Rega Mercury Stereo Pre-amplifier

Rega Mercury Stereo Pre-amplifier

Name: Rega Mercury Stereo Pre-amplifier
Brand: Rega
SKU: REG-AMP-MERCURY-BLK-AUS
Price: 17500.00 NZD
Availability: InStock

$17,500.00

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The main development objective for the Mercury was to create a no compromise audio pre-amplifier. The Mercury is hand crafted to reveal the true potential of your hi-fi system thanks to an ultra-low noise floor which delivers exceptional dynamic range. The Mercury pre-amplifier, like the Solis, is the culmination of almost four decades of Rega electronics engineering experience in solid-state amplifier development.

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Specifications

INPUT - S/PDIF Co-ax and Optical: 16-24 bit @ 32/44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192kHz
INPUT - USB: 16-32 bit @ 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192kHz PCM or DSD64 (DoP), Asynchronous, Power Consumption 0W (<0.5mA)
PRE-AMP - THD+N: Typically 0.001% @ 1kHz 2V Unbalanced or 4V Balanced 0dB gain
PRE-AMP - Frequency Response: 8Hz (-0.5dB point) to 28kHz (-0.5dB point) at 0dB gain Balanced Input/ Output
DAC - THD+N: Typically 0.0045% @ 1kHz 0dBFS 2V Pre Out
HEADPHONE AMP - Max Level 33Ω: 9V / 2.5W @ 0.1% THD+N (230V/120V)
HEADPHONE AMP - Max Level 240Ω: 10.85V / 0.5W @ 0.1% THD+N (230V/120V)
HEADPHONE AMP - THD+N: Typically 0.0035% @ 1kHz 2V into 240Ω or 33Ω
Power Consumption: 50W
Power Consumption (Standby): 0.4W
Dimensions W x H x D: 435 x 97 x 380mm (17 x 3.8 x 15in)
Weight: 14kg (31lbs)

The Mercury and Solis combine staggering performance with real world forgiveness in a way that makes it look easy when it really, really isn’t.

Sound Advice

The art of silence

Capturing the detail in a quiet performance is key to delivering an engaging sound. A well-engineered “clean” pre-amplifier preserves all those subtle details instead of masking them with unwanted noise. This fully featured reference pre-amplifier offers great flexibility and usability with the convenience of a high-performance DAC, discrete headphone amplifier, and a full colour IPS display.

Mercury features fully discrete symmetrical circuitry throughout the core signal path, ensuring exceptional clarity and control. A high-performance DAC with S/PDIF and USB inputs offers versatile connectivity, while the galvanically isolated asynchronous USB input provides superior noise rejection for cleaner digital playback.

It also includes a discrete headphone amplifier for high-quality personal listening, a full-colour IPS display for clear system feedback, and a custom backlit Orbit remote control, all supported by an efficient standby mode for everyday convenience.

High performance amplification

The Rega Mercury pre-amplifier is engineered for exceptional clarity and ultra-low distortion, using a fully discrete, symmetrical circuit design inspired by Rega’s flagship reference components. Its high-linearity, wide-bandwidth amplifier stages deliver outstanding voltage and current drive, while ultra-low-noise Linear Systems FETs ensure incredible detail and precision—technology shared with the renowned Aura MC phono stage. A premium Alps Blue Velvet RK27 volume control, paired with Rega’s symmetrical driver circuitry, provides smooth, accurate level adjustment, and the DC-coupled main outputs maintain signal purity by avoiding additional capacitors in the path. Borrowing design advances from the Saturn CD player’s analogue filter stages, the Mercury keeps the entire signal path—from DAC output to pre-amp output—perfectly symmetrical for maximum transparency, control, and musical honesty.

Power to perform

The Mercury uses a generously rated toroidal transformer feeding a linear power supply. The power supply is a discrete, symmetrical tracking power supply, using fast diodes and low noise voltage reference. Each stage has its own localised capacitance, multiplier power supply and LED referenced current generators for voltage references. To maximise headroom, the Mercury uses a higher-than-normal power supply voltage, which is 60% higher than normally found in such a pre-amplifier.

Engineered for Absolute Signal Purity

The pre-amplifier uses the Alps Blue Velvet RK27 volume control. The balanced inputs and outputs both use the symmetrical, common base, discrete driver circuitry. High-quality relays and Polypropylene/audio-grade capacitors are used throughout the signal path.

A great deal of care has been taken around the integration of the headphone circuit. The headphone amplifier operates like a mini-Solis power amplifier as it uses the same symmetrical common base driver stage circuitry. This has a high voltage and current drive capability enabling the headphone output to drive both low and high impedance headphones with ease.

The Mercury uses microcontroller based slow start, standby and a power supply supervisory circuit to power-up the generously rated toroidal transformer from standby, thus keeping the in-rush current to a minimum. The supervisory circuit also controls the no-signal standby power down function to comply with current Eco requirements.

The Mercury and Solis combine staggering performance with real world forgiveness in a way that makes it look easy when it really, really isn’t.

Spending a week with the Mercury and Solis didn’t feel nearly long enough to fully appreciate their performance. These are exciting components, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they became audio classics one day.

The Mercury/Solis combination punches way above its price and anyone looking for serious amplification with a lifetime guarantee put aside their prejudices and compare it with the best in class.