Rega R3


Has anyone had a chance to listen to the R3 or the RS3? I have a love affair for anything Rega, call me a sucker, but I was curious about their speakers. The minimalistic crossover and somewhat effecient nature seem to be a good match for tube gear, which I also can't live without. Any thoughts or experience with this relatively affordable speaker would be greatly appreciated.

My room is tough! 19 foot by 20 foot, BUT with 3 large 5 foot openings to the rest of the house. 9 foot ceilindgs with various WAF absorption and a new diagonal placement.
jimbojrjb
I have the RS3 and I really like them. I have a small room (
10X12) and (in my opinion) they are easy to drive and sound very transparent with a great deal of resolution. They replaced a pair of Monitor Audio RS6, which excited and overloaded the room with excessive bass. The RS3 seems much more balanced to me, and also much smoother. Thanks and good luck.
The RS3 is a good bit better than the R3 IMO. The difference is an improved tweeter. The R3 was pretty good, but the RS3's tweeter smoothed out the slight harshness and dryness the R3 had.

Rega's speakers are very good IMO, but they're not a universal recommendation speaker. They're a bit different from the norm, hence why most Rega speaker owners also use Rega amplification and sources.

If you're into Rega's philosophy of how music should sound, you most likely will love them. If not, you'll probably not be able to live with them for the long haul.

All IMO of course.
I found a pair of the R3's used for a steal so I picked them up. They do have a VERY different sound than I was expecting, compared to the NHT Classic 3's I was using. Not sure yet if it's good or bad. The detail is there, imaging is excellent, and they are a bit more forward but don't get harsh (could be the tubes?)

Bass is lean but accurate and not bloated in any way, as I'm strictly listening to them with my REL sub off to see what they sound on their own.

I did expect a bit warmer sound, and was quite suprised with the zippy sound of the Rega's. I will post more as I try different placement, etc.

Thanks and I welcome furhter input.
Rega speakers were prefered in a speaker shoot out in some UK audio mag not long ago...won out over 4 others. Can't remember the model but they were a 3 way tower with a side firing woofer. Seemed pretty cool to me!