Speakers to get best from Rega Brio / Rp3 ?

martinhenry

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I need some help in determining both a suitable spec for a speaker upgrade to my system .



System is a newbie HiFi Rega set-up ...... RP3 with Exact / Neo Power supply, Q Acoustic 3050's , Rega Apollo Cd player, Van Den Hul D102 interconnect. I play mainly jazz ( piano / saxophone ) , vocal music ( Aretha, Beth Hart, Van Morrison, Neil Young, ) and Prog Rock . Clarity and timing is more important than volume. The room is a loft conversion with sloping sides, and large wooden rafters ... approx 4m by 8m, with the speakers in front of the 4m wall , and a chipboard floor covered by carpet on which I have some heavy 2" slate slabs as speaker bases.



I feel the 3050's are slightly too powerful for the room , have a saggy bass , and require careful room placement. So looking for a speaker upgrade to give clarity to mid range vocals / piano/ sax, a more defined sound stage and a tighter bass ....and that can be driven by the Brio ( 2017 , 50w ).



Prefer a not too big floorstander , which is why looked at the Rega RX3 / 5 ...bur reviews are somewhat mixed. Budget important ...but really defined by what the Brio can handle .



Can you please help / give me some suggestions ?
 
Firstly .. what is your budget..

My immediate thought is spendor as the original brio went very very well with the A1 standmounter.

So Spendor... Floorstanding wise.. the s6e (older model) perfect.. or the newer A2 (ex demos usually around the 1500 mark)

Alternatively the matching rega rs3 (original pairing) or the newer rx3 (typically around the 1300 mark)
I would strongly advise that you do not get the rx5.. that is the most problematic speaker with sound and presentation.. the rx3 is far superior and even to the rx5

Rega always partner rega well.. they were made for each other.

Re the reviews.. this is true there are very mixed reviews of the rx3 and rs3.. This is one speaker you tend to have to toe outwards rather than inwards to find that sweet spot. The brio went ok with both the speakers, but alot of rega users tend to upgrade to the elex-r especially if going the rx3 route as the older brio "seems" to not quite.. hit that mark

The rx3.. is NOT an upgraded rs3 to be clear.. it is a totally re-designed speaker.

Spendor go well with just about anything and provide a very airy true sound. This has always been the way with them
 
Thanks for your reply .... re the RX3 , I have the newer Brio which I understand has a bit more oomph ,. I am drawn towards the Spendor design , but have heard that they have high power requirements from the amp ....the RX3 needs 89db @ 6 ohms, whereas the Spendor A2 is 85DB @ 8 ohms .... will the Brio at 50 amps per channel will be up to the latter ?
 
Thanks for your reply .... re the RX3 , I have the newer Brio which I understand has a bit more oomph ,. I am drawn towards the Spendor design , but have heard that they have high power requirements from the amp ....the RX3 needs 89db @ 6 ohms, whereas the Spendor A2 is 85DB @ 8 ohms .... will the Brio at 50 amps per channel will be up to the latter ?
In short yes the brio will be fine... however please note that whilst the Spendor is 4db less sensitive.. it is still an easy to drive speaker at 8ohm.

You will however find the volume pot will be limited with the spendor. 3db is roughly a double / halving of power depending on which way you go.

So the spendor will appear to be half as loud as the rega. But unless you are rocking at crazy volume levels... you wont really have any issues with outright loudness. (just ensure the rega isnt boxed in and has good airflow due to the higher volume use)

The brio i believe is 50w at 8ohm and 73w at 4ohm.. the rx3 needs an average of 50w at 6ohm (including reserve) so its fine. (rx3 is specified as needing amp with 30-100w requirement into 6ohm)
 
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I see the Spendor S6e is slightly easier to drive at 89 bd @ 8 ohms ...... would that be the better way to go than the newer 2 , or does it not matter ?

