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Review 2 of 3
Price Paid:
$2700.00
from Eugene Hi Fi Summary:
The R7 loudspeaker ably continues Rega's fine tradition of making very musical, listenable audio components with reasonable pricing that are wholly designed and built in the United Kingdom. I've owned several very good speakers over the years, each from highly capable manufacturers, and absolutely none of them has engaged me like the pair of Rega R7s has. The sound is nicely detailed and "accurate" without the attendant brightness or harshness that many other speakers posses. The midrange is natural--voices, male and female--seem utterly "real" and fleshed out. The bass, being a transmission-line design is also superb: weighty and full, yes, but also with articulate speed and snap. All of this overall audio excellence and seemless driver integration may come from the fact that Rega makes their own drivers in-house, in the UK.
I listen to primarily rock music (all kinds, from "classic" to "indie" to everything in between) and the R7s play it all. The slam of Led Zeppelin or The Who is well rendered; and, the swagger of The Stones and the intricacy of The Beatles are highlighted as well. 80's synth-pop sounds great as does the newer "alt.country" of Wilco or Son Volt. Jazz from Miles to Coltrane sounds organic and alive as well. Nothing played through the Rega R7s sound less than musical and enjoyable; they are an "audiophile" product for people who care more about the music being played than what the music is being played on.
These are also the easiest speakers to place in a room that I've ever used. Simply give them a bit of room (inches, not feet) and place them firing forward and you have music.
The cabinets are very stylish (pictures simply don't do the R7 justice) and well-made, though perhaps not quite up the standards of some other higher-end models. Strengths:
-Easy to place/position.
-Musical, highly listenable.
-Detailed, natural.
-Great bass response. Weaknesses:
-Cabinets, while great looking, could be a bit better-finished.
-Binding posts are nothing to write home about. Similar Products Used:
Spendor S8e
KEF Q9
Vienna Acoustics Bach and Mozart
B&W 603, 604, and 704
Paradigm Reference series
Focal V series
Linn
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5 of 5
