Rega Research is a turntable company. Sorta. Rega have been manufacturing turntables for almost 50 years, but that hasn’t stopped the British manufacturer from branching out over the years. The Planar 3 may be their most popular product, but Rega knows how to build quality amplifiers, CD players, and loudspeakers as well. The new Rega Kyte loudspeaker is evidence of that.
The original Rega Planet CD player resided in my system for almost 10 years and was both unique from an industrial design perspective, and an excellent sounding source. It definitely rolled off at both extremes, but that proved to be a reason to like it with solid-state amplification and more neutral sounding loudspeakers. Digital audio actually had texture and some badly needed warmth in the midrange.
It was also quite affordable at a time when high-end digital audio was going off the rails with very expensive transports and DACs. Rega builds quality equipment that people can afford.
How dare they.
Rega’s loudspeakers don’t get a lot of fanfare; which is a pity because they actually make some very good ones. Pair them up with the right amplifier (Rega io, Brio, Elex-R) and the final results are usually quite excellent. Their loudspeakers sound quite good with other British amplifiers from brands like Exposure, Naim, and Cambridge Audio.
The Kyte are compact bookshelf loudspeakers; we throw that term around a lot and I’m not sure that it is always the case. The Q Acoustics 3030i are bookshelf loudspeakers, but they are also rather deep and I’ve never used them on anything but proper stands.
The Kyte were designed to work with a desktop stand that Rega also designed and I can see them working well on a desktop…or even a bookshelf.
Put some space between the Kyte and the wall if you place them on a bookshelf to even out the bass response.
Clever the Brits are. Terrible at making food but phenomenal at audio design.
The Kyte retail for $895 and are manufactured in Great Britain. That’s rather impressive considering that the competition offers products in the same price range that are manufactured in Asia.
Key Features
- Custom designed phenolic resin cabinets
- Unique ceramic plate & cross brace construction
- Handmade MX-125 bass-mid unit
- Rega designed ZRR high frequency unit
- Bass reflex design, rear ported
- UK designed and manufactured
- Lifetime warranty against manufacture defects
The Kyte (89 dB, 6 ohms) are not a very hard loudspeaker to drive, but I suspect that they will show up a mediocre sounding amplifier even if it can output 50-100 watts of power.
I would not recommend flying the Kyte with some cheap AVR and thinking that you’re being smart from a budgetary perspective. Penny wise. Pound foolish in that scenario.
Rega knows its customers. It understands that not everyone has the budget for huge separates at the moment and that something like their io integrated amplifier and the Kyte might make some listeners very happy.
The Rege Brio might be a better option if your room is on the larger side and you crave more control in the bass department.
But having listened to the Rega io, I can see this combination working for a lot of people in an office, den, bedroom system.
System synergy is a thing. Rega Planar 3 users gravitate to Rega amplifiers and digital sources as well.
The Kyte sound much larger than they look and are far more open sounding than what you might expect from typical bookshelf loudspeakers; there has been positive movement in recent years thanks to brands like ELAC, Wharfedale, and Polk in that regard below $800.
Rega isn’t offering the Kyte with any fancy wood finishes so there is a slightly utilitarian look but you won’t care after listening to them with almost every genre of music; resolution, refinement, pacing, and top end clarity and detail are all very present.
Anyone who tries to convince you that Rega can’t design great sounding loudspeakers — can really go and just fly a Kyte.
Where to buy
Rega Kyte Bookshelf Speakers – $895 at Amazon
Rega io Integrated Amplifier – $725 at Amazon
Rega Planar 3 Turntable – $1,125+ at Audio Advice
