RR125 from rega

rega RR125

Ok, here it goes: does anyone has any experience with Rega drivers or their speakers (like Kyte, RS1 and so on...). I had some decade ago their small Kyte speakers on stands and like the big, spacious soundstage with realistic timbre and good vocals. Only big speaker offered me later better performance.
I had some fostex (fe206e in front horn and fe103 but they seem to make sound too monitor like and not so lifelike). I admit I forgot the 103 performance but remember liking them somehow with smaller pieces of music (vocals, chamber), but did not like their smallish power and dynamics. The sound wasn´t as big as with Kytes either.
Now, I got some old JR149 speakers that have the bass 5" unit missing but the tweeter is there. They look promising as they are of oval aluminium shape and will use them as my working speakers. That means 1m max. away and fed by pc with DAC and amp (still deciding to buy either a smaller tube amp or some chip T-amp-never heard them and want to try one, now I have quite good old Sony reciever, the STR6046 model).
My question is - this driver RR125 from Rega or some new Fostex like FF 125 WK full range.
There is also possibility that I replace the tweeter and put some planar ribbon there to cover above 7khz if the RR125 driver doesn´t go so high as FR (something like jr149 , below).

What scares me is the aluminium dustcap on the FF125 WK. I usually detect metal membranes immediately and my ears are fixed on paper sound as an ok element. Even big planars don´t play for me. Khm, ribbon tweeter... maybe it will iritate me also 😉
I do listen to large orchestral music and right now I have some Monacor sph68x drivers (spectrumaudio) installed in and they can cope with that quite ok but their resolution is not on par with regas and fostex.

Any suggestions about different driver or maybe just on sound of fostex ff125wk, regarding the alu dustcap.

thank you in advance

I read this:
thread
and it seems that ff125wk is quite liked.

!!
T
 
T:
as for the aluminum ridged dust cap on the WK series, I've heard 4 of 5 models of this new series to date (missing only the 225), and don't find anything annoying with them, which was certainly not the case with the FE138ESR which was the first Fostex I heard with a similar design feature.


That said, if you've not heard a metal membrane full-range driver that you could tolerate (and after hearing several nasty implementations with cheapy MCMs, a pair of damaged Jordan JX92, and numerous alu / magnesium dome tweeters, I was more than a bit tentative myself), then for near field listening, you might want to consider something like Mark Audio CHP70.3 and small fabric dome tweeter (such as CSS ERT26) I've built a couple of nice sounding systems with that exact combination.
 
crossoverless

Thanks.
I must add that bRega designed those midband drivers so that they can be used without crossover to the tweetr. Something with the voice coil tunning. These makes them even more interesting. But don´t know where the tweeter was crossed.
I will skip the metal membranes this time, but thank you anyway!

!!
T
 
fair enough - I'm jus sayin that if you've not heard some of the more recent examples of metal membranes (such as any of Mark Fenlon's designs), or hybrids such as the Fostex WK series, then how can you be sure they should be categorically overlooks?

Some of the most idiosyncratic, costly, and to me avoidable FR drivers that I have heard were of the light weight paper variety - e.g. Lowther and Feastrex. No doubt it could have been the specific applications, but I'd prefer to leave the "highly strung thoroughbreds" to others
 
agree

I agree. I am maybe clinging toward the driver I know instead to move to something that could be much better. Well I heard once Lowther (with electromagnet) and laughed how bad it sounded. I don´t know what was wrong but it was just screaming even at low levels. The guy also adjusted bias from time to time but there was not radical change in the sound. And my Fostex were almost the same. But in the front horn they shine! Even on open baffle they astonish from time to time but only on low levels.
Well, let see if somebody knows this driver first then I will decide. But those Rega got something so right.... petty nobody knows or talks about them (they are "just" 60$ a piece same as ff125Wk.

!!
T
 
The Rega Kyte was a superb little speaker and still is. If you mate that mid bass to the Scan Speak D2008/851100 tweeter it's a superb performer on vocals and instrumental, or perhaps something like the Peerless XT19?

You could probably squeeze some decent bass using a BR cabinet but that's conjecture as I don't know the T/S for those particular drivers, all I know is the Kyte was one of my four all time favourite speakers!

P.S. I had a project when at college in the 90's sponsored by Rega to come up with a centre channel speaker. They gave out boxes and boxes of the mid bass, tweeters and crossovers from the Kyte to everyone. I regret letting the speakers I made go as it was a really lovely sound!
 
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Hi there -

I bought a pair of Rega EL8 speakers (and virtually had to use a crowbar to extract the drivers.....)

Both the mid/woofers are blown. These were originally made by Royd from what I understand, but Rega kept making their own version.

Im aware that these RR125 drivers are possibly the highlight of this speaker (and later) systems. However I bought these speakers for $20NZD total, so am after a cheaper repair if possible. Im also aware that the RR125 driver can still be bought direct from Rega for about 50 pounds each. Getting 2 of these, and shipping to NZ, will far outweigh what I had planned for these speakers. Unfortunately I cant see any recone kits anywhere either.....

Im unlikely to find all the specs for this driver, but I need to start with the overall EL8 speaker system (or just the RR125 driver) impedance. Does any one know?

thanks!
 
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