AMPS WITH PHONO STAGES
REGA IO
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whf.cm/io
£379
While Rega used to make a high-end DAC called ‘io’, the naming of its latest 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 (£999). It borrows the power amplifier and phono stage design from its elder sibling and that goes a long way to explain the pleasing sonic resemblance between the two.
The discrepancies between Rega’s two half-width boxes in terms of physical size and decorative refinement is mirrored in their sonic differences.