Rega Fono Moving Magnet Phono Preamp
The Rega Fono is a high quality discrete component moving magnet phono preamplifier. The Fono has been designed to be effective, easy to
use, and above all to reproduce music with
outstanding effectiveness.
The aesthetic design of the Fono was as important as
the quality of its electrical capabilities, so it benefits
from the same aluminium case as the Rega Ear Head phone amplifier, giving it a design which offers a
familiar family feel and moreover brings it in line with
its illustrious bigger brothers.
Like the Rega Ear, the new Fono benefits from an all new extruded aluminium case and new styling giving it more of a family feel, to match its illustrious big brothers.
The Fono simply connects to the line input on the amplifier, and the tonearm leads and earth (if used) to the input socket and earth terminal of the Fono back panel.
The Rega Fono was designed to amplify the signal from a moving
magnet cartridge up to a level that will be suitable for all line level
inputs of an amplifier such as Aux, Tape and Tuner (not suitable for
connection to ‘Phono’ input).
The Fono Mini phono amplifier offers exceptional performance for
its price as it uses the best quality components some of which are
usually found in Hi Fi products over twice the price.
The new Fono Mini benefits from an all new extruded aluminium case and very user friendly front and back panels that make this phono pre amplifier a very easy product to use.
The Rega Fono simply connects to the line input on your amplifier, or the sound card of your PC so that you can transfer your vinyl to various digital formats.
Simply switch on, sit back and enjoy!
New to turntables?
If you are new to turntables, or if you simply wish to spend more time enjoying good music rather than tinkering to make your music sound good, then a Rega turntable is a perfect choice.
With all new experiences comes a little learning curve. It is important that you are aware that a turntable is one of the very few audio devices that requires you to use a specific "Phono" input. This is because the audio signal from a turntable is very different from that of CD players, DVD players, Cable Boxes et cetera.
If you are using an older model preamplifier or receiver you may very well already have the proper "Phono" input required. If however, you have a newer modern piece preamp or receiver you'll likely be lacking a "Phono" input stage. If this is the case or if you simply wish to upgrade the preamp stage of your existing setup, you'll want to purchase along with your new turntable a phono preamp.
In either phono preamp you choose, you should be aware that you will also need a set of audio interconnect cables that will connect your phono preamplifier to any input (except the "phono" input if exist) of your stereo's preamplifier or receiver. For this connection, may we suggest the also British made Chord Crimson or Chord Cobra 3 as excellent options.
Performance Features
- Input sensitivity = 3mV for 200mV output
- Input loading = 47KW in parallel with 100pF
- Maximum input level = 100mV
- Minimum output load impedance = 36.5dB
- Power requirements = 24VAC @ 110mA (Rega PS1)
- Frequency response (50KW load) = 17Hz (-3dB) to 100KHz (-0.2dB)
- RIAA accuracy (50KW load) = +/-0.2dB 100Hz to 100KHz
- For use with moving magnet phono cartridges
- Black or Silver Finish Available
About Rega
First Television...
A reasonably normal childhood was spent building electric guitars, flying model aeroplanes, playing the clarinet and breeding budgies. At fourteen, Roy's mum asked him if he wanted a television or a record player in the house. Roy begged for a record player. His mum bought a telly!
At eighteen years Roy built his first pair of loudspeakers in perfectly sealed cabinets. Not the first Rega product, but Roy was on his way. His interest in hi-fi evolved from a passion for music. 'Bliss' in those days was a live concert, a folk club, or any kind of record player.
Then a flat mate demonstrated his hi-fi system: Garrard SP25 turntable, Sonotone 9TA cartridge, Rogers HG88 amplifier and Wharfedale speakers. Roy realised his record player had room for improvement.
The first system...
A Colaro deck turned up on a rubbish dump and after much adaptation became Roy's first hi-fi record deck. When a friend gave him an old Connoisseur the Collaro went back to the rubbish dump, and the modification began again. This turntable was reviewed in hi-fi Sound in 1972, as part of a series called Casebook, which examined readers hi-fi systems. In the early seventies the turntable was seen as such an unimportant part of the system that the reviewer assumed the excellent results must be due to the speakers. These were impossible to miss huge concrete affairs housing Super 8 drive units - but could hardly account for the sound quality of the whole system. The reviewer was puzzled.
