Rega News | Definitive Audio Music Matters 11
Posted by The Sound Organisation on Oct 12th 2018
Originally Published March 28, 2016
Rega highlights the new RX5 speaker at Definitive's Music Matters event.
We were on hand to celebrate Definitive Audio's 40th Anniversary and show off a full Rega system featuring the new RX5 speaker. Held annually, Music Matters is a open invitation for music lovers and audiophiles to see and hear presentations by various manufacturers in a no pressure environment. Great food, plentiful wine and good beer helped the mood. It was a wonderful event not only celebrating this venerable retailer but the joy of music and listening. We look forward to doing it again next year! Find a retailer near you to experience Rega.
Excerpt from The Absolute Sound's Music Matters coverage:
The real surprise of the event was the delightful and quite full-sounding—and much cheaper—Rega system demonstrated by Sound Organisation's David Carr in Room 6: RX5 speaker ($2995/pr.), Elicit-R integrated amp ($2995), Apollo-R CD player ($1095), RP6 turntable ($1495); AudioQuest Niagara 1000 line conditioner ($995) and signal and power cables; and Quadraspire SVT2 rack. For under $11,000 (including the cabling and rack), this system was legitimately satisfying, and provided a good example of the high-end ethos of delivering meaningful and fulfilling musical experiences for less than stratospheric prices. This all-Rega system made me want to just sit back and listen to the musical performances. I sort of liked its unpretentious appearance, too. The RX5 speaker has two side-firing woofers and a front-firing port, so it can be placed close to a wall and still function well. The bass was notably full—although not as clearly defined as I am used to, but I suspect this could be improved upon with some careful positioning adjustments. The system did not come across as overtly polite, in the traditional British wane from perhaps a decade ago or so. This relatively humble system was, in fact quite engaging and alive-sounding. It imparted a healthy helping of "musical nourishment," if you will.
-Kirk Midtskog, The Absolute Sound
Excerpt from Stereophile Magazine's Music Matters coverage:
Making its mark as the most compact, lowest priced system on display, an all-Rega lineup drew lovely, warm timbres from Pat Metheny's guitar. I also enjoyed the lovely tonal balance on a track by UK pop artist Ed Shearin. A track by Rochelle Ferrell and, on vinyl, a funeral march by Edvard Grieg were equally rewarding. I was also impressed by the liquidity on a track by Blood, Sweat & Tears. I wouldn't claim either this or Linn's set-up could match the transparency of the other systems on display, but the enjoyment factor was extremely high. Kudos to David Carr of The Sound Organization for his ability to fit so much wide-ranging music into a compact presentation.
Doing the honors were Rega's newest loudspeaker, the RX5 ($2995/pair), whose side-firing woofer and front-firing bass port allow for maximum placement flexibility. Joining it were Rega's anything but illicit Elicit-R integrated amp ($2995), Apollo-R CD player ($1095), and RP6 turntable ($1495). AudioQuest's Niagara1000 line conditioner ($995) and cabling and a Quadraspire SVT2 rack completed the chain. Note that 99% of Rega's products are manufactured in the UK rather than China.
-Jason Victor Serinus, Stereophile Magazine