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Rega, Totem, or KEF bookshelf speakers?

In an earlier forum I asked about converting a 10x10 room into a listening room. My concern was whether or not it would be too small. After reading the responses—thanks to everyone who made suggestions, including those who had me spending well beyond my hoped-for budget!—I've gained confidence to move forward. Now for the speakers. I've narrowed my choice (for the moment, of course) to three: the KEF LS50, the choice of several respondents in the first forum; the Rega RX1; and the Totem Rainmaker. All are in my price range and, though the Totem are only available used, they can be found. 

As I'm new to audio, I've not heard any of these speakers. Reviews read, yes, suggestions from friends and more experienced listeners, yes; but no first-hand experience, and in our current circumstances, hearing anything in a shop isn't likely. So I'd be glad to hear from those who have heard these.

My power source will be modest, an integrated amp between 50-75w (NAD C 320BEE or Luxman R-115 receiver in the house right now; maybe the Rega Brio or something similar in the future), and I'll only be playing vinyl. A Rega P3 is my TT. The thought of an all-Rega room is attractive, if the RX 1's are a good choice. Any thoughts are appreciated.
anton99
akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,146 posts
 
I have the REGA R1s and the RX1s in my “C” and “B” systems respectively . both are great , with the RX1s rising on top.

REVIEWS
The Rega R1 Loudspeaker - A New Budget Reference
http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/the-rega-r1-loudspeaker

“ ....  The RR125 is an outstanding mid/bass driver, sonically and musically right in line with the midrange performance of Rega’s amplifiers and phono cartridges. Get the midrange right and everything else will fall into place. Get it wrong, and all the king’s horses…

the Rega R1 becomes my new budget reference speaker. In addition of its ability to get the fundamentals of music right, it adds clarity and resolution, and an ability to lay out a vivid and coherent 3-dimensional stereo image. In small room applications, what more could you want? ...”

RX1

https://soundorg.com/news/rega-rx1-loudspeakers-hifi-choice/

“ ... The RX1 pitches into a competitive sector of the loudspeaker market, but Ed Selley thinks it has what it takes to succeed...
... Where it stands out is the effortless sense of joy that it brings to any music... And what is absolutely crucial is that it has very few obvious flaws. It manages to deliver a performance that balances a genuine sense of realism and accuracy with an energy and joy that makes it a very rewarding partner across a huge selection of music. ...”

Highly recommended. Worth the audition.
note; the RX1s will need a 150 hr breaking period .

chrisr's avatar
chrisr
541 posts
 
I have had rega rs5, ls50, and i still have totem hawk.
In a 10x10 (I hope acoustically treated), I would go with totem /and/or LS50.   Maybe LS50 1st, and then Totem.  I would get both.
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
I auditioned three bookshelf speakers in a very small listening room. Spent probably half hour listening to each of three.

Spendor SA1, Rega RX One, and Linn Majik 109. Didn’t like the Rega in comparison to the other two (sounded thin and sloppy). Linn and Spendor both nice but more expensive. I would have needed more than the hour to determine a winner between Spendor and Zlinn. Amp was Rega Elex-R with Rega Apollo CD player for the demo.

It was a year ago so beyond these notes that I jotted on my phone now copied above I don’t remember much


In general I like Rega amps more than Rega speakers

Of your choices I’d go Kef. But that’s me. Speaker choice is very personal. But the three I listened to definitely sounded quite different. Your preference might be directly opposite mine

arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,549 posts
 
KEF
yyzsantabarbara
4,443 posts
 
I would just buy the KEF LS50 Wireless. A lot for sale used and discounts by KEF for new items. I use the KEF LS50 passive in a 12x11x9 room and the room needed to be treated with acoustic panels, but once that was done the KEF LS50 passive sounded excellent.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa23g2-kef-ls50-wireless-titanium-grey-red-speakers

In your smaller room the LS50W with it’s built in amp, DAC, and the DSP processing engine will optimize the speaker to your room. You may not even need room treatments like I needed. I have a feeling the LS50W is better sounding that what I have setup with my Peachtree Nova 150. Though, a few years ago, when I used the Benchmark AHB2 amp + DAC3 with the LS50’s the sound was amazing.

I will be upgrading the LS50 gear soon with the intention to buy again the Benchmark AHB2 amp and the new Benchmark LA4 preamp. I will get the new AudioByte Vox DAC, ZAP, and HUB ($12K total, no discounts new) . This will likely be better than the LS50W but look at how much money goes into raising above the LS50W. The LS50W already has all of these external components I will buy built into the speaker.

BTW - I am not sure how your TT can fit with the LS50W. You should research that if you decided to consider the LS50W
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