Well here's a surprise: Rega has snuck in a world-first debut at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2025, with the long-awaited update to its Brio stereo amplifier seeing the light of day.
Now in its seventh generation, the new Brio Mk7 has the same 50-watt per channel rating as its five-star predecessor, as well as the all-important moving magnet phono stage.
What's new is the inclusion of a DAC for the first time in the Brio range. While previous generations have remained all-analogue, the advent of the Elicit Mk5 in 2022 and then the Elex Mk4 in 2023 – both of which included DACs – shows not just a nod towards customer demand but also Rega's satisfaction with including digital inputs that don't compromise the overall audio quality nor increase the cost to the customer – a key concern of the brand's.
The new Brio Mk7 has three RCA line level inputs, a MM phono input, and one digital optical and coaxial input apiece. The 3.5mm headphone port returns as well. The Brio remains a half-width design, but is about an inch deeper to accommodate the new DAC section. Rega also says the internal circuitry and signal paths have been rearranged to minimise any interference from the digital side. And there's a bit of cosmetic redesign to follow the visual language of the rest of its amplifier range, too.
A new Brio was top on my wishlist of hi-fi product sequels I want to see revealed this year and I'm delighted I can already cross one off the list so early into 2025. It had also been a good seven years since the last Brio – which is roughly the same amount of time that passed between 2017's Brio and the previous Brio-R – so it was about time for a sequel.
Price? The Brio Mk7 will be yours for £799 when it goes on sale very soon. That's a fair bit pricier than previous Brio models, but the Mk7 slots in between the current entry-level Rega io (£440) and the Elex Mk4 (£1260). Stay tuned for our full review when we get a sample in our test rooms.
MORE:
Read our full 6th-gen Rega Brio review
Check out our guide to the best stereo amplifiers we currently recommend
All the latest audio products and news from Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2025
