new amp

hibster

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in the market for a new amplifier to be used for records only, we have stero & av system set up in the same room

currently running a rega planar 3 with neo ps into mission cyrus 2 (last version) with psx, latest ma bronze floorstanders
av has a marantz nr1711, ma bronze centre/stand mount rears with l&r fronts connected to both amps using a beresford splitter
works fine though the other half would prefer a less complicated set up

had settled on auditioning a rega brio as liked the idea of an all british vinyl system but then wondering about removing the beresford & the extra cables to simplify things & had initially thought only option was an amp with HT bypass (eg audiolab 6000a) but this article suggests i can use the pre out from the marantz to connect it to any stereo amp (with a bit of volume matching)

so question is can the brio be used with the pre out & is it a lot of faff to do so, or am i better off looking at an amp with ht bypass?
has anyone done this?

budget around £600 but could go higher if made significant improvement

listen to a range of music from ambient to guitar based rock
 
A HT capable amps makes it a lot easier. Pre-outs to the dedicated input on some amps, others require an onboard assignment. Which ever is the option then the volume is controlled by the Marantz. With the Brio you would have to use a line-in RCA and select the input from the remote and then you'll have the balancing act.

I'm a big fan of Rega being an Elicit-R owner and use that amp alongside my Denon X6500. Because the Elicit is HT capable it is so simple to set up and use. Unfortunately the Elicit is the first amp in Rega's line up to have HT by-pass on board and is a significant budget buster.

Personally I would continue to use the Beresford or go for that Audiolab. I think @Jester1066 uses one alongside his Denon AV amp.
 
rega elicit-r if your only playing records sounds great with a p3.
 
If using a non HT bypass amp with the pre-outs then ideally it should have a numeric volume readout so you can set it to the same volume every time you want to use it in the AV system (the volume is the one used when you rerun any room eq system/volume matching system the AVR has).

However the speaker switcher is a lot easier to us with a non HT Bypass amp but not as neat.

If you are happy with the non H bypass setup andcan squeeze the budget then upgrading fromt eh Brio to the Elex-R is worth it -

Second Hand - Rega Elex-R Integrated Amplifier with three months warranty | eBay
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
thanks for the answers so far - do want to listen before i buy
will see if can persuade dealer to bring both the rega & the audiolab to see if there's a winner there on sound

though if the elex-r had ht bypass then would do that buy it now link with no audition!
 
I use a Yamaha AS2100 with built in phono stage with Rega p3 and neo......it’s brilliant.

Oh and it has VU meters.....they may be pointless, but still very cool. 🤣
 
Personally I would continue to use the Beresford or go for that Audiolab. I think @Jester1066 uses one alongside his Denon AV amp.
Thanks @gibbsy- just saw the tag mate 👍🏼

@hibster I have the set-up described and it works flawlessly. Afaik, the Audiolab 6000A is the cheapest integrated amp with HT bypass if buying new (£599 RRP). is available in black or silver, has a built in phono stage (I can't comment on how good this is, because the only vinyl I have is on my kitchen floor! 😂). It does have a very good Sabre based built in DAC, along with some analogue inputs.

Setup is as has been mentioned easy. Just run a some RCA cables from the Audiolabs "Power-in's" to the front Pre-outs of your AVR.

Connect all your stereo sources directly to the Audiolab, along with your front speakers. It's then just a question of selecting the "mode" of the Audiolab, depending on use, as follows:

Mode
Integrated Select and this and the appropriate source (using the source dial), when wanting to use any of your stereo sources (turntable etc). The volume level is controlled directly by the 6000A. The AV amp doesn't even need to be powered on.

Pre-Power Select this mode when using watching movies. This mode essentially turns the 6000A into a power amp for your front speakers. All processing and volume levels are controlled by your AV amp. The volume on the Audiolab is bypassed and has no effect.

Everything mode & source selection wise can be controlled by both the 6000A's remote and front panel buttons. The 6000A also remembers the last mode selected prior to being switched off/into standby. This makes it particularly easy for my OH. I normally leave mine set to "Pre-power" after I've finished listening in stereo. Then she only has to switch on the AVR if she or the kids want to watch TV. The Audiolab also has 12v trigger, so will power on and off via the Denon if connected via the AVR's trigger out.

It's so "easy" even my technophobe OH, who quote: "Just wants stuff to work" can happily switch modes between stereo use and HT. It's by far the best £599 upgrade I've done. The 6000A is also built like a tank!


Highly recommend a home trial if possible. Happy to answer any questions too, as a current owner of this very underrated amp imo 😊
 
Last edited:
Thanks @gibbsy- just saw the tag mate 👍🏼

@hibster I have the set-up described and it works flawlessly. Afaik, the Audiolab 6000A is the cheapest integrated amp with HT bypass if buying new (£599 RRP). is available in black or silver, has a built in phono stage (I can't comment on how good this is, because the only vinyl I have is on my kitchen floor! 😂). It does have a very good Sabre based built in DAC, along with some analogue inputs.

Setup is as has been mentioned easy. Just run a some RCA cables from the Audiolabs "Power-in's" to the front Pre-outs of your AVR.

Connect all your stereo sources directly to the Audiolab, along with your front speakers. It's then just a question of selecting the "mode" of the Audiolab, depending on use, as follows:

Mode
Integrated Select and this and the appropriate source (using the source dial), when wanting to use any of your stereo sources (turntable etc). The volume level is controlled directly by the 6000A. The AV amp doesn't even need to be powered on.

Pre-Power Select this mode when using watching movies. This mode essentially turns the 6000A into a power amp for your front speakers. All processing and volume levels are controlled by your AV amp. The volume on the Audiolab is bypassed and has no effect.

Everything mode & source selection wise can be controlled by both the 6000A's remote and front panel buttons. The 6000A also remembers the last mode selected prior to being switched off/into standby. This makes it particularly easy for my OH. I normally leave mine set to "Pre-power" after I've finished listening in stereo. Then she only has to switch on the AVR if she or the kids want to watch TV. The Audiolab also has 12v trigger, so will power on and off via the Denon if connected via the AVR's trigger out.

It's so "easy" even my technophobe OH, who quote: "Just wants stuff to work" can happily switch modes between stereo use and HT. It's by far the best £599 upgrade I've done. The 6000A is also built like a tank!


Highly recommend a home trial if possible. Happy to answer any questions too, as a current owner of this very underrated amp imo 😊
thanks for the detailed response Jester - things like this are what make these places so good - you with the details, Gibbsy for remembering you had one in the first place, andy, ugg & daddy with the alternatives
 
thanks for the detailed response Jester - things like this are what make these places so good - you with the details, Gibbsy for remembering you had one in the first place, andy, ugg & daddy with the alternatives
You're welcome mate. As I said I think the Audiolab is very much underrated. It's a very capable all-rounder that is exceptional value.

I've got mine paired with some Monitor Audio Silver 100's 5th Gen. Prior to this, it was used with MA Bronze 5's floorstanders (the previous gen to yours!). So I can confirm that the amps does indeed pair well with MA speakers. It may "only be 50wpc" but that 50 watts is delivered in a controlled manner. I barely have the volume above -20-25dB for normal stereo listening, in a 4.5m x 3m room! Sitting around 3m from the speakers!
 

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