Rega AYA

Hi-Fi loudspeakers may not be the first thing you think about when you mention the Rega name; their class leading turntables have dominated the hi-fi market for nearly two generations for very good reasons; the company's high class engineering has left competitors in their wake. But for thirty years now, Rega has offered full hi-fi systems, amplifiers, at one time a tuner, and even CD players; all with their unique design and cleverly engineered twist. This also applied to their speakers too. Fast, lightweight cones, easy to drive, and offering a really incredibly open sound...

An Interesting Cabinet!

As usual, Rega have taken a unique approach to the new AYA floor standing speakers, one glimpse of the tall slim cabinet tells you that tale!

The cabinet has taken a great deal of research and co-operation with a third party concrete specialist, it is actually a construct of concrete lightened with glass fibre. The material is unfinished, and smooth to the touch. Each cabinet will have its own little unique pattern of micro air bubbles. The cabinet looks very sculptural, and is certainly a talking point in anyone's room.

Compared to a standard wooden box, it is much more rigid, and a far better acoustic enclosure. The base is terminated in a three legged arrangement, which offers perfect floor coupling, and gives the speaker the impression that it is floating in space. The drive units are open and exposed, grills are optional. The tweeter has inbuilt protection from inquisitive fingers, but other than that, they stand naked, at 258 x 871 x 215mm (10.2 x 34.3 x 8.5in) .

It Tweets and Thumps!

Rega list the drive units as the ZRR tweeter, MX-125 five inch mid bass, and RR 7.8 seven inch bass driver. No crossover points are given, but the design is described as a 'two and a half way'. In practice, this means that both the five inch and the eight inch driver handle the lower bass frequencies, with just the upper frequencies rolled off the larger unit.

Both units appear to be of doped paper construction, and both are fitted with phase plugs in the centre. Both units share the same space in the cabinet, with an acoustic resistance unit splitting the cabinet in to two sections, the drive units in the top half, with tuned bass port in the lower.

Not a space port chromey, for the umteenth time!! Bless him

What Drives Us?

Rega speakers of the past have been famed for their ease of drive, and the new AYA follows this established pattern. A modest 6 ohm nominal load is 50% higher than the currently accepted 'norm' of 4 ohms, and is easier for an amplifier to drive.

In addition, the Rega AYA is well above average when it comes to sensitivity. Sensitivity is essentially how efficient the speaker is at producing acoustic power from the amplifier's power in watts; the AYA will play very loud from as little as 20 watts, even 10 watts in smaller rooms, yet can handle well up to a 110 watts, enough to fill a very large space.

Room Friendly.

The low coloration and non resonant cabinet enables the speakers to be used in many different positions in a room. All speakers require a little space to perform at their absolute best, but of course they have to fit both physically and aesthetically in to our rooms. But this is one speaker that will work reasonably close to walls.

The port at the front affords you the ability to place close to the wall

The Music Matters!

If you have heard a Rega speaker before, you will hear the clear family pedigree in this new design, with an open and liquid midrange, excellent stereo image and precise sound stage.

The speaker responds well to more budget oriented systems, as well as the much more High-End. On arrival in store, we ran the new AYA up on around £15,000 worth of Naim pre-power-streamer system. The AYA did not disappoint. Skipping through a few tracks, the classic 1972 track by The Temptations, Papa Was A Rolling Stone popped up. On this song, each of the vocalists are positioned in a different location within the mix, and on a good system, you can hear quite clearly this splendid stereo effect. And again, on a good system, the different vocal characteristics of the singers shows clearly, and the Rega AYA excelled on this track.

Another 70s special, Bob James and the track, Angela (more familiar as the theme tune to the cult TV show Taxi). Bob James' Fender Rhodes electric piano sounded really clear, the midrange is really a stunning part of this superb speakers design, which as with The Temptations track, human voice is handled aplomb.

Sticking with the 70s vibe, some rare grooves from Camille Yarbrough and Take Your Praise (famously sampled by Fatboy Slim) which has low down sassy vocals and a solid bass line, the AYA did a fabulous job rendering this track, as they did on the more funky Hit or Miss, by Odetta. The piano, bass and drums sounds of Vince Guaraldi, and the recently remastered Black Orpheus soundtrack further proved the AYA's exceptional stereo imaging and life like qualities.

Jumping forward, and back in to the 21st century, the speaker had no problems with more modern programme material, as well as our classic choices. The treble is clean and fast, not bright and splashy, but smooth and controlled. The speaker's efficiency dictates that the bass end is never going to be thunderously deep, but they do go deep, and have a nice warming punch, that in no way effects the gloriously open and spacious midrange.

Chromey takes a stance on good feet and sits down on Aya’s feet.

How Much??, Give Over!!

Even on a much more modest Rega Brio amplifier accompanied by the Rega Planar 3 turntable, the fidelity remains top notch. One thing we haven't mentioned yet is the new AYA's price.

Despite the unique bespoke and rather clever cabinets, the handmade drive units and rigorous testing, the AYA costs a modest £1,499*. On a value for money note, there are few speakers that come close to the AYA on its liquid midrange, its openness, ease of drive and ease of use. A speaker that is at home in a High-End system, as much as a more budget friendly one. The unique looks might be a bit of a 'marmite' issue. But if you are in the market for a speaker at this price point, it is really hard not to give this excellent new addition to the Rega range an audition in store.

Our Rega Aya are on display and ready to demonstrate at our Manchester store. Please feel free to come along to the store and seek out the Rega Aya and see “how they doin’ "

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

Thanks for reading

Haden (Photos by Munir) - Audio T Manchester

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