TAS 196: B&W CM7 and Rega RS5 Loudspeakers

Affordable and Musically Satisfying

Rega RS5

For most of us who have followed England’s Rega for the past 30 or so years, the name conjures thin-slab turntables of ultra-simplicity and high-performance-to-cost ratio. What many do not realize, or may be barely aware of, is that Rega also builds really good electronics and, yes, even loudspeakers. The company successfully made the transition from a relatively small craftshop into a fully modern manufacturing company, occupying a 30,000+ square-foot factory and design center that employs more than 50 people. The entire production is dedicated to two-channel products. Rega makes most of the parts in house, and uses local suppliers whenever possible.

This polymorphous nature is but a part of the Rega story. More significantly, even in the days when nearly every other manufacturer decided that home theater was the most likely path to long-term prosperity, Rega held firm to its dedication to good old-fashioned stereophonic sound. Put another way, Rega never felt that you had to sell bags of popcorn in order to get music lovers to stay in their seats. Just good, engaging, and compelling sound at workingman’s prices. Adding to the firm’s iconoclasm is this: In a day when outsourcing is about as commonplace as a Republican sex scandal, Rega does not outsource. While many a fine product is built overseas (see B&W above), Rega builds all its gear in the U.K., and sources pretty much all its component parts from local suppliers. Funny, isn’t it, how this sort of backward thinking suddenly seems very forward thinking?

Now, I’ve been a Rega fan for a long time. I once sold mountains of its turntables at retail, and have reviewed nearly as many of its products over the years. But the $1600 RS5 is not only the first Rega speaker I’ve reviewed; it’s one of the few I’ve ever heard. According to U.S. importer Steve Daniels of the Sound Organisation, the RS5 is the first RS-series Rega speaker to be reviewed on these shores.

Like B&W’s CM7, the RS5 is a relatively tiny tower design. And while it may not be as “finished” as that model—it lacks the sexy gloss cabinet, slick metal work, and overall refinement mentioned above—this is a speaker that, from the first notes, tells you it’s got something special to offer.           

Listening to Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning [Saddle Creek LP] revealed an outstanding balance between Conor Oberst’s introspective, slightly quivering voice, the shimmering clarity of the acoustic guitars, and the rumbling, beautifully defined drums. The Rega RS5 opened up a large window to the sound that, while focused and grounded, seemed at the same time to blossom beyond the boundaries of the cabinet.

This open window to the event would confirm itself on records ranging from Neil Young’s Live at Massey Hall [Reprise CD], where Young’s voice and big ol’ Martin dreadnought are engulfed by the venue’s ambience and enthusiastic crowd, to Donald Byrd’s The Cat Walk [Music Matters Blue Note LP (review this issue)], where you virtually get to peek in on a Rudy Van Gelder recording session, to a seat at Ligeti’s comic nightmare opera Le Grande Macabre [Sony CD], a stunning recording that pretty much defines words such as “transparent” and “palpable.”

I believe that much of this quality begins with Rega’s cabinet, available in natural cherry or black ash veneers, which is relatively lightweight and quite rigid. The midrange driver is sealed within its own chamber, tweeter below, while a bass driver fires out the side and a front-loaded vent hovers near the enclosure’s spiked bottom.

The side woofers and front vents also allow for quite a bit flexibility when it comes to room placement—woofers inside or out depending on proximity to sidewalls, with the front ports allowing for closer to rear-wall placement in smaller rooms.

The new, hand-assembled-in-house HF20-ZRR tweeter is a Rega-designed silk dome with excellent detail, air, and smooth response. The midrange and bass units are also built in house, and Rega’s RR125 mid/bass driver should be singled out for its musicality and integration within the design. Rega also boasts of its simple, easy-to-drive crossover networks, which are in keeping with the company’s “less is more” philosophy.

Returning to Wilco’s new record emphasized the RS5’s strengths—excellent clarity, an uncluttered stage, natural tonality, a large transparent presentation, and fine focus. Its tonal balance is nearly spot-on, though some, no doubt, will prefer a more muscular sound.