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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
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
1,746 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
1,746 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
loose OP
239 posts
 
For the moment, i will only be upgrading one component; either the speakers or the cd player. At this point, i'm leaning much more towards speakers, as i believe it will be the more noticeable improvement (not downplaying the validity of a strong source, mind you).

I wonder which would be the better match: the Epos m12.2 or the Monitor Audio gr10? The epos can be had for around 650 CAD mint on the used market.

Rich - i'll look for that review on the sugden, too. Plus, i've heard good things about the Apollo, but i'm thinking a naim cd5i (italic) would fit the bill for me. The verdict is still up on that, though. I have yet to compare the two. Haven't ever STARTED seriously looking at cd players yet, though...i'm afraid. I'm very afraid. hahaha

In all seriousness, I wish i had more money for this hobby so i could swap gear at will. The way it stands, i have to consider everything VERY carefully when making any purchase, which is why i hem and haw over everything (and which is why the help i get on this forum is invaluable).

Thanks everyone!
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