A REGA AND SONUS FABER VINYL BASED SYSTEM: SOULFUL SYMMETRY

Happily, the vinyl revival is showing no sign of ever abating. With this in mind, I thought I would compose a blog featuring a turntable based system. The most important part of a Hi-Fi is the source; we all know the adage of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ and this is particularly true of vinyl based systems, where the quality of the engineering of the turntable is vital: With this in mind I chose the superb Rega Planar 3 (with ND3 cartridge) as the front end.

rega Planar 3 (Nd3)

Rega Planar 3

Launched in April 1976 (Led Zeppelin were riding high in the album charts with ‘Presence’), the Planar 3, whist not being the very first Rega turntable, certainly went on to become the most iconic. It has gone through numerous revisions over the decades, being constantly revisited and improved upon, using modern engineering and best practices. Rega are advocates that low mass and high rigidity are fundamental for exceptional performance. With this in mind, the plinth has a low mass rigid core, with skeleton bracing supporting the bearing and arm. The RB 330 tonearm represents forty years of experience and know how. A 24v low torque asynchronous motor drives a thick glass platter, for low noise and good speed stability (there is an option of an external Neo PSU for even better speed control). The latest ND3 cartridge comes pre fitted. It costs the same as the outgoing Elys but actually outperforms not only the Elys, but also the more expensive outgoing Exact. A dust cover is provided. Set up is a doddle and if you know what you are doing it will only take a few minutes. If you don’t, we will be happy to do it for you.

Sound

The Planar 3 exhibits a smooth sonic signature and neutral tonality. Vocals are silky and soulful. Bass is full and deep, with a touch of upper bass warmth. There is a reason why the Planar 3 is considered the gold standard of all sub £1000 turntables.

Rega Brio Mk7

Rega brio mk7

The amplifier chosen was the latest generation of the Rega Brio, the mk7. It represents a complete reworking over the previous model Brio. The circuitry has been improved in every aspect for lower noise and improved performance. For the first time the Brio incorporates a DAC (Wolfson) with optical and coaxial inputs. A high quality headphone output is also provided. The circuitry of a phono stage is very different to that of a line level. It goes without saying that, with their long history of turntable production, the moving magnet inputs fitted to Rega amplifiers have always been excellent. Indeed the moving magnet input is not only superb, but is also superior to that of its predecessor. Power is 50 wpc into 8 ohms, plenty for most expected applications.

brio rear

Sound

Like the Planar 3, it is also tonally even. Bass extension is both low and taut. The presentation is solid and punchy. The Brio is a musical and engaging amplifier and very enjoyable to spend many hours of time listening to. I didn’t have an example of the previous Brio to compare it to, but my impression is that the Mk7 is both a touch more dynamic and also more insightful.

Sonus Faber Lumina II

lumina II

Whilst Rega is a British company, manufactured in England, Sonus Faber are Italian and have that gorgeous Italian styling that we have now come to expect: The cabinets are wrapped in leather and have a glorious polished wood front baffle. Build quality is excellent. The gateway to high performance, the Lumina II is a compact two way stand mount loudspeaker. It sits between the diminutive Lumina I and the floor standing Lumina III. High frequencies are handled by a 29mm soft dome tweeter, damped apex dome sits in front of the assembly, reducing breakup and distortion. Midrange and bass are covered by a 150mm doped paper driver. There is a front mounted port neatly integrated into the plinth. The speakers sport a figure of 86dB sensitivity and 4 ohm impedance and as a result they do require a suitably capable amplifier.

Sound

The Luminas pose excellent sound staging, with the cabinets seemingly disappearing during playback. They possess a believable sense of weight and scale. The treble is detailed but non fatiguing.

System synergy

Our system was cabled using Chord Shawline X speaker cable, the Sonus Fabers sit on Atacama Moseco 6 speaker stands. The result is a combination that exhibits both tonal realism and richness and is capable of unpicking complex recordings. They possess a musical performance that is both propulsive and unfatiguing. A truly enjoyable long term listening experience.

If you would like to experience what Rega and Sonus Faber can achieve, Andy and I would be delighted to set up a demonstration for you in our showroom. Feel free to bring along your favourite albums — this system deserves to be heard with tracks you love.

Thanks for reading — we look forward to welcoming you soon.

Jon and Andy - Audio T Swindon

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to contact us.

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Rega can be found at the following Audio T stores - Sonus Faber is exclusive to Swindon