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Atth: Rega Ara owners

To all the Rega Ara (or even R1) owners, I wonder if you'd please give me your mini 'review' of the sound characteristics of these relatively inexpensive speakers. This question stems from another thread I started in the Digital section regarding kit upgrading in which i gleaned some good information from posters. I am, however, still last-minute debating what purchase direction i should take, as i will be buying used (ie. no return; hate reselling items).

Having said that, in my setup at the moment, the Aras, although fast speakers, seem a little thin in the lower midrange/upper bass. They are not particularly airy sounding speakers, but have relatively good upper frequency response, given their modest cost. They seem somewhat veiled in the midrange, but still have a good boogie factor (they're quick; they bounce nicely to the music, for lack of a better description at the moment).

This, of couse, is how they sound in my system. I would like to hear from other ARA owners on what they feel the speaker's character is. This might help me establish a better baseline from which to decide on what to replace at the moment (cd player or speakers).

Your help is always appreciated.
loose

Showing 6 responses by rar1

rar1's avatar
rar1
1,811 posts
 
Hi Loose:

I have owned the Rega Aras for two plus years. I purchased two NOS pairs from Arcadia Audio and used them in two separate secondary systems ... one system driven by a tube integrated (Prima Luna P2 with a Rega Apollo CD player) and one system driven by an Outlaw RR2150 solid state, 2 channel receiver and Cambridge Audio Azur 540 DVD player. Speaker cables for both systems were QED Anniversary XT.

I found the Aras to be musically coherent small speakers and not particularly deficient in any one area. They work best in small rooms and near walls. The amount of bass was more than I expected from such a small speaker. Pleasant sounding speakers that have a nice sense of warmth and detail to them. You are right that the speakers have a good boogie factor.

Two months months ago, I decided to do a major upgrade with my Prima Luna PL2 based system and I purchased a pair of Spendor A1 speakers. Big upgrade ... improves on all the good points of the Aras, especially with vocals. This is not a criticism though of the Aras ... the Spendors cost 6X as much.

What is your system set-up and what are the Aras doing/not doing?

Regards, Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,811 posts
 
Hi Stephen:

After 2 years of using the Aras in two different secondary systems, I decided that I wanted more from a speaker. The speaker set-ups that I had for both Ara systems, which were either inside an enclosed bookcase or on top of a bookcase, were never going to show off the best of what any speaker could do. Yet, the Aras did better than just about any small speaker that I used in these set-ups: Omega 3, EPOS ESL3, NHT SB2, Wharefedale Diamond 9.1, and B&W 302, for starters

The Ara is what it is, a small speaker that presents a good overall sound. You can do better, but I think that you are talking serious cash. For me, I went with the Spendor SA1, which fits in better price and performance wise with my equipment, but at 4 times the list price of the Rega Aras.

Which of course now leads to how much cash were you planning to throw at new speakers?

Regards,

Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,811 posts
 
Further reflections ...

With the Aras I was able to notice when I swapped out CD players or played a CD on a DVD player. The better the CD player, the deeper, more defined, and richer the sound became with the Aras. And that is Rega's claim with the Aras, as your equiment improves, so will the sound of the Aras. After living with the Spendors for 3 months, I am glad I made the upgrade. I listen for longer periods of time and enjoy listening more.

In my other system, I went with Energy RC10's. I have still not listened enough to the RC10's to say whether it was an upgrade or more of a lateral move. The RC10's go deeper and are a little more precise than the Aras. I believe they are about as musical sounding, I have just not done really extensive listening with the RC 10's yet ... they are in the bedroom, I am recovering from my 10th spine surgery, and the only listening positions available to me are laying out coffin style or sitting in a hardback chair.

Regards,

Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,811 posts
 
Hi Stephen:

I just don't know enough about Sugden amplifiers to comment one way or the other. Here is a link from Audio Review regarding your Sugden. The first two posts talk about speaker loads.

In a way it's easy, you like the Monitor Audio speakers with the Sugden. I have found MA speakers to be a bit forward in the treble, which probably mates well with a warm sounding amp like the Sugden. No doubt, you are probably driving yourself crazy thinking you can do better. It's a great hobby.

I owned the EPOS ES 11 in the past and they were great speakers. Definitely what you are looking for. I ran them with Adcom amps. I would not rule them out. HCM Audio is always running a good deal on EPOS speakers.

My back woes make it interesting, in the least, to pursue a "sit in one place and listen" hobby. Hey, the day started above ground and there are still enough CDs out there to buy.

Best regards,

Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,811 posts
 
Hi Stephen,

We are looking at this the same way ... warm sounding amplifier with more detailed sounding speakers. It may be why the Aras are not doing it for you, as they are on the warm sounding side. This may be of interest to you:

new EPOS 12.2 in your price range.

If you consider upgrading your CD player, I can vouch for the Rega Apollo and the Music Hall 25.2.

Regards,

Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,811 posts
 
Hi Stephen:

Check out the latest HI Fi + magazine (#63). They review a system based on the Sugden A21 with Focal 806V speakers.

Regards, Rich
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