Rega Elex Mk4

Rega's updated stereo amplifier delivers a wonderfully revealing and accomplished performance

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This integrated amplifier is the successor to the multiple-Award winning Rega Elex-R, a terrific amplifier that was highly due an upgrade.

To that end, the Elex Mk4 has been given a new casework and minimal redesign to match Rega's latest models. It's a hefty build, but its profile is streamlined from the Elex-R. The all-black metal casing is of a high standard (and dissipates heat better by functioning as a big heat sink), with only a handful of buttons and red LEDs marking the fascia. Everything works smoothly and is responsive to use.

The Elex Mk4 is still a Class A/B design with a powerful 72 watts per channel into 8 ohms (or 90 watts into 6 ohms), which is more than enough to drive most speakers. The entire circuit board has been rejigged to improve performance, with special care taken when choosing key components in the design. It comes with a good quality moving magnet phono stage too.

A DAC is included here for the first time in the Elex range, though Rega hasn't strayed too far from its all-analogue heart. You get only two digital inputs and there still isn't any Bluetooth or streaming. This is similar to the Elicit Mk5's connections, which similarly includes an onboard DAC.