I betrayed you guys 
I traded in my Nait 5si to get a Rega Aethos and at the same time I also got a pair of B&W 805 D3s. My primary choice was for an SN3 but partly because it costs more, partly because of the desire to try something else and also because of the fear of possible hum noises from the Naim I preferred the Rega. I have had 3 Naims and he will always remain in my heart and one day I will certainly buy another one. I hope that the B&W + Rega match can give me the same satisfaction as the Naim + B&W, also because I have never seen or heard the Rega.
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Did you audition / demo the Aethos and B&W 805D3 combination before purchase?
I foresee a speaker change to better match the rega ā¦ā¦
Impulse purchase.
But what does the Rega sound like compared to the Naim?
I donāt know, but Iām guessing youāll find out very soon!
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Congrats @giannifocus - Iāve never heard the Rega Aethos, but it seems an excellent amplifier!
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It is an excellent amplifier. I chose mine over the SN3 because I didnāt need the MM phono stage and preferred a bit more power. I donāt think you will be disappointed.
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I auditioned the Aethos about a year ago. Ultimately I went in another direction but found it to be an excellent amp. Slightly fuller sound than the Naim SN2 (havenāt heard the SN3) if memory serves (but take this with a grain of salt!).
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So you purchased a $$ amp without a listen first 
So did I, I went from SN2/HC to Aethos. 
Was a bit surpriced, in some ways first listen Rega Aethos win big time.
Downside is no light in volume and a bit sensitive using remote.
It gets warm+
Fab amp up there with Naim separates = bargain.
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It is a lovely sounding amp, and having heard it powering ATC SCM40 speakers (in a large room too, so no mean feat), I was very impressed. That was in isolation, so never heard them back to back with Naim (or any other amplifiers for that matter).
The amp looks lovely too - snap from Hi-Fi Choice. My only gripe was having to cycle through all the inputs when switching sources.
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the problem with having a dealer friend is that after an evening at the pub on the way out I said recommend me an amp and under the influence of the beers I ordered it. He just wrote to me that itās already available, ordered on Friday, Iām going to pick it up tomorrow and 805 for the weekend.
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My brother auditioned the SN3 VS the Rega Aethos for a few hours a while back. I went with him to the dealers.
They are very close and are both superb amps. The SN3 has a bit more bass, and the Aethos a bit more top end sparkle. But like I said, it is very close.
After much deliberation, my brother chose the Aethos.
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I guess your dealer friend invites a lot of customers for a few beers at the pubā¦
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I think the SN3 is voiced from the bottom up. In my experience, I have not noticed this bass heft/weight on 200watts power amplifiers from Rotel and the legendary Adcom GFA-555. The only exception was the Adcom GFA-5802, a 300watts nelson pass design that run very hot and had no āpratā.
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Agreed, thats a bit of a pain when you use four or five sources, I certainly prefer SN2 method for input selector.
Also Rega RCAās on the back sits rather close, as with other Rega amps, not sure why they canāt put an extra space between them, my Couple 2 interconnect plugs touch each other if placed aside.
fortunately I only have the CD player and later I will get a DAC streamer.
13 years ago, I compared the Nait XS and Rega Elicit mk2 in my system. They both sound almost the same, the Rega slightly sweeter and lusher, minimal difference.
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Now I buyed a couple of Revival Audio Atalante 3ā¦super!!!
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Better match with the Aethos than the 805 D3s ?