Conclusion
Contents
The stoic way in which the Elicit plays is special, but relaxed it certainly ain’t.
The DAC in the amplifier is good. Taking the price of the total package in mind, it is objectively more than good. However, pairing it with a slightly better DAC shows what performance the amplifier can achieve. A DAC that sounds a bit darker will help to tone down the sharpness in the Rega’s sound. A carefully chosen combination of DAC and speakers can elevate the Elicit to unexpected performance, it is an amplifier out of category, but only if the whole reproduction chain is precisely balanced. The margin for finding that balance is narrow, but not impossible. Most of all, it will take a lot of time to find it.
Rega seems to have a penchant for analog sounds. With classical music, the Elicit feels right at home. The layering of the sounds, the lifelikeness of the instruments, the detail, the ease with which every dynamic is processed, it is impressive.
Even in the analog recordings and mixes from the 1970s in the rock and pop playlist, the tracks are brought to life. The transparency that works for classical music works against it in many modern pop, rock or folk recordings.
Conclusion
Rega has made an amplifier that hits the ball out of the stadium. Is it all cheer then? The Elicit is quite compelling. At good moments it is impressive, at bad moments it can become too much. It is definitely not middle of the road, the Elicit's character has to appeal to you.Then again, this Elicit gets Alpha Approved. Why? At this price range, Rega offers exceptional performance.
