Initial impressions/comparison of some demoed speakers

Friend’s after some new speakers – £1k-ish. Browsing around in a local hifi shop yesterday led to with an impromptu 1 hr demoing some contenders they had in stock. Here’s a summary of the initial impressions, in order they were demoed:

(Played through Naim CD5si and Nait 5si – CDs played: Nick Drake Bryter Later; Peter Gabriel Scratch My Back)

· Rega RS5 - Full, lively, detailed sound. Fairly forward but not overly-projected. Had the sideways-firing woofers facing inwards and it did seem to create a bit of a bass-ball in the middle of the soundstage. Soon realised they wouldn’t suit my friend’s lounge as the speakers would sit with space but either side of a central chimney stack – wrong whichever way the ports fired. Sounds like they’d be great speakers if to your taste with necessary space around them – especially with space/potential to have the bass ports firing outwards...

· Kudos X2 – Wowsers. Immediately seemed more neutral and that bit more finely detailed than the Regas. Drake’s guitar seemed more real and sucked you right in. More ‘life’ in the vocals. Connection. Incredibly transparent, but with reasonable heft. General soundstage more held back than the Regas but in no way seeming confined or recessed.

On to some stand-mounts...

· PMC twenty 21 – again incredibly neutral-sounding. Flat, in a good way. Sweet detail. Similar but more holographic kind of soundstage than the X2s – hard to explain... seemed more ‘hanging’. Ultimately that bit less kick that the X2s, but still fulsome, especially for the size.

· Focal Aria 906 – Hmm. Different beasts. All the detail and neutrality suddenly turned in to something far more forward and less apparently concerned with subtleties. The way the vocals were immediately projected upon you was quite astounding – almost felt like having our personal space invaded. Could well be your kind of speaker/requirement if you want that forward sound, but did seem unsophisticated in this company (was cheapest model there though).

· Linn Majik 109 – More like it (to our taste). Silky, neutral, and effortless. Really sucked you in – you felt yourself go to the speaker rather than the other way round. About as a non-fatiguing sound as you can imagine, but far from dead-sounding. Did seem to lack that underlying heft you’d want in crank-it-up moments, though – something missing in the upper-bottom or lower-mids in comparison. Still, gorgeous.

Again, these were just initial impressions, but the consensus favourite was the Kudos X2s. We’re going to demo those again with more material, and hopefully alongside some Neat Motive SX2s that the store can order in.

 

Your experience with the focal speakers mirrors my own, they're a little too aggressive sounding, a little hot in the mid range and upper frequencies. Still, they are listenable but there's about 30 things I like better at the same price point.

 

Geez, I really wanted to love these - they were a perfect match for my situation (wall-siting, non-fatiguing, natural fit for my Linn Majik amp and, as you say, silky, neutral, and effortless.) How did they work for Nick Drake's acoustic guitar? That was the (only!) but fatal deal-breaker for me ... that 2-4k suckout in the mids makes some acoustic instruments sound wrong.

 

Well described, both! Some may well have preferred the Focals or the Linns, but it's probably no conicidence we found the same characteristics. Drake's guitar, with the Linn's, didn't seem wrong as such; but coming from the other speakers the overall sound just seemed to lack that firm underbelly - likely what you're describing.

Even this brief-ish demo, using limited material, really went some way to highlighting certain traits of the speakers in question; and it goes to show whatever you read, whatever associated opinions or expectations you might form (helpful as it all initially may be), there's no substitute at all for listening to something first hand.

 

I heard those Kudos x2's once, powered by the Rega Brio R. Some of the best sound I have ever heard.....

 

Aye, they certainly left an impression. Such unassuming little things too - sat there in their small, simple (but well-made/finished) cabinets....

 

For me it was all about the Rega rs 5's. In my room they are firing out.

 

Can imagine them sounding really quite special in the right space!

 

I think they sounded better in the demo room. However they do sound very nice in my confused living room.

 

RS3 is not too fussy placement wise. I go out on mine too- out does'nt need a lot of space on the sides really but still provide that extra sound fill. My Rega speakers are not as detailed as some others I've had/have, I noticed that imediately in going from my Monitor audio studio 2SE's, but they are detailed enough. The Rega is exceptional for its coherence and grip of beats and percussion (compared to others in their class)....plus as you noted it has a balanced and open sound, especially through the midrange. If he's got a small space try the Rega RS1 but they do not have the fill or extension of the 5's or 3's. You can put the 1's just about anywhere and they might surprise you. The Focals I've demoed are really nice with classical music, pretty good with jazz- but many rock or pop recordings that might sound good on other speakers did not sound good on Focals.

 

Useful, thanks. He's not got a small space as such - it's a medium/large living room - but with the positioning of everything (con WAF) the speakers will be sat with an extruding chimney stack between them and, obviously, a wall either side. Just unlikely to be suited to anything firing sideways or backwards. Will definitely mention the RS1s to bear in mind - cheers.

 

I had the earlier R1 for quite a few years, and in a small room can sound quite nice. Very detailed and quick, but never fatiguing, and with superb imaging. They are a bit on the lean side, however, and sound puny in a larger room, even with reinforcement from a subwoofer.

 

The Rega RS5 is truly one of the best kept bargains in hifi. Great speakers made in the UK for a competitive price. I've heard all the speakers listed with the exception of the Linn Majik 109. The RS5 is the one to have in my humble opinion. Too bad the side firing woofers won't work out in your friend's lounge.