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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
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
loose OP
239 posts
 
Hi Rich,

Your thoughts and opinions of the Aras are really helping me quite a bit, here, i must say (and obviously very appreciated).

For the price i paid for the Aras, i really could not have done any better - not a chance in hell. I paid $175 CAD for them, so w/out a doubt, they were a good interim solution.

In terms of what i want to spend on new speakers, I'm thinking of buying used, in the 600-900 range.

I have my eyes on the lookout for a pair of Monitor Audio GR10 (predecessor to the GS10). From what i've read about the GR10 and based on what i heard when listening to the GS10 (assuming the GR10 is about the same), i feel that they might do the trick.

I really like the Epos M12.2 once upon a time, but one of my audio dealers who used to sell Epos claims they would not work well w/ the sugden (i'm not sure if he's trying to dissuade me bc he no longer carries the line or if it's actual fact that they are not a good match w/ my sugden).

Yes, exactly as you stated, the Aras are what they are. Nothing outstanding, but good overall. I'm not firm in that speakers will be my next upgrade prior to a cd player upgrade.

BTW - off topic - I'm very sorry to hear about your condition. It's hearing/ seeing things like that that put life into perspective for me. I sometimes bitch and complain about how 'bad' my life is when in reality, things could be far, FAR worse.
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
loose OP
239 posts
 
Heya Rich:

I've read the Audioreview posts regarding the Sugden... Most are referring to earlier models than the one i currently own.

My synopsis, based on pairing the sugden A48B w/ several speaker brands: Warm, full sound. Good bass. Very nice midrange. Not the most extended in the HF, but good nonetheless. Does not have pinpoint imaging, but is no slouch in that department. Sounds 'more powerful' than its power rating. Fairly dynamic (but again, i believe this can be improved upon w/ the correct speaker pairing). It's a good all-rounder and definitely performs much better than it looks (just a basic, black box).

IMHO, i believe it should be paired w/ speakers on the brighter & more dynamic side to balance out its warm character. This was the same case w/ the Unico i once owned; brighter speakers worked very well with it. Since the Sudgen shares many similarities to the Unico (albeit the unico was smoother and more open-sounding overall in the midrange and a little more extended up top), i believe speakers which would work well with one would work well with the other (hence my inclination that EPOS would work well with the sugden, since EPOS worked very well with the Unico).

I think i'm just going to bite the bullet and go for it (as soon as i can, when funds allow - which will soon be the case).

Fact of the matter is, although i do not like reselling things i've purchased, I can always resort to that if i have to. If all goes well, i'll simply pick up a pair of GR or GS10s and that will be that! (of course, then i'll find something else 'wrong' with my system, but that's what this merry go round is all about, isn't it? lol)

ps. apologies for the poor spelling and grammar here... just writing on the fly during a time when i SHOULD be working! hahaha
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
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