Shari
01-11-2013, 19:31
Hi
Thought I would post about my first impressions of my new all Rega setup I have been playing for the last couple of weeks.
First of all some quick background.... I have been into hifi for as long as I can remember and had a few systems including Arcam, Cyrus, Marantz, Consonance and now Rega.
Whilst going though a split up with my other half, I had to sell all my hifi to get the money for rent etc etc. This means I am starting at the bottom again, so thought I would buy am all in one and go from there. After a few months the bug caught again and this is where I am now.
So..... quick visit to David at Radlett Audio had me coming back with a Rega Brio R. First impressions were that is was a great amp with quite a bit of weight and enough detail to tell good from bad recordings. I was using my Marantz MCR603 as a transport which sounded nice, but wondered what it would sound like with the addition of some decent speakers.
Found some ex dems at Audio T in Swindon and auditioned the MA RX6 and the Rega RS3. The MA were OK but really bassy and not in a good way! Loved the Regas as the sound was clean and fast without the overblown bass of some speakers. So now I am playing my fav music through these speakers and thinking life is good. Then I wondered what they would be like with the addition of the Apollo R as a source??
So.. back to David and came away with the Apollo R. Intial thoughts were not positive straight of the box. The music was smooth but sounded recessed and the voices were all over the place. Thought I had made a big mistake as all of the pace and rhythm had gone out of the music and to be honest the Marantz sounded better! I am not a patient chap, so emailed David as there was clearly something wrong. I was running Atlas Navigator interconnects, so thought a change may bring things back, plus some patience to let things burn in (maybe!). David suggested the new Rega Connect 2, so another trip to Saffron Walden and back with the interconnects. Wow! what a difference, all the musicality came back. The music sounded more cohesive and the speed has returned and before long I was tapping my toes again. An amazing difference just from a change of interconnects.
I thought "now I done", it all sounded great and very engaging, but there was something nagging in the back of my mind. I have quite a large room and although I liked the sound, wouldnt it be great to get a larger speaker to give me that sense of scale and emotional connection to the music I always wanted!? I left it for a couple of days until I could not take it any longer, I just had to find out what a larger speaker could do to my listening pleasure. So.... back to Saffron Walden for some demoing and I emerged with some Rega RS5's. Whacked them up at home and blimey!! They definately have bigger sound and far more engaging. Highs were clear, lows were low enough, voices were realistic and together, and these were speakers straight out of the box!
As the speakers broke in, or my ears (depending on your point of view) over the next few days, I felt that the tone of the music was getting a bit squewed at the extremes, a bit bang and tizz for me. I was running Atlas Hyper 3 speaker cable which is great, but quite analytical, so I wondered whether a change of cable would help, especially knowing that Rega syngery was probably the key. By chance (yes another opportuntity to spend yet more cash!!!) a 2x3.5m pair os Duet cable was going on ebay, lovely I thought. Won the cable, put banana's on and hooked it up. Oh dear!!! Sounds completely crap! Way too smooth, pretty dull sounding, voices are recessed, and the speed has gone again! As you can probably tell patience is not one of my strong points!
Anyway, 2 days later (today) its beginning to sound quite nice again, speed is back, the unexciting tracks I played are begining to come together and sound OK now. Voices are back to being cohesive and not wafty all over the place and its sounding a bit more dynamic and I am really trying to be patient! Only time will tell I suppose, but I love the overall presentation of the Rega stuff and love the clean fast sound they make and I am starting to really enjoy listening to my music again
Just thought that this is a bit long, so if you are still reading by twoddle, many thanks! A big thanks to David at Radlett Audio for all the advise and no BS opinion he has, which has really helped me navigate through my confused brain around what amp, cd player, cables etc etc.
I will keep you upto date with progress and write a much shorter piece next time!! Thanks for reading
Thought I would post about my first impressions of my new all Rega setup I have been playing for the last couple of weeks.
First of all some quick background.... I have been into hifi for as long as I can remember and had a few systems including Arcam, Cyrus, Marantz, Consonance and now Rega.
Whilst going though a split up with my other half, I had to sell all my hifi to get the money for rent etc etc. This means I am starting at the bottom again, so thought I would buy am all in one and go from there. After a few months the bug caught again and this is where I am now.
So..... quick visit to David at Radlett Audio had me coming back with a Rega Brio R. First impressions were that is was a great amp with quite a bit of weight and enough detail to tell good from bad recordings. I was using my Marantz MCR603 as a transport which sounded nice, but wondered what it would sound like with the addition of some decent speakers.
Found some ex dems at Audio T in Swindon and auditioned the MA RX6 and the Rega RS3. The MA were OK but really bassy and not in a good way! Loved the Regas as the sound was clean and fast without the overblown bass of some speakers. So now I am playing my fav music through these speakers and thinking life is good. Then I wondered what they would be like with the addition of the Apollo R as a source??
So.. back to David and came away with the Apollo R. Intial thoughts were not positive straight of the box. The music was smooth but sounded recessed and the voices were all over the place. Thought I had made a big mistake as all of the pace and rhythm had gone out of the music and to be honest the Marantz sounded better! I am not a patient chap, so emailed David as there was clearly something wrong. I was running Atlas Navigator interconnects, so thought a change may bring things back, plus some patience to let things burn in (maybe!). David suggested the new Rega Connect 2, so another trip to Saffron Walden and back with the interconnects. Wow! what a difference, all the musicality came back. The music sounded more cohesive and the speed has returned and before long I was tapping my toes again. An amazing difference just from a change of interconnects.
I thought "now I done", it all sounded great and very engaging, but there was something nagging in the back of my mind. I have quite a large room and although I liked the sound, wouldnt it be great to get a larger speaker to give me that sense of scale and emotional connection to the music I always wanted!? I left it for a couple of days until I could not take it any longer, I just had to find out what a larger speaker could do to my listening pleasure. So.... back to Saffron Walden for some demoing and I emerged with some Rega RS5's. Whacked them up at home and blimey!! They definately have bigger sound and far more engaging. Highs were clear, lows were low enough, voices were realistic and together, and these were speakers straight out of the box!
As the speakers broke in, or my ears (depending on your point of view) over the next few days, I felt that the tone of the music was getting a bit squewed at the extremes, a bit bang and tizz for me. I was running Atlas Hyper 3 speaker cable which is great, but quite analytical, so I wondered whether a change of cable would help, especially knowing that Rega syngery was probably the key. By chance (yes another opportuntity to spend yet more cash!!!) a 2x3.5m pair os Duet cable was going on ebay, lovely I thought. Won the cable, put banana's on and hooked it up. Oh dear!!! Sounds completely crap! Way too smooth, pretty dull sounding, voices are recessed, and the speed has gone again! As you can probably tell patience is not one of my strong points!
Anyway, 2 days later (today) its beginning to sound quite nice again, speed is back, the unexciting tracks I played are begining to come together and sound OK now. Voices are back to being cohesive and not wafty all over the place and its sounding a bit more dynamic and I am really trying to be patient! Only time will tell I suppose, but I love the overall presentation of the Rega stuff and love the clean fast sound they make and I am starting to really enjoy listening to my music again
Just thought that this is a bit long, so if you are still reading by twoddle, many thanks! A big thanks to David at Radlett Audio for all the advise and no BS opinion he has, which has really helped me navigate through my confused brain around what amp, cd player, cables etc etc.
I will keep you upto date with progress and write a much shorter piece next time!! Thanks for reading