Both are Rega, from different ranges - the engineering approach is shared and the differences are mostly in power, connectivity and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Power | B | Rega Elex-R has more power - 72W against 50W into 8 ohms. That is about 1.6dB, which is a small step in loudness but real headroom on peaks. |
| Room size | depends | We rate Rega Brio the better fit for desk or near-field listening and a small room, and Rega Elex-R for a mid-size room, a large room and a very large room. Match the amplifier to the room you actually have, not the one you want. |
| Analogue inputs | evenly matched | The same number of line-level inputs (4). |
| Room to grow | B | Only Rega Elex-R offers preamp outputs - which decides whether you can add a subwoofer or a power amplifier later without replacing the box. |
| Shelf space | depends | Rega Brio takes up about 46% less shelf area (745cm² against 1376cm²), and it is 25mm shallower, which is the measurement that decides whether a rack door shuts. |
| Price | A | Rega Brio costs less - $1,100 against $1,395 at list. |
A Rega Brio B Rega Elex-R
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both amplifiers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
The usual trade-off: Rega Elex-R measures better, Rega Brio costs about 21% less. With most speakers in most rooms that gap is smaller in practice than it looks here.
What a spec sheet cannot show: how either sounds with your speakers, how the controls feel day to day, and what the app is like to live with - which is where most all-in-one amplifiers are actually won or lost. Power figures are the manufacturers' own and are not measured to a common standard, so treat small differences as noise. If you can hear both, that will tell you more than any row above.