speakers and amp to match Rega rp1

[newman]

Hi everybody,

I've recently bought Rega RP1 with Rega Fono Mini preamp and it seems that the rest of my setup became a 'problem' (I currently have KEF's iQ10 and Onkyo 5.1 receiver (HT-R538)).

So, I'm thinking about changing the speakers and getting a stereo amp. Does anyone have any recommendations? I was thinking something like Q Acoustics Concept 20 and maybe Rega Brio R or (with a little budge stretch) Cambridge CXA60. Would these be a good match to go with Rega RP1? Is there maybe any better combination within the same price range?

Thanks!

 

[Daz B]

The Rega Brio amp will match the Regs RP1. Have read many reports that Rega seperates go well together.
I know Rega make speakers as well so might consider those. Best advice is go to a dealer and audition.

 

[Al ears]

The Rega Brio amp will match the Regs RP1. Have read many reports that Rega seperates go well together. I know Regs make speakers as well so might consider those. Best advice is go to a dealer and audition.

Best advice indeed. Not everyone is going to hear what you do. It's crucial you audition the speakers to make sure they are going to give you what you want in your listening room. If you are interested in Cambridge you are going to have to go to Richer Sounds which isn't a bad place to start as they should have a good selection of speakers to try it out with. And don't just listen to the usual suspects.

 

[newman]

Maybe a better question would be: what else should I look for (and try to audition) in given price range? I'm actually more concerned about the speakers...

And what will be a definite improvement from what I have now?

Also, what about Vincent SP 331? Has anyone had any experience with it?

 

[jonathanRD]

Starting from such a wide open choice you may just get some people's personal preferences which may or may not be that helpful to start with.

Do you have a local hifi shop that you can drop into and arrange a demo? This would be a good place to start, tell them what kit you have, what you are basically interested in, what your budget is, what type of music you listen to, and some details of your room. See what they advise, and after a demo - then come back and ask some further questions based on what you have listened to.

 

[newman]

Starting from such a wide open choice you may just get some people's personal preferences which may or may not be that helpful to start with.

Do you have a local hifi shop that you can drop into and arrange a demo? This would be a good place to start, tell them what kit you have, what you are basically interested in, what your budget is, what type of music you listen to, and some details of your room. See what they advise, and after a demo - then come back and ask some further questions based on what you have listened to.

Yeah, I agree, just wanted to narrow down my 'on a budget' choices from people who maybe also have experience with Rega RP1. The music I intend to listen to on my TT is mostly rock, blues and jazz. Also, wanted to know if someone has paired Cambridge CXA60 or Brio R and Concept 20...and what do you generally think of these amps and speakers.

 

[Daz B]

What I would do is find out where the nearest HiFi dealer is then look on there website. Look for the the speakers they stock and look at speakers in your price range. Many have customer reviews so look at the reviews and draw up a short list. Take that short list to the dealer and arrange a audition of the chosen speakers. If you are interested in the Rega Brio or Cambridge amp try to go to dealer who has one to audition the speakers with your chosen amp.

 

[cisamcgu]

Hi Newman,

You don't say what the "problem" is so I would think it might be difficult to say what might be better - I have a very limited knowledge and would hestitate to recommend anything. I have a very old Rega Planar 3 which, through a NAD 316bee (using a Rega fono mini) and Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (the new version), sounds pretty good to me. I replaced the old cartridge with a Nag MP110 which made it a much more pleasureable experience to listen to, my lack of skill/knowledge limits my ability to describe the improvement, but suffice it to say it is very good to my ears.

I had a demo in a local hifi shop for the speakers, which lasted a couple of hours and went through a fair number of speakers, but the MA were the best to me, and continue to delight at home.

Good luck, but I think you need to decide what is "missing" before spending any money.

Andrew

 

[jonathanRD]

Starting from such a wide open choice you may just get some people's personal preferences which may or may not be that helpful to start with.

Do you have a local hifi shop that you can drop into and arrange a demo? This would be a good place to start, tell them what kit you have, what you are basically interested in, what your budget is, what type of music you listen to, and some details of your room. See what they advise, and after a demo - then come back and ask some further questions based on what you have listened to.

Yeah, I agree, just wanted to narrow down my 'on a budget' choices from people who maybe also have experience with Rega RP1. The music I intend to listen to on my TT is mostly rock, blues and jazz. Also, wanted to know if someone has paired Cambridge CXA60 or Brio R and Concept 20...and what do you generally think of these amps and speakers.

Whilst I've got the old Brio so haven't listened to the R version, it is generally accepted that Rega products do work well together. FWIW when I was picking up my RS5's and discussing an amp upgrade, the dealer sang the praises of the Brio R and advised to try it before going further up the chain. So if you can, get a demo with it connected to a RP1 - it's worth at least a demo.

 

[Al ears]

Maybe a better question would be: what else should I look for (and try to audition) in given price range? I'm actually more concerned about the speakers...

And what will be a definite improvement from what I have now?

Also, what about Vincent SP 331? Has anyone had any experience with it?

The SP331 is a stereo power amp, you are going to need an integrated amplifier as the Rega mini is only a phono preamp with no volume control.

 

[rainsoothe]

Hi. If you don't need the optical/coax in of the CXA60, then no reason to get that - a Brio R will be just fine. And you can even sell your phono stage, since it's most likely identical to the one in Brio R. Also, with the saved cash, you should upgrade your RP1.

If you don't like rega (like me) you could get a Nad C316BEE, or, even better, get an XTZ setup: XTZ A100D3 + XTZ93.23 mk2 speakers. It also has a phonostage. It will blow everything else out of the water for the price (provided you have room for the 20kg XTZ amp), and it also has phono stage and digital inputs like the CXA60.