Rega - Aura Moving Coil Phonostage

Rega’s reference moving coil stage: a three-stage, all-symmetrical Class A design in a 13kg full-width chassis.

The Aura is the top of Rega’s phono stage range and is built to a completely different brief from the Fono units. Rega describes it as the ultimate fully adjustable three-stage all-symmetrical pre-amplifier, designed purely to extract the best from a moving coil cartridge.

The topology is Class A throughout, with a symmetrical discrete tracking power supply using fast diodes and a low-noise voltage reference — the supply is part of the design rather than an afterthought bolted on. It lives in a full-width chassis weighing 13kg, with the mains transformer inside but properly isolated.

Adjustment is far wider than the Fono MC. Five loading resistances — 50, 100, 150, 300 and 400 ohms — and five capacitances — 1000, 2000, 3200, 4300 and 5700pF — against four and two on the cheaper unit, plus two gain settings at 69.5dB and 63.5dB. That is enough range to properly optimise almost any moving coil rather than settling for the nearest available value.

Distortion is 0.03%, RIAA accuracy 0.2dB from 100Hz to 50kHz, and response runs 13.5Hz at −3dB to 100kHz at −0.2dB.

Features

• Three-stage, all-symmetrical Class A moving coil pre-amplifier
• Five input loading resistances — 50, 100, 150, 300 and 400 Ω
• Five input capacitances — 1000, 2000, 3200, 4300 and 5700pF
• Two gain settings — 63.5dB and 69.5dB
• Symmetrical discrete tracking power supply with fast diodes and a low-noise voltage reference
• THD 0.03%; response 13.5Hz (−3dB) to 100kHz (−0.2dB)
• Full-width chassis, 13kg
• Made in England with a Lifetime Limited Warranty

Specifications

• Type: Reference moving coil phono stage
• Topology: Three-stage, all-symmetrical Class A, with a symmetrical discrete tracking power supply using fast diodes and a low-noise voltage reference
• Gain Settings: Setting I: 69.5dB. Setting II: 63.5dB
• Input Loading Resistance: 50, 100, 150, 300 and 400 Ω — five settings
• Input Loading Capacitance: 1000, 2000, 3200, 4300 and 5700pF — five settings
• Settings for a Rega Moving Coil: 100 Ω, 1000pF and high gain
• THD: 0.03%
• Frequency Response: 13.5Hz (−3dB) to 100kHz (−0.2dB)
• RIAA Accuracy: 0.2dB, 100Hz to 50kHz
• Power Supply: Internal, mains powered
• Dimensions: 435mm wide x 350mm deep x 88mm high. See the note below — Rega’s published axis labels for this product are wrong
• Weight: 13kg
• USB / Digital Output: None
• Origin: Made in England. Rega Research Ltd, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
• Warranty: Lifetime Limited Warranty against confirmed manufacturing defects. It excludes wear and tear and parts considered consumable, and Rega states that unauthorised modification or failure to follow its guidelines may invalidate it
• Not Published: Signal-to-noise ratio; power consumption
• Note: Rega publishes the Aura’s dimensions as 350 x 435 x 88mm labelled width by height by depth, which would describe a phono stage 435mm tall. The three numbers are right but the axis labels are transposed — this is a standard Rega full-width case, 435mm wide and 88mm high, and that is how we have listed it. A caution on comparing RIAA accuracy figures across Rega’s phono stages: the frequency windows and the output loads they are measured into differ from model to model — the Fono units are quoted into 50kΩ, the Aos into 100kΩ. The numbers are not directly comparable and should not be read as a ranking