We've had our first glimpse of Rega's high-end pre/power amps at the Bristol Show

Rega Solis and Rega Mercury pre and power amps

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Rega has unveiled a few world exclusives at this year's Bristol Hi-Fi Show. The British brand always has a surprise or two to show us ahead of the official launch, and this year we are treated to a few new models to delight fans attending the popular consumer event.

Let's kick things off with a new reference Mercury preamplifier and Solis power. We only have a few details at the moment" the Solis power amp boasts 165W per channel, whereas the Mercury has a variety of analogue and digital inputs, including USB type B. There's also a bespoke Rega DAC housed within the Mercury.

This new pre-power combo joins the rest of Rega’s top reference line including the Aura phono stage and the Naia turntable, which we first saw at last year's Bristol Hi-Fi Show. The Naia/Aphelion 2 turntable is a stunning five-star spinner, so here's hoping Rega can bolster its hi-fi stable with the Solis and Mercury.

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Rega Planar 3 in a light oak finish — (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Also on show is the ND7, a moving magnet cartridge due for release later this year. Developed over a period of 10 years, the new ND7 is a new design which teases "next level" performance via a high-performance diamond stylus, neodymium rare earth metal magnet and a glass-filled PPS body. Like most of the company's products, the ND7 is hand-made in Rega's factory in Essex. The ND7 cartridge will cost you £450.

Finally, there's a new turntable finish. Thanks to the popularity of the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition version, Rega has decided to bring out a new light oak effect finish for the standard Planar 3 deck.

It's not finalised yet, but we're told the Mercury and Solis are priced at roughly £6000 each, totalling a pretty substantial £12,000 for the pre-power combination. We'll bring you more confirmed details at the official launch, which is about three or four months away.

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Harry McKerrell is a senior staff writer at What Hi-Fi?. During his time at the publication, he has written countless news stories alongside features, advice and reviews of products ranging from floorstanding speakers and music streamers to over-ear headphones, wireless earbuds and portable DACs. He has covered launches from hi-fi and consumer tech brands, and major industry events including IFA, High End Munich and, of course, the Bristol Hi-Fi Show. When not at work he can be found playing hockey, practising the piano or trying to pet strangers' dogs.