Rega Ela by Royd

[prime minister]

A pair of these came up locally at an almost garage sale price, so I thought Id give them a try.

They are a very interesting little speaker, even if they are huge in the Royd world. (Royd makes the smallest speakers I've ever seen. I actually lol'ed when I saw a pair of their floorstanders once.) A compact 2 way with a Royd made woofer and a Scanspeak tweeter. The box is a TL again, though they make the Shearwaters look huge!

So, how do they sound? First off, the not so good. As previously mentioned, they use a Scanspeak tweeter. And that's their biggest weakness. They sound like they have an 80s vintage tweeter. A bit bright, a bit hard edged. Tweeters have come a very long way in the last 30 years, and these speakers show that very clearly.

Now, the good. That Royd woofer is pretty damn amazing. It can have an almost Quad ESL like immediacy at times. So very quick and dynamic. And do they ever do the prat thing well. At their best, they just sound alive. In that way, they sound much more modern.

Anyway, I'm gonna take these little guys on as a project. See if I can fix the major flaw, without screwing up what makes them great.

More to follow

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

Where does the woofer want to be crossed at?

 

[Ernie]

Online info says 3K Hz.

Scanspeak D2008-851100 19mm tweeter. There are some replacement models, that are cooled, with varying performance, described as improvements over the original. None are cheap, running close to $100 each.

Also a Hiquphon OWI-92 and a Vifa XT25 suggested as replacements. The Vifa is somewhat less sensitive than the others, but it is a dual-ring radiator, unlike the others, which are all domes.

 

[prime minister]

Already have a tweeter picked out...

You nailed it. The Hiquphon is actually made by the same gent who designed the original for Scanspeak. And it's a drop in replacement!

https://willys-hifi.com/collections/dome-tweeters/products/hiquphon-ow1-92-tweeter

 

[prime minister]

Online info says 3K Hz.

Scanspeak D2008-851100 19mm tweeter. There are some replacement models, that are cooled, with varying performance, described as improvements over the original. None are cheap, running close to $100 each.

Also a Hiquphon OWI-92 and a Vifa XT25 suggested as replacements. The Vifa is somewhat less sensitive than the others, but it is a dual-ring radiator, unlike the others, which are all domes.

And thanks for the research.

 

[Ernie]

That's a beautiful tweeter, reputed to be one of the best soft-domes available. I've heard it in some kit-builds, and always loved it.

Here's a closer dealer. Grand Rapids, MI. Maybe a bit less expensive, after shipping.

https://meniscusaudio.com/product/hiquphon-ow1-pair/

 

[airdronian]

 

[TubeHiFiNut]

It had to be said.

 

[Thermionics]

Those are intriguing little speakers.

 

[JohnVF]

I was wondering when you'd bring these up! One of my favorite speakers. And at that price? Pfffft.

 

[prime minister]

That's a beautiful tweeter, reputed to be one of the best soft-domes available. I've heard it in some kit-builds, and always loved it.

Here's a closer dealer. Grand Rapids, MI. Maybe a bit less expensive, after shipping.

https://meniscusaudio.com/product/hiquphon-ow1-pair/

Thanks for the link. Sadly, I already bought a pair from the UK. That have sat in Vancouver for the past week. Yeah, go figure. That's the quick way to Toronto.

Note to self. Always talk to @Ernie before buying anything.

 

[prime minister]

The next step will be a recap of the crossover. No plans to change or improve anything. Just run the same type and value of caps. But I sure those old caps might be a bit tired by now. Maybe do some decent quality wire in there too. Again, nothing exotic. Just looking to return them to what they once were.

 

[prime minister]

@Ernie , thanks for the reassurance on the tweeters. My research indicates that they were something special. Perhaps the best 3/4 inch dome tweeter ever? But a lot of that comes from the internet....

 

[prime minister]

I was wondering when you'd bring these up! One of my favorite speakers. And at that price? Pfffft.

I've been slightly occupied of late.

I won't put them in my favorite speaker category yet, but let's see what the new tweeters do. There is some magic in that woofer though! Truly an unusual and intriguing device.

 

[Olson_jr]

Botrytis over at AK is a big Rhoid fan, should I invite him to this thread?

 

[prime minister]

Botrytis over at AK is a big Rhoid fan, should I invite him to this thread?

Well, damn .That's right. He was the one that originally introduced me to them.

He's always welcome.

 

[Ernie]

Glenn had the Rega line, including the Apex and Ela. Early version, and the later one, with the Rega woofer.

Best tweeter ever? I don't know. High percentile? Seems to be the universal opinion among many and varied diy-ers. I know I like that one.

I'd have driven to Grand Rapids, just to stop by and see BrianB.

 

[prime minister]

Glenn had the Rega line, including the Apex and Ela. Early version, and the later one, with the Rega woofer.

Best tweeter ever? I don't know. High percentile? Seems to be the universal opinion among many and varied diy-ers. I know I like that one.

I'd have driven to Grand Rapids, just to stop by and see BrianB.

Don't know that it's the best tweeter ever. And narrowing it down to 3/4 inch narrows the field a lot. But it should be nice anyhow.

I don't know. My memory of a fun night with Brian is tempered by memories of being very tired the next day, maybe with a slight headache. Not sure why.

 

[Ernie]

Can't hold your, um, music?

 

[prime minister]

Can't hold your, um, music?

Held it just fine. Just oddly.... Tired the next day.