Generally speaking, Rega is a manufacturer known for a series of outstanding products. They have carved their way into the hearts of many audiophiles by questioning the status quo of Hi-Fi development, whilst also creating products to fulfil all price points. The Kytes are Rega’s latest addition…

“A lifetime of musical enjoyment at an affordable price” is Rega’s tagline for these modestly priced speakers. I think it’s safe to say that a lifetime is a pretty long time, so how do they achieve this?

Some may argue that Rega as a company put a lot of emphasis on their research and development as opposed to spending their time and budget on marketing. It’s a case that they let the product speak for itself. That’s no surprise with co-founder & owner, Roy Gandy at the helm. A man with a passion for music and engineering.

“If I was born with a talent, it is the intuition to recognise when something is wrong and the impulsiveness to correct it or search for what is right.” - Roy Gandy

Perhaps if we re-examine the tagline, “A lifetime of Musical Enjoyment...”, it’s not referring to the life expectancy of the product, but the man behind the design and what has gone in to the making of this product?

LET’S GO FLY A KYTE…

So let’s take a peek at Rega’s newest and most affordable loudspeaker, The Kyte.

First announced at the 2020 Bristol Hi-Fi Show, The Kyte’s were set to feature in the yet to be released, System One bundle alongside the IO Amplifier and multi award winning Planar 1 turntable. However this is expected to be due later into this year. Until then, the speakers are available as a stand alone product and sitting at the comfortable price point of around £500.

Let me tell you, I for one feel that Rega have worked their fingers to the bone with these loudspeakers. Featuring their newly designed ZRR high frequency unit paired with a Rega MX-125 bass-mid driver carefully fitted into a phenolic resin cabinet.

Yes, you heard that correct! These speakers feature a plastic resin cabinet. This is something all to familiar in the world of pro music and studio monitors, but something we very rarely see in the Hi-Fi world. The black injection moulded cabinets are supported by ceramic plates/cross bracing which reduces the resonance of an already rigid cabinet. For those who aren’t up on your physics, the idea behind this is the reduction of any unwanted resonance of the cabinet that is naturally generated through the movement of the speaker drivers. That’s the theory anyway, but what is it like in practice?

Put simply, they are excellent! If you remove any misconvienced preconceptions that you may have against plastic cased speakers and give the new Rega Kytes a listen, I think you’ll you will be pleasantly surprised. What Rega have created is a speaker that performs well outside of its budget.

Like many people in their early 20s, I hadn’t grown up with records being the go-to format for music listening. I had traditionally always used streaming or CDs for musical playback. As such, I’m fairly fresh in to the world of record collecting.

After several hours, I found myself fully immersed in the listening experience, falling in love with my records for what felt like the first time. I had pretty much assembled my own Rega One bundle as I paired the speakers with the new Planar One in Matt Black finish and the Rega IO.

I used the Kyte’s in my room on the isoacoustic aperta isolation stands

At first, the speakers threw me off a little. The plastic finish gives them an uninspired look for the most part, however, the saving grace being that this does fit in with the sleek modern design. Putting the aesthetics aside, after two or three records, I was hooked! The Kyte speakers are unassuming but boy do they sure fly high!

The Rega Kytes speakers are a well rounded speaker, not so soft in the top end that it becomes dull, nor too exaggerated to the point where it becomes harsh to your ears. They have nailed a position in the acoustics zenith.

This balance is played off well for the overall tone, as the detail you receive is comparable to high budget speakers.

Now, as I already mentioned, I am younger than the average Hi-Fi enthusiast. And with only having two decades under my belt, there comes a different attitude and feeling towards Hi-Fi technology. It’s not like I was raised in an era where music had restricted releases in the shops or on the radio. I’ve grown up in an age where music is readily available through Youtube or Spotify. I certainly don’t have vivid memories of running to the local record store for the latest release, nor a nostalgia when it comes to the anticipation of placing the stylus on a brand new album for the first time. These experiences are a recent discovery for me. Whilst enjoyable, it does make me feel as if my relationship with music could have been possibly different growing up. But hey, they do say “You’re never too old to start”.

A NEW VINYL AGE?

Did you know that 2020 was the first year vinyl officially outsold CDs since the 1980s? There is an increasing number of younger people exploring this physical format and learning to love music in a new way. But are they falling in love with it in the right way.?

After talking to friends and seeing posts on social media, I’ve noticed that a lot of other young record collectors are accessing the format of vinyl through all-in-one record players, not dedicated Hi-Fi systems.

Often these “one box ” jobs will have the functionality to play both 45 rpm and 33 rpm records at a reasonably loud volume - but often they have the drawback of sounding pretty awful. As if your favourite vinyl was recorded with something a little tike my first walkie talkie. But it isn’t very surprising that so many people go for them when you can pick up one up for under £100. These purely convenient music destroyers are made to be cheap and affordable instead of bringing your music to life and getting the most out of vinyl records.

I think it’s safe to say that they are not doing the playback of your favourite feel good music any justice!

So what’s the alternative to these boxes of doom? Well, on the subject of Rega we’ve already discussed the System One bundle which is due to arrive later this year. Obviously, the entry-level Planar 1 turntable price point doesn’t go as low as the previously mentioned budget record players, but when you consider the engineering that goes in to Rega products, not to mention the fact that they are handmade in England out of top notch components, it’s not really surprising. That being said, it’s not like it breaks the bank either!

I’ve added these points to my review as I did indeed fall in love with my records properly for the first time. I found the urge to explore the vinyl I have collected, even going back through them a few times to enjoy each one again.