Hello everyone! Welcome to the March blog from Audio T Brighton.

This month, I’m following up on an earlier promise to enlighten you on the sonic qualities of the recent Rega pre/power combo — the Mercury preamp and Solis power amp. Now we’ve had a bit more time to enjoy them with different bits of kit, we’re able to share our thoughts on this wonderful pre/power combo.

Spoiler alert: they’re stellar!

Shooting for the stars with the new Mercury/Solis combo

Rega has always been the "go-to" for many of our customers starting their hi-fi journey with a Rega Planar 1 or a Rega Brio, but this new duo is something else entirely. We’re talking about Rega moving into the high-end "otherworldly" territory, and boy, have they made an entrance and really released a “shoot for the stars” set-up.

Straight out of the box, the Rega Solis Power Amp is a beast, weighing in at nearly 25kg, so mind your back if you’re setting this up at home! The Rega Mercury preamp is equally impressive, feeling incredibly solid with its discrete symmetrical design.

Six Sanken 130W, 15-amp multi-emitter output transistors per channel are used in a “triple” high-current output stage, enabling the Solis to drive even the most awkward speaker systems with ease, with a quoted 168W into 8 ohms and 305W into 4 ohms. Dual transformers, high-quality ICEL polypropylene capacitors and HTR non-inductive resistors in the signal path give this amplifier the quality to be an “end-game” option for music lovers and hi-fi aficionados alike.

Following on from the Rega Brio Mk7, Elex Mk4 and Elicit Mk5, Rega has also included an onboard DAC in the Mercury. Now, some purists might raise an eyebrow, but Rega has used legacy Wolfson DAC chips. They aren't the newest "spec-sheet" winners, but they have a natural, organic "musicality" that just fits the Rega house sound perfectly. The Rega Mercury preamp also includes a USB input, along with the usual SPDIF coax and optical inputs, so computer audio users can also add this preamp to a high-end system if desired.

We have listened to a number of Rega amp-based set-ups to good effect at our Audio T Brighton branch, and we’ll discuss these now.

System 1

Rega Mercury/Solis
Bluesound Node Icon
Chord Qutest
ProAc Tablette 10 Signatures
REL S550 subwoofer

We initially started to listen to this system with a Rega Aethos amplifier. Now this is our go-to integrated when we need power and clarity, and really want to hear what a system can do, but the diminutive ProAc Tablette 10 Signature, albeit good in this arrangement, really responded to the Rega Mercury/Solis combo’s added control in the upper mids and higher frequencies, and allowed the REL S/550 sub to take over where the Tablettes dared not go!

What transpired was really quite remarkable, producing one of the most musically involving systems we’ve ever heard in the shop. The transparency, detail and dynamics brought tears to the eyes and goosebumps to the back of the neck — not something many set-ups can do!

System 2

Rega Mercury/Solis
Bluesound Node Icon
Chord Qutest
ProAc Response D20R
REL S550 subwoofer

Our system 2 in this test replaces the small speaker plus sub combo with a more traditional floorstanding speaker set-up.

This combo also proved to be sublime, with the ProAc Response D20R offering an equally satisfying sound, albeit with some key differences. The D20R’s really go deep in the bass, meaning a sub isn’t as necessary. Where these speakers shine is in their top-end performance, with the ribbon tweeter really excelling in the reproduction of the treble. The Rega Mercury/Solis combo allows vocal inflections and subtle cymbal hits to be reproduced with dynamics and breathtaking clarity, and this really needs to be heard to be believed.

In summary

The Rega Mercury preamp and Solis power amp combination is an absolutely stellar pairing and somehow fitting of their respective names, in that they sound out of this world!

Of course, this is our opinion, and it is essential for you to form your own opinion by giving us a call and booking a demonstration to hear for yourself.

Thanks for reading.

Adey, Jake, Kevin and Paul - Audio T Brighton

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