Lastly both the Rega and Spendor speakers have a reputation as being slightly austere ...particularly if not being driven hard ........ as the Rega set up is based on refinement rather than expression , do you feel thiese combinatiuons might be too safe ? ( Thoufg I am now a mature jazz lover rather than a rocker ! ).

Thanks for your input ! Its not so easy to get insight down in the wilds of Cornwall !
 
I personally haven't come across that with rega / spendor when listened with a rega amp/cd/turntable.
usually mid to half volume is where they come alive i have found.
asutere i am not sure on.. slightly clinical.. maybe.. but that the resolution of the speaker showing its class. with jazz.. you should be fine.

once the covid19 situation passes.. i'd strongly suggest a demo.. rega dealers are easy to find in cornwall.. the problem is spendor.. Cardiff or Bristol are the nearest i am afraid....
 
Thanks again ....however there is a pair of S6e going for £500 or so ...... just might be forced to give them a try blind .....
 
Thanks again ....however there is a pair of S6e going for £500 or so ...... just might be forced to give them a try blind .....
I'd probably wait a bit for @Hixs @Paul7777x @Ugg10 to have a read and comment first on this thread.. they know the spendor and rega lines better than me.
 
I will do as you suggest and sit on my hands for the moment ....and again thanks !
 
I will do as you suggest and sit on my hands for the moment ....and again thanks !
No worries.. I tagged them in my post there so they will get a notification. always best to get several views especially from 3 of the more experienced members here.. i'll also tag @gibbsy
 
I‘d first of all give up reading much into the dB specs printed on speakers and in manuals.

They are not really helpful at all unless they are supplemented by a well specked graph from 20Hz to 20Khz showing the minimum impedance and where it is.

What is much more important is the speakers load that it presents to an amplifier and the amps ability to respond.

The Brios 50w into 8Ohms doesn’t look particularly impressive, but it does have adequate reserves for low Ohm loads.

As for speakers, I doubt you’d do better than a pair of good condition Spendors.

I’m not a fan of QA speakers, I think they are adequate at their price, but have less than optimal bass control with any given amp. Flabby, for want of a better word.

No one, to my knowledge, has ever claimed Spendors to be flabby.

And, for what my opinion is worth, those who might describe some Spendors as ‘dry’ or some such are simply mistaking fast, accurate bass.

They want to hear bloat whether they know so or not.

For your musical taste, a pair of well placed Spendors and the Brio will be an excellent combination.

As Orobas says, Spendors play well with any good quality amp, And the Brios is definitely that.

Also, buying used to test out speakers can be a pain, but it does not cost a great deal as you won’t lose much by selling them on.

(A bit of time and patience required too, but that’s also not much as you’ll likely get what you want and keep them for years of pleasure).

It does however give you a good chance to listen in your own home, in your own seat. It’s the only proper way to audition.
 
Thank you for your input ...... its funny ( and pleasing ) that of all the speaker manufacturers out there I was drawn to Spendors already, so we are pushing at an open door . Now to compare the S6e and the Spendor 2 ...... do you have any experience of the two ?
 
Ps, as For Rega speakers. I love them. I’ve owned the RS1s, RS3, a pair of
kytes and my friend had a pair of Elas for year.

All are very entertaining speakers.

No speaker is perfect naturally, but some, like Spendor and Rega, just do their admirable stuff without inducing any qualms in the listener.
 
The a2 is the baby brother (6inch mid bass) of the a4 which is a world class speaker (7inch mid bass) . sonically.. much superior to the older s6e .. but doesnt have the bass level of the older s6e.

the a2 will be alot quicker and more agile than the s6e and a much tighter (albeit lighter) bass response. the a2 is a very lovely polite speaker
 
Hmmmmm .... second hand S6E @ £500 , ex demo A2 @ £1450 . What about the S6R ?
 
if you mean the A6R ... only fault with that model is that treble.. that can get rather lively if used with a forward amp.. I dont know the S6R .... didnt know they did one..

