Rega’s AYA Loudspeakers Took the Long Way Home

Rega’s Roy Gandy has never really played by the rules and that’s unlikely to change. For 50 years, the British manufacturer has kept his head down and built a rather loyal customer base that appreciates both the Rega house sound and unique design of its rather extensive product lineup.

At last count, Rega now offers 44 different products including the award-winning Planar 3 turntable, ELEX MK4 integrated amplifier, Saturn MKIII CD player, FONO MK4 and MKV MM and MC phono preamplifiers, and the exceptional AETHOS integrated amplifier.

Rega gear is quirky, affordable (for the most part), reliable, and always a fun listen; there is a focus on pacing and engagement that makes music come alive.

I must confess to having a soft spot for Rega CD players. The original Rega Planet was one of the first audio components that I ever reviewed more than 24 years ago and it still lives and breathes in a system owned by my brother.

On the loudspeaker front, Rega have offered some rather interesting designs over the years, but the market has generally gravitated towards its electronics and turntables and then selected other loudspeakers that mesh mell with the equipment.

Some may see that as a slight, but that has never deterred Gandy or his team who have been working for the past decade on the new Rega AYA that definitely took the long way home.

AYA Design

Using Rega designed, handmade drivers, coupled with its ZRR high frequency tweeter and a new crossover, its engineers have fine-tuned every aspect to deliver the best possible performance. The sculptured cabinets and stand create an attractive, floating effect which adds to the unique appearance.

After a decade of trials and development, the Rega AYA loudspeakers are born. Housed in a unique, UK manufactured cabinet moulded from GRC, (glass reinforced cement) the glass fibres that make up the construction reduce the weight whilst increasing the structural integrity of this 2.5 way band pass design.

This technique creates a “unique” loudspeaker enclosure that enhances performance whilst offering exceptional value for money. Thanks to the combination of the new enclosure and drive unit configuration, the AYA loudspeakers deliver a tight accurate bass response and the Rega signature midrange and detailed highs. 

Key Features

• Custom GRC cabinet (glass reinforced cement)
• Band pass cabinet design
• 2.5 way system
• Rega designed ZRR high frequency unit
• 5″ Handmade MX-125 Bass mid driver
• 7″ Handmade RR7.8 Bass driver

Loudspeaker grilles are available as an optional extra and will be supplied separately. To keep costs as low as possible and avoid unnecessary waste, we have chosen not to include the grilles as standard as the majority of customers choose not to use them.

These grilles are simple attached by magnet to the front plate screws to prevent  cone or tweeter damage. They are covered in quality speaker cloth material minimizing any impact a fitted grille may have. 

Each AYA cabinet weighs 31 pounds (34″ H x 10.2″ W x 8.5″ D) and offers a rather easy load with an 89.5dB sensitivity rating (6 ohms) and power handing specification of 110 watts — which means that all of the upper end Rega Integrated Amplifiers should be more than capable of driving these loudspeakers.

Rega have still not supplied any specifications in regard to the frequency response but we’ll update this when we receive confirmation.

Priced at £1499 pair and we expect to see them around $1,800 to $2,000 USD when they land here soon.

For more information: rega.co.uk

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