Rega started in 1973 when they started designing turntables that became extremely popular. Their founder, Roy Gandy, uses a different approach to audio design. He made turntables light and small, which won Rega several awards and increased their fanbase by a lot. In this article, we will review the new Rega Aya loudspeakers, they have been in development for over 10 years and have a unique look and design that makes them stand out from other speakers in the market.
Review
The Rega Aya is a small floor-standing speaker. It weighs about 31 pounds and will fit into any room. It is a front-ported speaker, which means you can place it close to your walls without having any of the echo or boom effect you would get with rear-ported speakers. The small feet at the bottom of the speaker make it tilt backward, this allows for more vertical dispersion which will make the speaker sound taller and give better realism.
Like all Rega products, the Rega Aya loudspeakers were made in England. The price for materials has gone up drastically, Rega took notice of this as the materials were becoming too expensive to be used in affordable high-end speakers. Rega searched for alternative materials that would give even better performance and keep costs below the line, and after 10 years of research and development, they decided to make their new enclosure out of fiberglass-reinforced cement. Anyone who has used cement knows it is a very dense material, and it is perfect for enclosures and reducing resonance. The enclosure was reinforced with fiberglass so that it wouldn’t crack or break, as cement by itself is very brittle and prone to damage.
The front baffle is made from MDF (Medium-Density Fiberboard), with vinyl wrapped in an aluminum finish. Rega used an inert plastic plate to hold all the drivers, this along with the reinforced cement greatly reduces resonance. The Rega Aya does not have grilles for the front, but you can purchase them separately. There are high-quality binding posts on the metal feet of the speakers, and you have banana or spade connections.
Since their start, Rega has designed their own drivers, which gives them greater flexibility and customization options. With the Aya, Rega used their ZRR high-frequency tweeter. This tweeter uses Zero-Real Reflection technology to vent the tweeter’s back wave. These waves are reflected to a rear chamber and not to the tweeter dome itself, which allows the tweeter to be more accurate and less distorted.
The Rega Aya has a custom GRC cabinet, which holds a 5-inch handmade MX-125 bass mid driver, and a 7-inch RR7.8 bass driver. The speaker has a 6-ohm design that is compatible with almost all of the amplifiers on the market. Any amplifier with a good power supply will improve performance, but we found that the Rega Aya was better suited for high-power integrated amplifiers. In testing, I used the Eversolo AMP-F10 with these speakers.
The Rega Aya can go down to 40HZ, this eliminates the need for a subwoofer and only true bass lovers will feel the need to add one. The position of these speakers does have a noticeable impact on the overall sound. If you move them closer to the walls, you will experience more bass. Because of the speaker’s height, I was expecting a lower soundstage, but the backward tilting did its job and I got an amazing soundstage from the Rega Aya loudspeakers. When listening to music, the midrange has a lot of detail and the treble is smooth, and the soundstage has more depth and height than I expected.
Verdict
The Rega Aya loudspeakers are a testament to Rega’s dedication to innovative audio engineering and timeless design. With its compact size, unique fiberglass-reinforced cement enclosure, and meticulously designed drivers, the Aya delivers a sound experience that competes with speakers well above its price point. The attention to detail in construction and sound design ensures clarity, depth, and realism, making these speakers suitable for both casual listeners and audiophiles. For those seeking high-performance, visually striking loudspeakers that excel in both form and function, the Rega Aya loudspeakers are a standout choice.