New Rega Elicit Integrated - Opinions

Manuals never say to leave on, but some people do, and it is common praactice in the professional audio industry. I first experienced the idea at a sound dealer who left their solid state Mcintosh power amp on all the time. Some feel it actually extends rather than shortens component life just so long as it's a component that won't generate alot of heat at idle. True there is no need to leave on, but amps usually sound better after being on awhile (unlike "break in", the matter of "warm up" is well accepted, amps just sound better warm or hot than from cold, when you turn it on it is cold and will raise temp as it plays). I leave mine on and I use the mute switch when not playing. Anyway you might try leaving it on for 24 hours, then turn off, this will allow the power supply capacitors to fully discharge. Try it a few times over a one week period. After that either leave on or turn on only when in use. Both the matter of component break in and leaving gear on is often debated. Poke around on the net and I'm sure you'll find plenty of opinions. My cd player positively sounds better after being on for a few hours, so rather than wait, I leave it on all the time too.

Thanks for the response. I do know amps sound better when left powered up for a little while. I have never switched off my Plinius amp and leave it on 24 hours a day 7 days a week. That was when I figured out the Plinius needed to be powered up for a long time in order to sound at its optimum. I once tried to listen when the Plinius was on for about 4 hours and detected a breaking of piano sound in one particular CD. The piano note seemed like broken and I thought the tweeter on the speaker was gone or something. The next day I listened the vibrating piano notes were gone. That was when I realised the Plinius cannot be switched off and needed to be powered up all day long.

I tried leaving the Rega on the whole night yesterday and the sound was more or less similar to when it was powered up 1 hour from cold. I believe the Elicit is good to go at about 1 hour after it is switched on.

Just out of curiosity, may I know what speaker cables are you using with the Elicit? Have you tried the Naim Naca5 or DNM Reson with the Elicit? I was just wondering whether the bass performance of the Elicit would improve with the use of suitable speaker cables.

I use Supra Ply 3.4S which has been around for ages and is what I' consider to be a very capable and affordable wire, Rega also has their own called Quatro. The Rega speakers I use are RS3 and single terminal, so only one run of wire per speaker is needed, I use it bare wire. I got the Supra ply from madisound.com though it is not the most convenient cable to use, it is a little tedious to strip and prepare, and it is stiff (like naim NAC), I flexed it gently in sections for awhile to make it more agreeable before installation. The regualr Ply 3.4 without the shield is probably a little easier to work with. The wire takes quite awhile to run in. Btw Piano notes can cause cone breakup or ringing on speakers and clipping on amps, also the piano or recording itself can be the source. If you like solo piano I'd recommend Gyorgy Ligeti edition 3 cd on Sony , and on ECM label Mompou Musica Callada- among the best piano recordings I own.

Hi Fillmoor, may I ask if your Rega Elicit has the optional built-in MM or MC phonostage? If it has, I would appreciate if you can let me know whether you have tried any quality outboard phonostage with your analogue rig. I currently have my Rega P5 connected to the Elicit utilizing the built-in MC phonostage. I was curious if a better quality phonostage like the EAR 834 will bring substantial improvement to the sound. Your advice would be most appreciated.

One of the reasons I got my Elicit was ease of use- to have the onboard phono option. Mine is the Moving magnet- I use with a Rega Cartridge. I have not used the onboard MC option. Outboard phono stages can be a step up or down over an onboard one. Being outboard does not automatically make it superior. I'd say Regas own IOS phono preamp or The EAR unit might be worth your while if you play alot of records. Think about how much it will cost, how much use it will get, how and where you'll install it, needing the extra wires etc. I always heard good things about the EAR but never had a chance to sample one.