Rega Elex MK4 Integrated Amplifier
Hear more of the singer's tone and the space around the instruments, without turning the music up.
What do you hear at the volume you actually use?
When choosing an amplifier, it is easy to be impressed by how loudly it can play. At the level you actually use in the living room, you should still hear the texture of a voice, separate bass notes and the space around the players. That is a better test than the power rating on its own.
A clearer view of the recording, not just more power
We chose the Rega Elex Mk4 because it makes small changes in voices and instruments easy to hear without pulling the band apart. You can follow a single piano note as it fades while still hearing how it belongs with the rest of the music.
The Elex Mk4 is a full-width integrated amplifier for passive speakers, with a reworked Class AB circuit rated at 72 watts per channel into 8 ohms. Rega uses a quiet multistage linear supply and isolates the digital and analogue power feeds to limit interference that could mask small recorded details.
What the Specs Won't Tell You
Hear the changes in a singer's voice
On a familiar vocal recording, listen for the sound of a breath and the voice getting rougher or stronger, rather than just the words. Rega's discrete amplifier circuitry and multistage linear supply are designed to preserve those small signals with little added noise. The Elex Mk4's revealing character makes those differences worth listening for, but it will also show a forward-sounding source or speaker rather than soften it.
Hear the room around the instruments
An acoustic recording should give you a sense of the room around the players, not just sharply outlined instruments. Listen to the resonance after a piano chord and the space between the performers as more instruments enter. The Elex's reworked circuit board and isolated digital/analogue supply rails are intended to keep interference from obscuring that quieter information.
Follow the bass line without adding extra weight
The Elex Mk4 keeps bass lines taut and easy to follow, but does not have an especially rich or warm balance. Play a busy rhythm track and listen for changing pitches while the kick drum stays distinct alongside. Its 72-watt Class AB stage provides headroom with appropriately matched speakers, but we would not choose it simply to make a lean system sound fuller.
The Audio Two Verdict
We would choose the Elex Mk4 for a system where clearer vocal texture, recorded space and distinct bass notes matter more than added warmth. If the source and speakers already sound thin or forward in the room, we would address that match rather than expect the Elex to disguise it. When comparing it with the Brio Mk7, use the same speakers at similar levels and listen for the smaller changes within a voice or piano note, not simply a bigger sound. We would also compare a good external DAC through the line inputs before assuming the onboard digital section makes your existing DAC unnecessary.
Tech You Can Hear
| What You Hear | Why It Happens |
|---|---|
| Small changes in a voice remain easier to follow | Reworked discrete amplifier circuitry and quiet multistage linear supply |
| Quiet recorded space is less obscured by interference from digital circuits | Galvanically isolated digital and analogue supply rails |
| Bass-note starts and stops stay clear with appropriately matched speakers | Class AB output stage with Sanken transistors, rated at 72 W per channel into 8 Ω |
| MM records play with the gain and tonal correction they need | Built-in phono stage with RIAA equalisation split into two stages to limit interaction |
| Headphone listening does not play through the main speakers | Front headphone socket with speaker switching handled by the output mute relay |
Technical Highlights
- Power and circuit: Class AB; 72 W per channel into 8 Ω or 90 W per channel into 6 Ω.
- Analogue inputs: Four stereo RCA line inputs and one MM phono input; phono loading 47 kΩ in parallel with 220 pF.
- Digital inputs: One coaxial S/PDIF and one optical Toslink; PCM up to 24-bit/192 kHz.
- Headphone output: Front 6.35 mm stereo socket; connecting headphones automatically switches off the main speakers.
- Other outputs: Stereo RCA preamp output and fixed-level RCA record output, plus one set of speaker terminals.
- Controls and power management: Supplied mini remote controls motorised volume, input selection and mute; physical power switch, no automatic standby.
- Size and weight: 432 mm W × 82 mm H × 340 mm D, with depth including the speaker terminals; 11 kg.
Why Choose Audio Two
Audio Two ships across Canada. That said, a system at this level is worth a conversation before you commit: we can make sure it's the right fit for your room, your source, and how you actually listen. Reach out and we'll help you get it right.