John
New from Rega: a MK5 version of its Elicit amplifier. The new version comes in a full-width chassis whose front plate has seen a facelift in order to match the rest of the Rega range. Inside, a Class A/B circuit that promises 105wpc into 8 Ohms and 127wpc into 6 Ohms. (There is no mention of 4 Ohms loads). The pre-amplifier section takes its cues from the higher-end Aetheos amplifier with a discrete FET-based design and ALPS volume pot.
However, in the Elicit MK5, Rega has also put a DAC inside to play catch on digital streams arriving at its rear panel coaxial and TOSLINK sockets (but no USB). On this Rega says, “The galvanically/optically isolated digital inputs utilise a Wolfson S/PDIF receiver IC to provide exceptional detail and clarity from any connected source. Output is provided by a Wolfson DAC and Rega designed discrete line-driver circuit.”
For vinyl heads, a ‘high-quality’ MM phono input sits alongside four line-level inputs, a tape loop, a pre-amplifier output and a direct (power amplifier) input, the latter useful for looping in a subwoofer’s owm high-pass filter.
A front-panel headphone socket, which according to Rega “has been configured such that the speaker switching is performed by the output mute relay to avoid obstructing the signal path” rounds out the Elicit MK5’s feature set.
Pricing has been set at £2000.
Further information: Rega
