Rega Aethos Integrated Amplifier Black

The Rega design team has created a completely new cabinet for the new Rega Aethos stereo integrated amplifier. With its 16 A power transistors, the Aethos delivers a stable output of 156 watts per channel into 6 ohms. The Aethos features a fully discrete dual-mono design, with the preamp operating in pure Class A mode.

A specially developed toroidal transformer ensures a stable power supply.
The Aethos's uncompromising design, featuring select, high-quality components, allows for reproduction of the highest sound quality. This guarantees years of trouble-free operation and musical enjoyment.

Innovative design

A considerable amount of time and money went into developing the Aethos, comparing the most suitable components. The result was practical details such as a switchable direct input and a preamplifier output for flexible use in different systems. The picture is completed by a headphone output, which mutes the speakers without any additional interference.

With the Aethos, Rega has taken the successful concept of its Elex-R and Elicit-R integrated amplifiers to a whole new level. Features such as discrete FET transistor stages, polypropylene capacitors in the signal path, special charging capacitors, a regulated power supply, and a current-stable output stage with 2 x 4 high-performance Sanken transistors were specially developed for the Aethos.

Input stage and volume control

The Aethos' line input stage features an advanced, high-precision, active and passive volume control originally developed for the Elex-R. This new, optimized volume control using Alps potentiometers has been perfected by using discrete operational amplifiers with FET inputs.

In this circuit, the input level and feedback value are varied simultaneously to precisely adjust the volume. Channel tracking here depends more on the precision of the amplifier components than on the potentiometer itself. This is a suitable measure for keeping channel deviations to a minimum while simultaneously optimizing noise and dynamic range.

Such sophisticated circuits are otherwise only found in professional recording studio equipment.
The technical and sonic advantages of low-impedance drivers are well known. However, with conventional transistors, they have quite high quiescent currents. However, the low-impedance driver stage combined with the newly developed 160-watt Darlingtons with integrated base network allows the construction of a complementary emitter follower with good thermal stability and reduced driver current. In the circuit design for the new Aethos, two output stages with drivers and base network run in parallel. (In conventional circuit designs, only the output transistors are connected in parallel.)
In this way, the output power of 2 x 125 watts at 8 ohms is achieved without difficulty.

Technical data:

Output power:
125 watts/8 ohms controlled for both channels
156 watts/6 ohms controlled for both channels
Headphone output: 2.7 V -12.5 V depending on load / 110 Ohm
Tape output: 220mV / 560 Ohm
Line output: 840mV / 100 Ohm
Input sensitivity Line input 1….5 and Rec. 220 mV / 17 kOhm
Maximum input level: 11.5 V (full level of the Rec-out)
Input sensitivity Direct Input: 840mV / 50kOhm
Power amplifier gain: 32 dB
Frequency response at 100W at 8 Ohms: Line Input 10Hz/-(0.8dB)….30kHz(-0.5dB)
Direct input 10Hz/-(0.8dB)….50kHz(-0.5dB)
Distortion and noise 100W/8Ohm: 20Hz-30kHz typical 0.007%
Power consumption at full load: 415 watts at 156W/6 Ohm
Mains fuse: 3.15AT
Dimensions H x W x D: 112 x 434 x 350 mm
Weight: 17.5 kg
Remote control, instructions