Rega Brio or...?

So, curiosity got the best of me, and I ordered a Brio.  I have had it for a couple of days, and I have to say I'm very impressed.  It's got an engaging sound that really doesn't do anything wrong.  Perhaps the best thing that I can say about it is that I started pulling out records and CDs that I hadn't listened to in a long time because I was enjoying the music so much.  

I have it paired with some speakers that are also breaking in, so there will probably be some subtle changes, but definitely a thumbs up from me at this point!
 

@smrex13 - congratulations on the new Rega Brio and speakers. I have not heard the new Brio myself, but people I trust have told me it is a very enjoyable unit. I have the Rega Elicit-R integrated amp and the Rega Saturn-R CD Player/Transport/DC and I find them to be very good products. I've owned more expensive separates and more a couple of other similarly priced integrated amps and CD players and I've found that I prefer the Rega Sound. Driving my vintage Infinity RS 1.5 speakers, I don't think I've ever enjoyed music listening more than I do through this setup.

Enjoy your new setup and reply back to the thread in a couple of weeks once your feel break-in is complete.

@reubent - Thanks.  I've wondered how the Elicit-R and Elex-R sound.  A couple of reviews called them 'bright' and suggested pairing them carefully with speakers.  However, another review suggested the Elicit-R was warm.  My guess is they are transparent and the reviewers are hearing the rest of their system.

I'm actually auditioning the Brio along with two different sets of speakers - the Wharfedale Reva 2 and the B&W CM5 (used), so there are a lot of moving parts in the evaluation process.  However, it's pretty clear that the Brio sounds great and drives either pair of speakers well.  As you said - it's just enjoyable to listen to music through the Rega.  

Will post my thoughts in a couple of weeks.  Best, Scott  

It's still sounding great - will give a more thorough review in a week or two.  Just a couple of operational/functional notes that prospective buyers may want to be aware of:

1.  The speaker terminals on the back of the amp are very difficult to get to, as they are close together and somewhat recessed.  I don't think that spades would work.  Bananas or bare wire are your best bet.  

2.  The ground lug for the turntable is on the underside of the unit, and it's a fair distance from the RCA jack for the phono input.  If you have a phono cable with an captive ground wire, you may end up with a fair amount of tension on the phono cable/ground wire.

3.  The power cord jack is right next to the speaker binding posts.  My power cable (an Anti-Cable level 3) sits snugly against the binding posts.  If my power cable's connector were any larger, I wouldn't be able to use it.

I guess these are the compromises that have to made to provide a small footprint amp like the Brio.  Will follow up with listening impressions later.

I have a Rega DAC.  It died just after the warranty expired.  Paid $1000-plus to have it repaired/upgraded.  Got a year warranty on the work.  15 months later, one channel died.  It's now in storage.

I shall never set foot near a Rega anything again.