finally...

[admin_exported]

today i got my first hi-fi demo under my belt!

i listened to the rega brio r and was very impressed.

i tried it with two different speakers - rega r1s and MA Bronze BX2s and i strangely found the MAs sounded better to my ears (and the wife's).

i played errors-rumour in africa (great band - criminally overlooked) on vinyl and certain bass notes seemed to boom on the r1s. i also played stone roses-i wanna be adored on vinly, which sounded good on the r1s but had much more of a 'yes' factor on the MAs.

this felt confusing as the MAs were nearly half the price of the r1s and the brio/r1s are both made by rega, which you think would be better link up.

i didn't purchase today but will do next week. should i demo more speakers or go with my initial thoughts? any other advice on other good speaker/brio partnerships

 

[Excitable Boy]

Always trust your ears over price, reviews and what the dealer says.....

 

[Zax89swe]

Thats good news.. went all-in and put all my money on the rega brio to partner my bx :shifty:

 

[Fuzzy Bear]

I remember my first demo a few years back. Didnt buy it in the end. but the guy at Superfi couldn't have been more helpful and it was all a very friendly atmosphere.

I think a lot of people here just want to know its got 5 stars in the mag. Of course your own ears are better.

Enjoy !

 

[matthewpiano]

I've had a lot of speakers, including several more expensive ones, and I absolutely love the BX2s. They are tremendous value for money.

As already suggested above, trust your ears rather than price/make/reviews etc.

 

[Anonymous]

those BX2 are nice looking things too - glad to hear positive things about them

 

[nopiano]

Yes, you just found out why listening is so vital!

If you are undecided, try to hear the same two speakers somewhere else. All rooms have a unique influence on the sound, as does relative volume - slightly louder usually is more convincing on a demonstration. That's why the best demos will let you set the level for yourself, a give you a bit of time to relax. If you expand your speaker options, make sure you hear BX2s against the third option, or you'll get confused!

If you save some money in the process, all the more to spend on your source, or maybe on better cables (don't forget to allow something in your budget for them). Don't think the MA's are inferior because thay cost less than the Regas.

Lastly, make sure you can return your purchase in, say, 7 days if for some reason you don't get the results you want at home. Chances are they'll sound better than in the shop, but any decent dealer will offer this. If they are very nice, you may get to try both pairs at home, but obviously you can't expect that AND an internet-beating discount!

Enjoy!

 

[jaxwired]

Yes, you just found out why listening is so vital!

Couldn't disagree more. All this so called "listening" seems like a big waste of time when you could just ask me. :rofl: