Rega Brio Mk7 vs Arcam A5: which of these stereo amps makes the sweetest music?

The Arcam A5 has been our favourite stereo amplifier in its price bracket for some time now, taking home a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2023 and 2024, and reminding us that the company hadn’t completely turned its attention to AV receivers.

As you can probably tell by the Mk7 designation at the end of its name, Rega’s Brio has been around in various guises before, with the sixth-gen model winning back-to-back What Hi-Fi? Awards in 2016 and 2017, so this latest version was keenly anticipated before its arrival back in April of this year.

So can the Rega relive the glory days with the Brio Mk7? Or will Arcam’s A5 fend off yet another challenger?

Rega Brio Mk7 vs Arcam A5: price

When we first tested the Arcam A5 back in 2023 it would set you back £749 / $699 / AU$1495 and that remains the case today. The same is true of the Rega Brio Mk7, which we reviewed at £799 / $1095 / AU$1699 earlier this year and perhaps unsurprisingly hasn’t dropped a penny since.

In the UK there’s only a £50 price difference between these two amplifiers, which makes them close competitors, but Rega often charges more for its products in the US, so it’s a tougher sell across the pond where the Brio is significantly more expensive than the A5.

Either way, the Arcam is the more affordable of the two products, and we’ve even seen it drop to £699 on occasion, so it’s a win for the A5 here.

**Winner: Arcam A5**

Rega Brio Mk7 vs Arcam A5: design and build

Hi-fi separates tend to follow a certain formula when it comes to design. After all, they’re expected to blend in with other products, potentially from other manufacturers, so there’s a certain look they tend to go for in order to maximise their appeal.

That said, the Arcam (above) is a pretty eye-catching bit of kit, especially when compared to the Rega. The A5 has got a much fresher, more modern look than the Brio. We love the classy yellow accents on the sleek aluminium chassis, and the controls feel suitably premium, even if we're not so keen on the frosted finish on the screen as the text is slightly fuzzy to read.

The design of the Brio feels more functional than anything, and while there can be beauty in that approach it’s hard to look at these two side-by-side and not be more drawn to the Arcam.

Both work perfectly fine in daily use, though.

Both also come with remote controls that are simple to use, if not the most luxurious we’ve come across, but then that should probably be expected at this price.

Your own personal judgement on this one might actually come down to dimensions more than aesthetics anyway. The Rega’s half-width design means it might fit better in smaller spaces, but not match your existing set-up so well, while the opposite is also true of the full-size A5.

That physical discrepancy also means the Brio Mk7 weighs significantly less (4.9kg compared to 8kg) but once it’s on your rack that’s unlikely to affect you.

Taking them purely at face value, though, we have to give this one to the Arcam.

**Winner: Arcam A5**

Rega Brio Mk7 vs Arcam A5: features & connectivity

These two amps go pretty much toe-to-toe when it comes to features.

They’re both capable of outputting 50W per channel, have exactly the same type of physical connections – three line level inputs, plus single optical and 3.5mm headphone sockets, and both have moving magnet phono stages onboard, so you can plug a turntable directly into the amps.

This 7th-generation Brio is the first to include a DAC, and Rega offers a single optical and single coaxial input. Arcam counters with two digital coax inputs, however.

Both amps support hi-res files up to 24-bit/192kHz but neither has a USB input, which would’ve been handy for connecting your laptop, but it isn’t a deal-breaker in this price bracket.

The main thing that sets them apart, features-wise, is that the Arcam A5 has two-way aptX Adaptive Bluetooth. For traditionalists, that won’t be a big deal, but with many people keen to be able to play music wirelessly from their phones, tablets or laptops as well as the ‘old-fashioned’ way, it’s a point of difference that makes the A5 that little bit more useful than the Rega.

Of course, it’s perfectly possible to attach a third-party streamer to either of these amps, but having Bluetooth built in, even if only for occasional use, is always handy.

**Winner: Arcam A5**

Rega Brio Mk7 vs Arcam A5: sound

In their respective five-star reviews, both the Rega Brio Mk7 and Arcam A5 scored full marks for their audio performance, but are there appreciable sonic differences between the two that might make you choose one over the other?

No matter the source or the genre of music we chose during our testing, the Arcam proved to be a superbly rounded performer. It delivers a sound that’s articulate, insightful and entertaining, with authoritative but agile bass, and an expansive, nicely layered soundstage.

We said in our review: "There is a fine sense of control too, with the amplifier showing impressive composure when the music gets demanding. It doesn’t sound stressed or cluttered, even when pushed to higher volume levels... Larger scale dynamic swings are rendered with conviction and there is a good dose of scale on show too."

The A5’s DAC offers three filter options, and while we prefer to use the second one, they all sound crisp and punchy. The phono stage and headphone socket also perform well, as does the Bluetooth connection, although bear in mind that it’ll never sound as good as going wired.

The Rega is not just an improvement on its predecessor, it’s also a worthy rival to the A5. Our review highlighted its solid, punchy and exciting presentation, which brims with confidence and substance.

Tonally even and not fussy about the equipment that you pair it with, the Brio Mk7 doesn’t sound the most spacious, but it keeps instruments in check when things get complicated.

We said in our review: "There is never any doubt as to the emotion any given artist wants the listener to feel. This has long been a strength of Rega’s Brio line-up, and this Mk7 version just reinforces that tradition."

The phono stage is also impressive (perhaps not surprising given Rega’s experience with turntables), the DAC is one of the best we’ve heard in a stereo amp of this price, and the headphone socket doesn’t let the side down either.

So how do we choose a winner here? When you directly compare the two it’s really a matter of personal preference.

While detail levels are around the same, the Arcam sounds smoother and more open, with a greater sense of scale, plus it’s more refined and can handle dynamic shifts more seamlessly.

The Brio Mk7, however, has more punch and drive, with a more muscular sound that’s particularly noticeable at the lower end of the frequency range. It’s an amp that’s great at conveying rhythms and the energy in the music you choose to play through it.

Which of those you prefer the idea of should be how you choose your winner here, but we’re going to call it a draw.

**Winner: Draw**

Rega Brio Mk7 vs Arcam A5: verdict

The Rega Brio Mk7 might not have come out on top in any of the categories above, but this is a much closer battle than that would make it seem.

These are both highly capable stereo amplifiers that are very difficult to separate on paper, with both offering stellar sound performances.

The A5’s Bluetooth connection is the only real way to tell them apart if you just compare the spec sheets side by side, and that’s hardly going to be a deal-breaker for most people shopping for an integrated amp at this price.

Some of our review team prefer the design of the Arcam while others prefer Rega's half-width size, but that, like the sonic performance of these two products, comes down to personal taste more than anything else.

Whichever one you buy, you’ll be getting a five-star product that we highly recommend. But it’s the Award-winning Arcam A5 that just clinches this one on points rather than a full knockout.

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