Rega Elicit Break-In

Congratulations on a great purchase!

First in the interest of full disclosure please note that I am a retail dealer and an passionate supporter of Rega's full product line, among others.

The Rega family of integrated amps will definitely benefit from a significant amount of break-in (not unlike most electronics). The extent of the differences heard, however, will depend to a degree on the associated equipment.

That said, the Brio and Mira, while as not as bad as some pieces right out of the box, really start to shine at 60-80 hours. At 100-120 hours your pretty much there. The Elicit is a somewhat different animal with significantly larger power supplies and more caps/electronics. Add about 40 -50 hours to the above estimates and be prepared to continue to be impressed for some time to come.

Hope this helps.

Auravis Systems LLC
www.auravissystems.com

Ryder:

Great Observations. I neglected to detail the almost "manic" nature of the sonics throughout the break-in process. Your Harbeth's will allow you to experience the many dramatic changes that your Elicit will exhibit on your way to sonic nirvana. The unit will open up with tremendous "air" and a consistent openness as you progress. The base will reach even lower and also become more true to "live performance" instrumental timbres.

I think much of the reason for the strange break-in trend is related your comments regarding the multiple power supplies,. I believe that they actually break-in at different rates. I do love the Rega's approach to power supplies involving the multiple supplies vs large, slower transformers. It allows for more speed to down stream circuits and components at a significantly lessor cost.

I had the awesome opportunity to visit Rega and Roy Gandy last month and truly gained an appreciation for his design approach. Every design feature of every component is applied with a tremendous sense of purpose and intent, none of which includes skimping or short cutting. Every penny of cost is applied efficiently toward producing the best possible sounding products at each given price point. Further, it is a rare pleasure to see a high value product line that is still built entirely in house without reliance on China.

There are no better sounding pieces at anywhere near these prices and as USblues mentions, the Integrateds are giant killers. The Elicit is an absolute "sleeper" in this congested industry. It's too bad that, given the simple, utilitarian looks, that Rega Electronics and speakers are not taken more seriously. I think the Rega's upcoming, new "no holes barred" integrated and matching Isis CD player may garnish some of that misplaced attention.

Enjoy your Elicit! I'd love to hear your observations in the weeks to come as the break-in progresses.

Paul
Auravis Systems LLC
www.auravissystems.com