Peachtree Nova 150 vs Rega Brio Integrated amplifier comparison

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0:00 Intro to amps
1:40 Output level matching
3:03 Feature comparison
6:03 Subjective sound comparisons
10:30 Conclusions

[guyb]

I see Bill Frisell's Valentine album in the background - this makes you a very legit audiophile in my books! great honest reviews!

[JuanLega]

I heard a Rega Brio Amp with the new paradigm series speakers a couple of weeks back and I was pretty shocked how good that little Amp sounded. It was unexpected.

[dsartain]

Great balanced review and have just subscribed. The Brio sounds like a real giant killer. I’m booking a demo.

[dennistrousers]

Useful comparing different priced products for if you're thinking of trading up. I have the Rega Brio and was looking at the Peachtree but I might just get another Dac for now, thanks!

[edwalmsley]

Very good details in your review. Thanks man. Thinking of getting the Brio and more certain of the choice now. Thanks again!

[humanitech]

I had a Peachtree Nova for a while...and although it was a very neat and stylish "all in one" design ... I found it sounded too thin for my tastes..and the dac and class d poweramp were the weakest links. The preamp stage was reasonable when used with a separate power amp though... but still not good enough to keep. So I fully agree with you... separates are a great way to go.

but strangely I demo-ed and playing around with different types of amps (for my primarily digital streaming/file playback System) I found that one of the most noticeable (key) components for me was having a valve preamp?!! (I also tried valve integrated and power amps too, but the cost replacing and tube rolling power valves was not viable, nor the heat lol)) but tube preamps are great for digital sourced music. Not sure if you have tried any yet but highly recommend it

[raymoore]

Ended up getting the Brio, love it. Would Wharfdale Linton, Denefrips Ares 2 be too much warmth? Or should I pair with less warm speaker and dac.

[existentialquest]

You need to make video on level matching on how to create a level playing field.. I am new to this hobby and would be great to understand

[MINECRAFTandSEB]

Hey, I know this was three years ago but if you are still around i have a question. I am a bit tired of warm sounding full bodied amps, I have a Kenwood M1 and C1, I tried a newer amp (low budg) the Cambridge Audio Topaz SR10 and it somehow sounds very similar to the Kenwood stack lol. I have a separate phono stage and SMSL Dac, I just need a good preamp/amp.
I am considering the Peachtree as I heard some demos on youtube and the soundstage it provides is incredible. I have other choices, the Rega Brio is one of them, about the same cost. I could also go with a Simaudio 220i (its just a bit old maybe). I listen both in nearfield and 2-3m away from bookshelf speakers. The full bodied sound has gotten annoying at nearfield. The speakers btw are Audio Physics Yara 2 compacts. Do you think the Peachtree would be interesting to me or do you think I will miss the full bodied warm sound? An example of when this happened to me, I switched from vintage AKG headphones to new AKG K712s, and at first i hated the 712's as the sound seemed to far from my ears and there was no punch in the bass and the guitars sounded so far and not loud, but now I much much prefer the 712s after getting used to them and find the vintage ones very muddy with barely any detail or instrument separation.

[mattmarceau]

I’ve really enjoyed these videos. Huge Rega fan and would love your take on the higher end models down the road.

So I’ve had the Brio go against a Hegel H90/95, Musical Fidelity M5si, Purifi class D, Denon PMA-1600, Rotel A11 Tribute and even the Elex-R.

I’ve found the Rotel to get closest, in some ways even better with slightly too much mid range emphasis, but with a fuse upgrade, the Brio is better than anything I’ve heard at twice the price.

The Elex-R was a lot of fun out of the gate, but eventually it mellowed out and I found it similar to the 2017 Brio. I did find the tone of the Brio slightly better.

This amp is that good.

[analogholic_reviews]

I saw comment about the ground screw on Rega, but I accidently removed it. Sorry groggy morning here. The ground screw on the Brio is on the bottom of chassis.

[raymoore]

Are you going to keep the Nova ? I have a Nova150 and your review makes me want to get something with a warmer fuller presentation.

[michaelvincent]

For the money the rega takes some beating you would have to double your budget to better it great review

[VinodKumar-gxwj]

Do you have experience in integrated amplifier AudioLab 6000A? If so how does it compare with Rega Brio?

[marksobotkin]

Great reviews. I'm looking for an integrated amp for my bedroom that will be used mostly for movies and streaming from a dac with a pair of $1, 200 90db per watt bookshelf speakers and a powered sub. Would I notice a difference between the io and the brio at normal volumes?

[markswinford]

How do either one of these -- sound wise -- compare with the vintage receiver -- sound wise -- shown in the background, when playing vinyl?

[ynnadk]

What DAC would you recommend for the Rega?

[Tendervittle]

I have nova 150 w/Kef r-3 and triangle genese trio. I find it too polite also

[laardvarkzilllions]

Is the mofi studiophono better than the onboard phono stage in the nova150?

[bienramos]

How about rega elexR ..i think they have the same price..