Well……here we go……I have the Rega Aura on home trial for a week to A/B against my already excellent Cyrus Phono Signature and PSXR2 power supply.
First job = does it fit the Fraim?
Second job = does the dreaded Fraim rear leg get in the way of the phono leads?..…YES
Third job = turn the Fraim rear leg round 180 degrees to give more rear clearance
Fourth job = fit the Witch Hat phonos to the Aura and the 252
Job done.
Oh yeah……how does it sound???..…more on that to come over the next few days.
But I’ve switched it all on and it works so that’s a good start. Gain, load and capacitance switching all on front panel and super easy. No hum. It’s a heavy beast for sure (12kg) so the power supply and transformer must be a biggie!
Before and after pics below. (It looks rather smart I reckon)
Seems an easy solution. Some will point out that the rear leg oriented that way doesn’t present the same load bearing capacity, but personally I’d not worry about it unless there’s a super heavy box above it. Just a turntable? It would work for me.
I’m sure you meant you turned the leg 90°, as 180° wouldn’t achieve anything. Is there a 90° connector option if you decide to keep it?
I’m not sure putting the Rega between the TT and 252 is the best option. I’m thinking the lower shelf for the Rega and move the other two boxes up a shelf.
I know you love the Cyrus combination, so what are you unhappy with? Or are you just being curious?
Hi Graeme. Yes it’s 180 degrees and it does solve the issue as it offers marginally more clearance (the leg is not symmetrical). I wouldn’t go 90 degrees though. There is zero hum in its current position under the LP12 but I may experiment.
Yes, curiosity has got the better of me after recent LP12 upgrades of Keel and Ekos SE so I thought it maybe it deserves a better phono stage than the Cyrus (which is no slouch to begin with)?
Initial impressions are very positive but let’s see how the next few days go with music I know we’ll.
Wow. And you dont need reminding it’s twice the price of the Cyrus combo.
I have been trying to establish ( if such a thing really exists) what sort of ratio you should aim to spend on TT:arm:cartridge:phono stage.
I found 30:30:10:30 on the Web site of a well known Rega arm " improver" of Southampton. Anyway it was a start. And reinforced my need to change my RB330!
Having had a rega aura for a few years and working around it with fraim etc, you will find a few solutions from myself on it all if you want to look.
But the rega is a great phono stage, especially if you run rega cartridges, plus it doesn’t take long to warm up, so no need to leave on 24/7.
UPDATE: So I’m 3 days into a 6 day home audition of the Rega Aura.
I’ve pulled the trigger today and ordered one. It’s superb and a massive uplift from my Cyrus Phono Signature and PSXR2 (which is no slouch to begin with.)
A totally silent noise floor with instruments sounding as if they were right next to me. Biggest noticeable improvements are with cymbals ring, bass guitar note separation and stereo imagery. It will be tough to see it go back to the dealer on Monday but hopefully not too long before my new one arrives (as Rega have them in stock). It’s a great upgrade for my system. it’s the level of phono stage that my “almost Klimax” LP12 deserves.
My acid test was the improvement in the clarity and presence of the word “whisper” in Tracy Chapman’s Talkin’ bout a Revolution. Clinched it for me.
If any of you are tempted, try and get one on home trial like I did - playing your favourite music that you know well is, as always, a great way to gauge improvements.
Exactly what I’ve got my eyes on next year. Although I’ll need to get ears on it first. My dealer is a big DV fan, so will readily push me towards a xx2.
FWIW
After I got my P10, I wondered if I should get a Rega phono stage to go with the Apheta 3 (I had a DV P75 Mk 4) →
I thought about an Aria, but asked my dealer for a home demonstration of the Aura, my dealer duly sent it over →
I was stunned by how vastly better it is, right out of the box →
Then it got even better with break in…it did not go back.
