Topic: Question: Rega Elex-R or MF M3Si for LS50?

[Arulco]

Which is the better match with the LS50? Any other recommendations within that price bracket?

Thanks.

[Ilovemusic]

You might be able to get a Hegel H90 around that price.

[Arulco]

You might be able to get a Hegel H90 around that price.

I'll check it out. I've read good things about Hegel, especially the damping factor.

When I inquired with the local dealers, it turns out that the H90 is more expensive by more than 20K compared to the other two I mentioned when I factor in the cash discounts for all three.

[alvinbaronsia]

Rega Elex-R for me, no contest. I haven't heard the M3si with the LS50, but I've heard it with M6si; Rega is better in terms of subtlety and refinement of highs, as well as more controlled bass. M6si was just too bright, and I got listening fatigue in less than an hour.
If you don't need the extra wattage, you can also consider the Brio which has almost the same sound sig as the Elex R. Just a little bit less refinement, and a little bit less dynamic, but you wouldn't know the difference if you don't compare it side by side.

[romymartinez]

German audio review magazines gave higher scores to the M3si:

https://www.testberichte.de/p/musical-fidelity-tests/m3si-testbericht.html

https://www.testberichte.de/p/rega-tests/elex-r-testbericht.html1

The review said that if you prefer 'analog sounding amp' then rega is the better bet.

[Arulco]

German audio review magazines gave higher scores to the M3si:

https://www.testberichte.de/p/musical-fidelity-tests/m3si-testbericht.html

https://www.testberichte.de/p/rega-tests/elex-r-testbericht.html1

The review said that if you prefer 'analog sounding amp' then rega is the better bet.

Yes, I do prefer a warm analog sounding amp. I tend to get fatigued by forward sounding amps so I’m leaning towards the Rega at the moment.


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[alvinbaronsia]

Yes, I do prefer a warm analog sounding amp. I tend to get fatigued by forward sounding amps so I’m leaning towards the Rega at the moment.

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Rega is not warm at all. I do not know what analog sounding means, but if it means fun, then yes, Rega is lots of fun. If you want warm and relaxing, get a Marantz or Rotel or NAD.

German audio review magazines gave higher scores to the M3si:
https://www.testberichte.de/p/musical-fidelity-tests/m3si-testbericht.html
https://www.testberichte.de/p/rega-tests/elex-r-testbericht.html1
The review said that if you prefer 'analog sounding amp' then rega is the better bet.

And Rega Brio and Elex R has been Whathifi's recommendation for years...

My friends and I went to Coby's at Shang where they had the LS50 and Musical Fidelity amps for demo.  We all agreed that the MF amps do not do KEF justice, whether it's the LS50, Reference 1, or Blade. We were able to borrow an Elex R for home demo and as a result, 2 of the 3 who have LS50s bought Rega, one a Brio, the other an Elex R.

In any case, I think it would be more beneficial to the TS to hear why you personally prefer MF M3si over Rega.

[Arulco]

Rega is not warm at all. I do not know what analog sounding means, but if it means fun, then yes, Rega is lots of fun. If you want warm and relaxing, get a Marantz or Rotel or NAD.

And Rega Brio and Elex R has been Whathifi's recommendation for years...

Interesting. I read Arcam amps are "warm" sounding although some say they're a bit too laid back and unexciting. I definitely don't want that.

On the other hand, I guess "analog sounding" can be described as sounding more refined and less grainy. Smoother, I suppose.

Anyway, I'm trying to book an audition with Rega Manila to hear the Elex-R for myself. Gonna check out the Hegel H90 over at Architectural Audio too.

Edit:

Might as well check out the KEF LS50 Wireless too. Seems to be the most practical for my near-field desktop audio setup.

[alvinbaronsia]

LS50W is definitely bang for buck. Bass output is more powerful than Rega Elex R or M6si, and while treble can be arguably slightly less detailed, cost is going to be much lower if you start adding up the amp + speakers + streamer + dac + speaker wires. This is also available for demo at Coby's.

My only gripe with the LS50W is that it feels that there's a wall; like the soundstage starts at the back of the wall. Not that it's flat or 2 dimensional, but it's like watching a concert vs. being in the concert.

[Arulco]

LS50W is definitely bang for buck. Bass output is more powerful than Rega Elex R or M6si, and while treble can be arguably slightly less detailed, cost is going to be much lower if you start adding up the amp + speakers + streamer + dac + speaker wires. This is also available for demo at Coby's.

My only gripe with the LS50W is that it feels that there's a wall; like the soundstage starts at the back of the wall. Not that it's flat or 2 dimensional, but it's like watching a concert vs. being in the concert.

After reading reviews and user impressions about it, I'm really looking forward to auditioning the LS50W.

About the soundstage being distant, one review stated that it's an artifact of the DSP being configured for a wider listening sweet spot. Setting up the DSP to have less dispersion seems to put you inside the sound stage at the cost of having a more focused sweet spot which might not be too much of an issue in near-field.

If I go route of the LS50W, I will have to ditch my beloved HRT USB DAC since the analog RCA inputs apparently runs though the internal ADC which is totally counter-intuitive. Anyway, less clutter and more flexibility is always welcome.

[Arulco]

So in the end, I got the LS50 Wireless. I'm just testing the speakers before I move them over to my desktop but and I can't stop listening to the music...even with a sub-optimal setup like this...and I haven't even properly configured the advanced speaker settings on the DSP...I can't wipe this stupid grin off my face...

[istan]

Nice!
Was thinking about buying them last Nov audio show. But I read that there are some improvements to be made with their phone app.

How much are they now?

[Arulco]

Nice!
Was thinking about buying them last Nov audio show. But I read that there are some improvements to be made with their phone app.

How much are they now?

Yep, the app and wireless functions are quite buggy out of the box. I still haven't gotten around updating the firmware though. It's no big deal for me since I will be using the wired usb connection for the most part.

Sent you a PM for the price.

[alvinbaronsia]

Congrats!