Rega Brio R vs Wyred or Bel Canto

selling stuff is a pain in the ass, especially if you are OCD about packing like i am. would you mind answering a question? you seem to have had a number of amps, including the primaluna, lfd,and exposure. which of these did you use with the harbeths? which was your favorite? how does the brio r compare to these with the harbeths. i ask because i have harbeth lust but not harbeth funds at this time...but i hope to get a pair of compact 7's in a couple of years. in the meantime, i love my vandersteen 2ce sig II's, but don't seem to be able to get away from the nagging desire to own a pair of harbeths. it's not rational, but there it is. i'm actually integrated tube amp shopping right now. going to audition a rogue cronus magnum with my vandersteens next week. i think it'll also do well with the harbeths when/if i get them down the road. anyway, any feedback on harbeth amp combinations would be appreciated.

unfortunately i only had a chance to use the exposure and the brio with the Harbeths. Liked the brio better and i nneded some funds so the exposure was sold. Heard good things about the Rogue with Harbeths. That being said the Vandersteens are great speakers as well. one thing i learned, at some point u have to be happy with what u have otherwise u will never stop. Just enjoy the music and stop being too critical. unless u spend ridiculous amounts of money the return on a small upgrade is not worth it. I used to enjoy music alot more before i became too aware of what i wanted to hear. Its about ENJOYING the music. I am off the upgrade path for a long while.

smart man. i think the surest path to audio bliss is to assemble a system you like well enough and then never look at an audio magazine or forum again. my only real problem with the vandersteens is that they occupy the living room like twin monoliths and are so good that they warrant better amplification/sources/cables. and that is when i start to go down the rabbit hole. they sounded superb with my doge/hibachi combo, but my need to simplify without shortchanging the vandersteens has me looking at a $2200 integrated. right now, i'm pretty attracted to the idea of selling everything, replacing it with an all rega system. i used to have the brio3/apollo and was contemplating going all rega when i got sidetracked into separates. i miss the simplicity and system synergy goes a long way. i'll be setting up the rega system audition around the same time as the rogue/vandersteen audition. by the end of january, a decison will be reached, this will be a dead topic, and i will be off the upgrade path until my income increases. enjoy your harbeths and your music!

Thanks for this post!

I have been going back and forth between these three amps and I am have a hard time deciding. I keep coming back to the Brio though.

The only other one I am considering is the Underwood HiFi modded Music Hall 15.2.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatran&1330130782&/Music-Hall-A15.2-L-1

I like the fact that the Music Hall has pre outs and a bit more power. I want to buy one amp that will work for me for a long time and the Music Hall has a few more options. No reviews on this amp though.

The Brio gets great reviews though and I like the small size.

while they can be extremely helpful, reviews aren't everything. especially since you're considering a modified product. i suppose there's no way to audition the modded music hall, so it might help if you posted a thread asking for feedback on that particular amplifier. someone who has owned it is bound to respond with an opinion, positive or negative, based on their experience with the product. like reviews, their opinions aren't everything, but it'll give you a frame of reference before making the investment.

if no one responds, you might think twice before purchasing. just be sure to provide some context when you post your question, like speakers and source components to be used, room dimensions, listening position, etc.

i've never heard the music hall, so can't say one way or another, but i can tell you that i really loved my brio 3, and would have kept it longer had i not bought speakers that demanded more power to fill the space they were in.