Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Rega Alya Speakers by The Rube

Model:	Alya
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$645
Description:	mini floorstanding speaker
Manufacturer URL:	Rega
Model Picture:	View

Review by The Rube ( A ) on April 04, 2005 at 20:16:47
IP Address: 65.23.172.140

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The obsticle: WAF. My wife is a decorator and views speakers as a blight and had banished a pair of Bose bookshelf speakers behind a love seat and another behind the entertainment center. Funny, it never affected the sound. Also, I was looking for an opportunity to play with tubes, so I picked up a used Jolida 302a and ditched the Bose speakers. I tried giving them to the homeless, but was rejected amidst profanity and righteous indignation.
I'm no expert, but I thought it would be a good idea to place speakers in the open, which meant they had to be small and nice looking. Meadowlark Swifts were considered along with Totem Arros. Neither were auditioned. I also considered a demo pair of Rega Elas, but went with a pair of month old Alyas I found on audiogon.com for $400. Only 28" high!
The speakers were set on the long wall, about six feet apart, toed in, facing the couch about eight feet away. The first note of Norah Jones was amazing. These speakers are made for tubes. Lush, liquid and delicate is how I would describe the sound on CDs by Jones, Jane Monheit and James Taylor.
The simple two-way design, with what appears to be little bracing in these 20 pound speakers, provides sweet highs without brightness and a tremendous midrange. Bass extension is respectable, and with an accurate sub, there is not much these speakers couldn't handle with clean power.
I pushed the Jolida to the 1 o' clock mark and a bit past on Steely Dan with no problem. Room accoustics were an issue long before the speakers showed any strain. In fact, there is a real dignified sound issued by these mites.
Last Saturday, we cranked up B.B. King's Greatest hits, and even old uneven recordings sounded good. Guitar and B.B.'s growl were very well handled and filled the adjoining kitchen with sound.
These speakers will never fill a cavernous family room with sound, but for intimate listening, they are breathtakingly good. If your tastes run toward jazz and accoustic sounds, you will refuse to leave your chair when the music starts. I like the fact that I can get amazing tone and clarity without waking the family when I stay up late. If you want to rock in a small apartment, just add a sub.
The real endorsement is that my wife, who views my audio hobby with bemusement, plays her new system every morning. "I really like the way they sound," she admitted. But she still made me rearrange the whole damn room after the speakers were set up.
I know a good, clean solid state system would do justice to these speakers, but you have to believe Rega had tubes and jazz and accoustic music in mind when they built this diminutive speaker.
I spent $840 on the whole setup. $40 for the CDP, $400 for the Jolida. That's a whole lot of refined sound for just a little bling-bling. Certainly the Rega Elas would have been a step up, but if space and budget are major issues, the Rega Alya will win you over. This is a second system, but it is first rate.
The Rube

Product Weakness: If you love bass, this is not the speaker for you, but it's better than you would expect. It's a bit utilitarian-looking. Just a long, skinny box. It looks better with the grills off. The tweeter might strike some as a bit recessed.
Product Strengths: Price, refined sound, diminutive size, clarity. Nice wood finish. Amazing with tubes. Wonderful depth of sound at low levels. Big sound in a small room.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Jolida sj302a
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	NA
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Toshiba 3960
Speakers:	rega alya
Cables/Interconnects:	Radio Shack 16 guage
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	jazz, accoustic, blues
Room Size (LxWxH):	30' x 12' x 8'
Room Comments/Treatments:	massive leather sound absorbers (couches)
Time Period/Length of Audition:	10 days
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	If you love bass, this is not the speaker for you, but it's better than you would expect. It's a bit utilitarian-looking. Just a long, skinny box. It looks better with the grills off. The tweeter might strike some as a bit recessed.
Product Strengths:	Price, refined sound, diminutive size, clarity. Nice wood finish. Amazing with tubes. Wonderful depth of sound at low levels. Big sound in a small room.