Welcome to the Solid State Audio website
Your n°1 source for high-end audio equipment, cables and loudspeaker systems.
Welcome to the Solid State Audio website Your n°1 source for high-end audio equipment, cables and loudspeaker systems. |
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A reasonably normal childhood was spent building electric guitars, flying model aeroplanes, playing the clarinet and breeding budgies. At fourteen, Roy's mum asked him if he wanted a television or a record player in the house. Roy begged for a record player. His mum bought a telly! At eighteen years Roy built his first pair of loudspeakers in perfectly sealed cabinets. Not the first Rega product, but Roy was on his way. His interest in hi-fi evolved from a passion for music. 'Bliss' in those days was a live concert, a folk club, or any kind of record player. Then a flat mate demonstrated his hi-fi system: Garrard SP25 turntable, Sonotone 9TA cartridge, Rogers HG88 amplifier and Wharfedale speakers. Roy realised his record player had room for improvement.A Colaro deck turned up on a rubbish dump and after much adaptation became Roy's first hi-fi record deck. When a friend gave him an old Connoisseur the Collaro went back to the rubbish dump, and the modification began again. This turntable was reviewed in hi-fi Sound in 1972, as part of a series called Casebook, which examined readers hi-fi systems. In the early seventies the turntable was seen as such an unimportant part of the system that the reviewer assumed the excellent results must be due to the speakers. These were impossible to miss huge concrete affairs housing Super 8 drive units - but could hardly account for the sound quality of the whole system. The reviewer was puzzled.Roy was now working for Ford as a technical editor but spent most of his free time installing friend's hi-fi equipment and building loudspeakers to sell. He became a part time retailer and found he had to spend a ridiculous amount of time repairing new turntables before his conscience and common sense would allow him to sell them to others! Out of frustration and a strong feeling he could do better, the Planet turntable was born. Roy and a partner registered "Rega" (Tony RElph, Roy GAndy). In 1973 and for a couple of years Roy stayed at ford and made turntables in the evening, helped by his partners: mum (who agreed to help out for two weeks and stayed for fifteen years!) and a succession of lads. The first turntables were sold through Cosmocord in the UK and a year later under the Rega name in West Germany, Denmark and France.Roy was now able to leave Ford; he collected a redundancy check and promptly blew it on a factory in Rochford. Soon after the partner with Tony Relph split, Roy swapping his share of Rega. Terry Davies joined as Rega's financial administrator.The Rega products shown on our website are only a small selection of what's available, if you are interested in a Rega product other than those shown on our website: Mail Us |
© 2004-2012 Solid State Audio |
Rega Brio-R |
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Rega Brio-R - integrated amplifierThe Brio-R embodies all the necessary ingredients. Substantial toroidal transformer, generous power supply components, rugged output stage, the use of film capacitors in the signal path and at all critical positions within the phono amplifier.
Developed by our engineers a newly designed output amplifier using a low source impedance emitter follower Class A driver stage. Based around a complementary pair of 150w Sanken Darlington output transistors, this combination forms a complementary emitter follower emulating Class A conditions with good thermal stability and lower standing currents in the driver stage. Remote control has been added to the Brio-R without compromising the sonic design of the amplifier. This was achieved by keeping the remote circuit separate to the audio circuit and having its own dedicated power supply. There is no direct contact between the micro-controller and the signal path, the micro-controller controls the relays whilst the volume control motor uses DC control voltages. The Brio-R utilises the highest quality components and our engineers' experience to achieve the best sonic performance. Ensuring it is the most advanced and feature packed Brio to date. During the Brio-R design process Rega reviewed the circuit and improved the low and high current power supplies, coupling and bypass capacitors. The phono stage has been improved to reflect the current improvements in the Rega Planar turntables, where the input sensitivity has been increased along with a revision of the sub 100Hz part of the phono frequency response. Housed in a brand new custom case the Brio-R draws on the pedigree of the previous three incarnations of this model. The sonic recipe for the Brio-R embodies the best in traditional audio circuits with excellent engineering practice.
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Rega Elicit Line |
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Rega Elicit Line - integrated amplifier (without phono module)The New Elicit Amplifier is a high performance audio amplifier using the Rega Alpha-Encoder control system, comprising of a digitally controlled analog switched resistor network volume control, with a class A discrete low noise FET line amplifier. The signal switching is routed by high quality loss-less relays. High quality Evox and ICEL film capacitors have been used in sonically critical signal path positions throughout.The power amplifier is of a fully symmetrical design using advanced Sanken Darlington power transistors. The power supply uses a generously rated toridal transformer assembled using highest quality core material. Finally the Elicit is housed in the enhanced Rega custom-built extruded aluminum case incorporating three high thermal efficiency heat sinks. Rega has kept the same level of performance and synergy between stages as in the original Elicit amplifier but with a better level of functionality in the volume control and user interface.The Elicit is an 80-Watt integrated amplifier, which can be the heart of a traditional two-channel system, or integrated into a multi channel system where no compromise two-channel performance is required. The Elicit has a direct input feeding the power amplifier, which for example, can be a signal from a multi channel processor etc; and a pre-amplifier output, which enables the amplifier to be expanded to drive Bi-amplifier(s) or active or multiple speaker systems, for example, subs bass etc. The gain of the power amplifier is 28dB for full output, which makes it compatible with a wide variety of other power amplifiers. The amplifier is fully short circuit and DC protected.
