Rega R3 or Paradigm Studio 20 V.3 with Rega Brio 3

Hey Rich,

By the way, I just looked at your system and notice you have a Rega Apollo! That is the best sounding CD player I have heard, bar none. Although I have not listened to $5000 or higher CD players, I did listen to a NAIM player and I thought the Apollo sounded better in my opinion. Granted, I was listening to the Apollo with a Rega Brio 3 AND Rega R3 speakers, so there may something to be said for synergy. How do you like your Apollo?

Because budget is key, there are some great deals out there with speakers. Epos 12s, Era Design 4s, Omega Compact Hemps, PSB Alphas are very value oriented and match other speakers at 3 to 5x the price. You should see how they match your music tastes. I personally think the Paradigm Atoms v5 are hard to beat for performance and a steal at $300.

There are some incredible PC/digital systems coming out of the professional musician world. You should audition those as well. Blue Sky Audio (available through Guitar Center) and Audioengine (direct buy) both make incredible enclosed speakers that sound fantastic in small rooms (i.e. bed rooms and dens). I just got a Blue Sky EXO system at Guitar Center for $210 for my college aged son and it totally rocks with an iPod or his Apple. They call it a poor man's ATC Monitors (one of the pro standards) and I was completely blown away by the dynamics per cost ratio. If you like Hip Hop, you will love these. They are just plain fun to listen too--because they are nearfield speakers, you can crank them and not disturb the neighbors.

The absolute best CD player for the money costs $40 on Ebay and is the Sony Playstation 1. Sony threw millions of dollars in overbuilding technology into the first generation player and the audio qualities are every bit as good as the NAIM, Rega and Music Hall CDs. It is one of the few times that the big Japanese got it right. Try it before you trade up. It is a system killer for those in the know and is just now getting a buzz on 6 Moons and Stereophile.

Reganfan:

I like the Apollo quite a bit. It is on par with, though slightly different sounding, than a Musical Fidelity A3.2 that I own (inside of a CD PRE 24). Quite frankly, I don't hear the limitations that others have ... I find it to be a very clean sounding and musical sounding player.

To Bongo's response ... be very careful with pairing Omega speakers with anything solid state. I know that Louis partners up with Red Wine, which are digital amps. But I found the Omegas to be wanting with solid state amplifiers from NAD, Musical Fidelity, and vintage Marantz. They sounded best with tubes.

Regards, Rich

Hey Bongofury,

I am looking for a Playstation SCPH-1001 now and they are creeping up in price. Wouldn't I have to have a TV to operate it and set it up? If not, then I will be on the hunt for one soon.

I will check out the speakers you mentioned. The guys I bought my vintage speakers from sell Naim, JM Labs/Focal, Tannoy, Quad, Cambridge Audio, Roksan, Linn, and other high-end brands and they swear by the Mordaunt Shorts that I have. I still can't help but wonder if I bought newer speakers... Anyway, they might have to do for a little while, but I am going to take your advice and listen to the ones you recommended.

Thanks alot

Regafan

Rich is correct on the Omegas. I heard the Omegas on a Red Wine Audio ss rig. I have not heard them on a tube amp. They sounded wonderful--good performance for their size, but Rich has first-hand owner knowledge on how they pair up.

PS: There is nothing wrong with old gear. A lot of it is wonderful. I myself have ATC, Bose, Gallo, Cambridge Audio, Blue Sky Audio, Kef and Paradigm speakers around my house. Each match a different room and mood and how loud or quiet I want to be and the music my collective family plays. I have been in the live touring business for over 25 years and have worked with everybody from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Clash, Bob Dylan and Tony Bennett. My tastes are eclectic but I am very budget minded. My Kefs are 20 years old (bought used: a gift from Pink Floyd and A & M studios) and have not degraded. The Regas I would suspect are cut from the same cloth. I keep wanting to replace them and never find anything that wins me over. They are matched up with vintage gear from that era and I kind of like the retro feel of them when I play vintage records.

I have heard $80 to 150k systems sound terrible in small room environments and $1 to 2k systems sound great. I feel that money does not connote greatness in experience. The British (Rega) and Canadian (PSB, Paradigm) companies seem to get this value equation right out of the box.

Stephen Mejias of Stereophile.com covers lot's of lower priced products within his blog and you can find some nice reviews for budgeted minded buyers. Check out his column before you go out and buy. He just profiled 5 systems for under $1k.