After patiently waiting for four and a half months, I finally received my beloved Rega Osiris back from getting warranty work done. And yes, it sounds excellent now… just as wonderful as I remember when I first took it out of its box. But, let’s take a step back first.
I’ll be the first to admit that 2023 has seen my post quantity (and quality, arguably) be reduced in comparison with years. In truth, real life has been incredibly busy and the recession here in the states have done me no favors with regards to getting equipment sent out. I know quite a few people in the business have small audio companies. They are the ones I’d usually call on to see what’s cooking, but when business is slow(er) for no reason other than the economy on a whole, you can’t blame them for being a bit hesitant.
With that said, I do have a pair of 2a3 monoblocks being built that should be ready in the next few weeks. I will definitely be writing about those and the unusual setup with which I will use to listen to them.
Okay, let’s get back to the main topic
The Rega Osiris
Ooooh, just saying that gives me chills every time. It truly is an excellent stereo amplifier despite it being quite dated now for a “reference stereo integrated”. While I have heard better, it has always come down to cost. And, in that perspective, it will probably be my reference solid state stereo integrated until I die.
If some of my readers remember, I wrote about having to send the Osiris in for repairs. It developed a horrible ground-loop sounding buzz that would only go away when the unit was muted. After 6-9 months of going back and forth with my local dealer and then Sound Org themselves, I brought in the unit. Very, very quickly, they let me know that it wasn’t just me and that they’d take it in under warranty.
To be honest, I wasn’t too worried about the “warranty” part as it has a lifetime warranty and Sound Org / Rega are some of the best in the business at honoring those as far as I’m concerned.
After a week or two at Sound Org, I got a call that it would have to be sent back to Rega in the UK. While the first thought may be “damn, it’s going to be gone a long time”, I honestly wasn’t too bothered as it gave me a really good excuse to pull out some of my other gear and re-evaluate my system.
It wasn’t until late August that the Osiris came back – much faster than everyone anticipated to be honest. Again, good job Sound Org and Rega!
The Team that builds Osiris
As it turns out, there’s only a single guy that builds all Rega Osiris amps. I know, I was expecting at least a few, but nope… it’s reserved for the most senior/skilled among the staff at Rega. Additionally, there is a plethora of hand-written notes for every single Osiris that he assembles, calibrates, tests, etc.
It was a pretty cool conversation – hearing that he just pulled up the serial and had a dozen or so pages of notes about my particular unit that he could use to note differences between every other Osiris out there. And it’s not like there’s a lot out there; mine was built in 2018 and is only in the 2XX serial range. That’s pretty low considering the Osiris was announced in 2010. But I guess that’s to be expected for a piece that comes in just over $10k new.
Bringing it All Together
So, the purpose of this small piece was purely to talk about my appreciation of Sound Org and Rega. I’ve always thought well of their design intentions and believed in their “mission statement”. Doesn’t hurt that they produce great gear as well.
For all the times that someone may dread sending equipment in, especially as expensive (and heavy!) as the Osiris… I never once had a moment where I was unhappy with the service. Sure, it would have been nice that my Osiris didn’t need to be sent in, but that’s what the lifetime warranty is for.
I’m gonna close my laptop and continue listening to music.
Cheers