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Rega Elicit Phono |
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Rega Elicit Phono MM or MC - integrated amplifier (with MM or MC phono module)The New Elicit Amplifier is a high performance audio amplifier using the Rega Alpha-Encoder control system, comprising of a digitally controlled analog switched resistor network volume control, with a class A discrete low noise FET line amplifier. The signal switching is routed by high quality loss-less relays. High quality Evox and ICEL film capacitors have been used in sonically critical signal path positions throughout.The power amplifier is of a fully symmetrical design using advanced Sanken Darlington power transistors. The power supply uses a generously rated toridal transformer assembled using highest quality core material. Finally the Elicit is housed in the enhanced Rega custom-built extruded aluminum case incorporating three high thermal efficiency heat sinks. Rega has kept the same level of performance and synergy between stages as in the original Elicit amplifier but with a better level of functionality in the volume control and user interface.The Elicit is an 80-Watt integrated amplifier, which can be the heart of a traditional two-channel system, or integrated into a multi channel system where no compromise two-channel performance is required. The Elicit has a direct input feeding the power amplifier, which for example, can be a signal from a multi channel processor etc; and a pre-amplifier output, which enables the amplifier to be expanded to drive Bi-amplifier(s) or active or multiple speaker systems, for example, subs bass etc. The gain of the power amplifier is 28dB for full output, which makes it compatible with a wide variety of other power amplifiers. The amplifier is fully short circuit and DC protected.
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Rega IOS |
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Rega Ios Phono MC - pre amplifier (with MC phono module)The concept of the Rega IOS MC stage was born during development work performed on the microphone amplifier used during the recording of Christine Collisters ‘Love’ album. The IOS is a ‘dual mono’ discrete symmetrical pre-amplifier using a high performance transformer input stage. It has been primarily designed to match the Apheta, but with its selectable loading and gain it will easily match any other cartridge. The IOS combines the organic low noise ‘gain’ properties of the transformer and low noise high bandwidth discrete transistor circuitry. Housed in the Rega extruded aluminium case and fitted with full metal front panel it maybe our most complete product to date. The function of a phono pre amplifier is to match the output from a pick up cartridge to the input of a line level amplifier. It is required to amplify the very low signals produced by the cartridge and also to equalise the in accordance with RIAA record cutting standard. Rega believes that moving coil and moving magnet cartridges require different types of phono pre amplifiers to achieve optimum performance. The Ios is therefore dedicated to moving coil cartridges and avoids compromises. We have avoided including any superfluous gadgets as they obstruct the signal path and degrade the sound quality. The Rega Ios is a four stage all symmetrical amplifier. To provide optimum performance it is dedicated to amplifying the very low level signals that are generated by moving coil cartridges. The first stage uses a 1:10 step-up transformer, which can be optimised to the cartridge by the selection of the correct loading and zobel DC resistance correction network connected across the MC transformer secondary. The second stage is symmetrical compound pair class A amplifier, using paralleled low noise Hitachi transistors in the input stage. This drives the passive high frequency part of the RIAA equalisation stage. The third stage is a symmetrical class A differential amplifier with a common base driver stage; this is also used as the active amplifier in the low frequency part of the RIAA equalisation stage. The fourth stage is the active filter, this configuration uses the same circuit as found in the second stage. The filter element uses a very high bandwidth operational amplifier gyrator as the simulated inductance part of the tuned filter. The power supply is a using fast diodes and a low noise voltage reference. Each stage has it’s own localised power supply, and LED referenced current generators. Very high quality, polyproplene capacitors have been used in the signal path. 1% tolerance polypropylene capacitors are used in the RIAA EQ stages and audio grade capacitors are used in the rest of the circuit.
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Rega Osiris |
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Rega Osiris integrated amplifierThe Osiris is the culmination of Rega engineers 32 years experience in solid-state amplifier development. A no compromise audio amplifier using state of the art surface mount technology and a fully symmetrical circuit. A super high performance, 162 Watts into 8 Ohms (250 Watt 4 Ohms) dual mono amplifier housed in a custom Rega CNC machined aluminium case with high thermal efficiency heat sinks. Designed around "minimalist" high gain power amplifier and "passive pre-amplifier" circuit topology, a passive volume control and a single stage of power amplification between the input and the speakers the Osiris offers unrivalled performance and build quality.The Osiris uses a low distortion high linearity and bandwidth common base voltage amplifier driver stage. This type of symmetrical circuit topology will provide the necessary voltage swings to enable the Osiris to drive any speaker system with the minimum of distortion. Eight Sanken 200 Watt output transistors are used in a "triple" high current output stage enabling the Osiris to drive even the most awkward of speaker systems with ease.The cascoded differential input amplifier uses two low noise LED referenced current generators. The open & closed loop feedback levels and gain bandwidth product components are optimised to give a tight and controlled sound stage, especially at the low frequency end of the audio range. Nichicon audio grade capacitors are used in bypass and decoupling positions. Electrolytic capacitors have been bypassed with polyester capacitors where necessary improving on the HF performance. Low inductance film SM power resistors are used in the output stage.
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