Four-play

The Elex is the latest Rega amp to receive a refresh and Ed Selley can’t help but wonder if it’s the company’s best update yet

Now that we have seen two examples of Rega’s recent integrated amplifiers in the form of the newly developed Aethos and revised Elicit MK5 (HFC 457 and 490), it isn’t too surprising to find models further down the range undergoing an update. While the nature of the changes and improvements that the company has sought to make is starting to become more predictable, in the case of the Elex MK4 there’s an intriguing plot twist...

At first glance the new model has received the logical and welcome updates we saw on its bigger sibling. The most significant of these is the inclusion of a pair of digital inputs; one optical and one coaxial, and both capable of supporting PCM to 24-bit/192kHz, thanks to a Wolfson DAC. This board is lifted in its entirety from the Elicit MK5 and gives the Elex a useful extra piece of functionality over the preceding model. This joins four RCA analogue line inputs and a moving-magnet phono stage, which means it should handle most connection requirements without issue. A 6.35mm headphone output is also included on the front.

This is made available to an amplifier that is more closely related to the Brio (HFC 446) than it is to Rega's larger models. Power is quoted as 72W into 8ohm and 90W into 6ohm. No figure is given for 4ohm operation and the company also warns the amp will run hot into sub-60hm loads (although it doesn't run especially warm during testing and there is a thermal cut out built into the circuit if it does). The extra space that the Elex MK4 has over the Brio allows for it to be laid out in a more logical and optimal way. It also employs the power supply arrangements of the Elicit MK5, with more galvanic isolation than before and a separate tap for the digital board.