very dumb question

So I called and caught them before anything had shipped and cancelled the Brio. Was able to change it to an open box Rega Aria phono stage that they had.

Good for you.  I am glad you were able to cancel the order on the Brio and swing a deal on a standalone phono stage. 

I am sure the Aria will be just fine with your Rega Exact MM cartridge and you successfully kept your wish of keeping Rega with Rega.  Just follow the instructions and configure your phono stage accordingly for a MM cartridge as the Aria has MC capabilities too if you ever go down this road in the future.

Enjoy the new toys!

Good save:

I misread your post as owning an RP1.

The Aria has excellent reviews and should be a nice/synergistic match to the RP6/Exact combo.

On the plus side (for me) I have been considering an inexpensive full function SS integrated for CD/LP playback and your original post sparked me to read more about the Brio-R, which would seem to be a contender.

Previously I was looking @  the PS Audio Sprout, but wasn’t certain if the mid bass hump in the frequency response would work for me long term, plus I would have to use a mini-plug interconnect for the CD deck (not ideal as I really like the somewhat odd cables/connectors I’ve used for the last 12+ years). 

Thanks again for all the input.  And that Decware phono stage that tablejockey mentioned is certainly interesting if the Aria is too bright.