Set-up
Contents
The Rega Brio costs twice as much as the NAD 316BEE V2 so we expect something in terms of performance and sound. And the BEE was already very good. We connect the Brio to our Audio vector QR1 monitors. Our Dion Audio NOS dac with Philips TDA 1543 chips we connect via the AES / EBU input balanced to our loyal NAD M50. The latter received an update last week and is by its flexibility a blissful streamer to work with. You can really go in any direction with it and the view is beyond dispute.
Impact
When we add a new element to the set, we immediately hear the differences through our speakers. Usually these are relatively limited but clearly audible. But with the Brio in play, we didn’t know what we were hearing. What’s going on here? The Brio doesn’t feel like playing second violin. He wants to control the sound. Time for further investigation.
Complete
Immediately notice that there is now much more foundation in the lowest regions. We know that the QR1 could use some help in the layer, but we didn’t dare suspect that there was so much margin. Our JVC receiver also adds some ‘oomph’, just like the Arcam SA 10, but not as striking as the Brio.
We literally go from skimmed milk to whole milk in one leap! It’s like the Audio Vectors are now playing on steroids.
Yet the layer remains tight but simply has more impact. Speakers that are intrinsically low enough can get a bit too much, but here it’s delicious.
But that’s not all. The Brio turns out not only to be a muscular powerhouse. He also has a sensitive side. Because on the other side of the spectrum a second surprise awaits us. The turned on high in our Audio Vectors can sometimes bite a little but the Brio is not aggressive. He’s organic and still lets everything through nicely. As far as we are concerned, the timbre of the instruments approaches perfection. They shine literally and figuratively in their skin.
Votes get more panache, drama and emotion. The overall balance leans over to the warmer side of neutral and we are drawn into the music over and over again. We’re really amazed at what this little shoebox is doing. By refining the performance of this amplifier for years at a time, a fine reproduction is obtained. A playback that, with the right speakers, ensures long listening pleasure.