainly a nod to the familial link with its big brother, the excellent Rega Brio. It’s not far off half its price or half its performance – and so, quite reasonably, it has half its name.
The 30W-per-channel, entry-level io can be purchased individually, or as part of Rega’s System One all-in-one proposition with the Planar 1 turntable and Kyte speakers. It echoes the power amplifier and phono-stage circuits from its Award-winning elder sibling, and that goes a long way to explain the pleasing sonic resemblance between the two.
Analogue only
To pack such a performance into this price point, Rega has, as with most of its amplifiers, stuck with analogue-only connections here. Despite the digital friendliness of the Marantz, analogue-only is common at this end of the market. The io sports two line-level inputs (two fewer than the Brio) and an MM phono input, so you can hook up a turntable as well as a couple of components such as a CD player and streamer.
A 3.5mm headphone jack completes the io’s fairly modest connectivity list. It sits on the front panel alongside a volume dial and a small plastic button that cycles through the inputs. The amp’s plastic front panel gives it a pretty unremarkable aesthetic. In this respect, Rega certainly isn’t trying to hide the fact that most of its efforts have gone into the performance.
The compact, half-width aluminium chassis feels well built – the same goes for the satisfyingly simple remote control – and its low-key design should suit some hi-fi traditionalists.
Agility, detail and fun
The discrepancies between Rega’s two half-width boxes in terms of physical size and decorative refinement is more or less mirrored in their sonic differences.
The Brio (£549) is a bigger-sounding component with a more polished presentation; it injects more space between strands of music and conveys them with notably greater detail and dynamic precision. It does what it should to justify its extra spend over the io, keeping it relevant in Rega’s line-up between the io and Elex Mk4 (£1199).
But Rega’s consistency with components and their implementation makes the io instantly recognisable as a descendant of the Brio. In fact, we could repeat the very same words we used in our Brio review, including “incredible sense of rhythm, punchy dynamics; agility, detail and fun”.
Play Drake’s Money In The Grave ft. Rick Ros