But... i can maybe tempt on the A6 from kent.. SPENDOR A6 LOUDSPEAKERS (Kent) | eBay currently just under £900 boxed delivered..

That A6 is prob the better choice over the S6
 
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if you mean the A6R ... only fault with that model is that treble.. that can get rather lively if used with a forward amp.. I dont know the S6R .... didnt know they did one..

But... i can maybe tempt on the A6 from kent (Kent) | eBay currently just under £900 boxed delivered..

That A6 is prob the better choice over the S6


Apologies ...I meant the A6R. I will have a look .
 
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AAAArgh ...my head aches ....going to have a lie down ! Any further suggestions welcome though ...keep them coming !
 
I think 2nd hand.. that A6 would be very hard to beat.. but like i say pay heed to the suggestions offered by @Paul7777x and the others i tagged once they get here.. i know there is a timer on that A6 but if you can tempt fate and wait..
 
i can’t comment on Spendor speakers but I‘d throw KEF speakers into the mix. I can attest to how well Rega amps match with KEF speakers and I know @gibbsy would agree
 
Go with Rega speakers - have had older Regas and still have RS1s and RS7s - not found anything that improves on them in their price range and as Paul7777x said they are very entertaining with a very natural presentation - they do not get in the way of the music like some speakers can.
 
i can’t comment on Spendor speakers but I‘d throw KEF speakers into the mix. I can attest to how well Rega amps match with KEF speakers and I know @gibbsy would agree
I do indeed.:smashin:
 
i can’t comment on Spendor speakers but I‘d throw KEF speakers into the mix. I can attest to how well Rega amps match with KEF speakers and I know @gibbsy would agree


Thanks to everyone ..... any suggestions re which Kef's I should consider ....... something second hand , so perhaps an older model .... ?
 
I think 2nd hand.. that A6 would be very hard to beat.. but like i say pay heed to the suggestions offered by @Paul7777x and the others i tagged once they get here.. i know there is a timer on that A6 but if you can tempt fate and wait..


There's a pair of A6R 's on ebay at £1100 ...... these are the replacements for the A6 are they not ....... how do you compare these with the A6's ? ..... I know the former have a prominent high end , but with the rega system is that likely to be a problem ? And is the Brio ok to drive the slightly bigger Spendor models ?
 
I‘d first of all give up reading much into the dB specs printed on speakers and in manuals.

They are not really helpful at all unless they are supplemented by a well specked graph from 20Hz to 20Khz showing the minimum impedance and where it is.

What is much more important is the speakers load that it presents to an amplifier and the amps ability to respond.

The Brios 50w into 8Ohms doesn’t look particularly impressive, but it does have adequate reserves for low Ohm loads.

As for speakers, I doubt you’d do better than a pair of good condition Spendors.

I’m not a fan of QA speakers, I think they are adequate at their price, but have less than optimal bass control with any given amp. Flabby, for want of a better word.

No one, to my knowledge, has ever claimed Spendors to be flabby.

And, for what my opinion is worth, those who might describe some Spendors as ‘dry’ or some such are simply mistaking fast, accurate bass.

They want to hear bloat whether they know so or not.

For your musical taste, a pair of well placed Spendors and the Brio will be an excellent combination.

As Orobas says, Spendors play well with any good quality amp, And the Brios is definitely that.

Also, buying used to test out speakers can be a pain, but it does not cost a great deal as you won’t lose much by selling them on.

(A bit of time and patience required too, but that’s also not much as you’ll likely get what you want and keep them for years of pleasure).

It does however give you a good chance to listen in your own home, in your own seat. It’s the only proper way to audition.


Thankyou ... your time and comments much appreciated in these troubled times when it is not possible to audition ! Which of the past / current Spendor ranges would you suggest I look at for a good second hand option ........ currently thinking of A2, A6R, or A6 ......
 

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