The first Rega - A star is born
Roy was now working for Ford as a technical editor but spent most of his free time installing friend's hi-fi equipment and building loudspeakers to sell. He became a part time retailer and found he had to spend a ridiculous amount of time repairing new turntables before his conscience and common sense would allow him to sell them to others! Out of frustration and a strong feeling he could do better, the Planet turntable was born. Roy and a partner registered "Rega" (Tony RElph, Roy GAndy). In 1973 and for a couple of years Roy stayed at ford and made turntables in the evening, helped by his partners: mum (who agreed to help out for two weeks and stayed for fifteen years!) and a succession of lads. The first turntables were sold through Cosmocord in the UK and a year later under the Rega name in West Germany, Denmark and France.
Roy was now able to leave Ford; he collected a redundancy check and promptly blew it on a factory in Rochford. Soon after the partner with Tony Relph split, Roy swapping his share of Rega. Terry Davies joined as Rega's financial administrator.
In 1975 the Rega Planar 2 was developed and quickly took its place in the market as the finest budget turntable. In June 1977 HI-FI News and Record Review announced the Planar 3 saying 'The complete unit is worth a look'! Rega's usual blaze of non-publicity.
By 1980 Rega employed thirteen staff, exported to twelve countries, had twenty UK dealers, and there were those dreaded 'waiting lists', mainly by eager customers shop-hopping!
In 1980 Roy found an old mill (Park Street) in a residential area in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. The building had been deserted for twenty years and judging by the rot seemed to have a millstream still running through it! Rega snapped it up for £30,000 and turned it into a compact but highly functional hi-fi factory, liberally painted bright green.
In 1983 after five years of dabbling, and two years of intensive development, the RB300 and RB250 Tonearms were produced. For ten years Rega had used Japanese and Danish manufactured arms on the turntables but after some searching Roy found a casting company prepared to work with him to develop an entirely new production method enabling the one-piece tube to be cast.
Rega won an international award for the RB300 casting, presented by Modern Metals 'awarded in open competition for excellence in the field of Aluminium Die Casting'. In their accompanying letter they wrote: 'we are still trying to figure out how you produce such a long cored hole so accurately'. This made up for never winning any prizes breeding budgies!
For five years Rega sold a cartridge, the R100, made to specification in Japan. This was followed by the RB100, which was designed and developed by Rega. However, the cartridge had inevitable design limitations as it was being manufactured by an outside company.
In March 1988 the Rega Bias and Rega Elys phono cartridges went into production in house, and sales exceeded 1000 in the first month, five times more than anticipated! The cartridges were a vital step on the way to a complete Rega system.
Completing the system...
In the summer of 1989 the Ela loudspeaker was introduced. Designed and developed at Rega, they were originally produced in Denmark but soon thereafter were manufactured in house.
In 1991, a period of dramatic expansion was heralded with the move into the world of electronics and the launch of two amplifiers, the Elex and the Elicit. The reason for producing these two amplifiers was simple; Rega was presented with a design it could not resist! Most importantly, the amplifiers fit into the company policy - which is to manufacture high quality, specialist hi-fi components that are reliable, consistent and sensibly priced. This development completed the Rega system.
A new factory was built in 1992 on the Temple Farm Industrial Estate in Southend-on-Sea under Roy's design and guidance to house the production of loudspeakers and amplifiers and to ensure room for further developments.
Since this time, Rega has introduced a whole new electronic equipment range together with an exciting new range of loudspeakers. It has been very difficult to improve on products like the original Planet CD player and Ela loudspeaker but we feel we have achieved this. You can find elsewhere on this website all the information you require on these exciting new products, many of which are already receiving critical acclaim in the worlds hi-fi press. A plethora of other new products are imminent or well into the design and development stage, including more loudspeakers and electronic products. The company now employs fifty-five people and continues to grow.
Roy continues to supply the direction for the company, specifically as a member of the design and development department and in the selection o
