All or nothing at all

Building an audiophile-grade audio system is not easy. Wouldn’t it be nice if everything could just be plug-and-play, and everybody gets to enjoy music at the least cost, and without literally and figuratively producing a single drop of sweat?

Choosing from among myriads of brands available in the market is taxing enough. Making these gadgets work in harmony once they’re bought presents another daunting challenge. Consider yourself lucky if the components you’ve purchased instantly match with each other. Unfortunately, such is not usually the case.

The search for music nirvana requires your full attention. Music lovers who decide to embrace this hobby must gear up for the patience-testing and time-consuming undertaking of building a decent system. This may be the reason some people easily give up on the hobby, or become “wandering audiophiles” who never seem to get what they want, upgrading gear as quickly as they change their clothes. I’ve always believed that not getting the sound you want isn’t always the gadgets’ fault. What you are prepared to do to make your components sing in harmony spells either failure or success. Perhaps what makes it hard for some to get going in the hobby is the fact that they are intimidated by some purists who evangelize the credo that good music means having all the best in audio or nothing at all. Is there any other, less problematic way to go about it?

Good friends Stephen Gan and Nick Sy, sole distributors of Rega audio products in the Philippines, went through the same route and almost gave up. Frustrated, these young entrepreneurs thought of forgetting about audio and began searching for other interests that would give them reprieve from the daily grind. That they need respite from their busy schedules — with Stephen being part-owner of Gerry’s Grill and owner of a garments company that specializes in promotional T-shirts and Nick, heading the sales group of a hardware company – tells a lot about how seriously they take their jobs. Their inquisitive nature however prevailed. Both experimented for ways to enjoy the hobby, until they discovered Rega. Now who wouldn’t recognize this English audio company? Every audiophile worth his salt knows that Rega is easily the most familiar audiophile emblem in the world and has established a desirable position as a leader in the field.

Recently, I asked them a question a newbie would surely be interested in: Do Rega products have issues with matching up with other components? “They don’t,” Stephen says. “Let me also add that all Rega products are optimized to match with one another.”

But why is it important to match each gadget in a hi-fi chain in the first place? An audio system works on both high electrical current and low voltage electronic signals. The technical specs of one component must at least approximate those of the others to ensure smoother flow of electricity and signals from music sources to amplification to reproduction. Matching failure could mean any or all of these: distorted signals, poor imaging, clipping, among others, or simply bad music. To avoid them, audiophiles are guided by some modes. For instance, high-sensitivity speakers are best driven by low-powered amplifiers and vice versa. Speaker cables’ impedance, on the other hand, must match those of the loudspeakers and amplifiers for better control (damping factor), and the same goes for interconnects, power plugs, receptacles, etc. It is in matching these components that some may encounter difficulty in. For one, I have yet to encounter audio companies which label their speaker cables and interconnect with specs. Worse, not all audiophiles are familiar with impedance, voltages watts, among other electronic measurements; leaving them at the mercy of having to match the components through trial and error; a costly and tedious exercise indeed.

Since Rega’s products are made to match with each other, Nick says that plug-and-play is now possible in hi-fi. Having succeeded in their audio journey, Stephen and Nick now want to share their discovery with those in a similar bind. The entrepreneur in them made them seek for the exclusive distributorship of Rega products in the Philippines. It took only a few meetings for Rega founder-owner Roy Gandy to give them the nod, perhaps seeing in them what he was in his youth: a music lover dedicated to spread the audiophile gospel.

“Rega has practically solved the problems for newbies. Not only are Rega’s products affordable, they are something which music lovers can enjoy for years to come, something that they can grow with, without the usual upgrade itch,” Stephen says, boasting that Rega is the only audio company he knows of that offers an audio starter package below P100,000.

Consider these: Brio3 integrated amp, P25,000; P1 turntable with arm and a cart, P18,500; phonopreamp, P12,900; RS1 bookshelf speakers, P27,600; interconnect, P6,900 per pair and speaker cable P1,200/meter a pair. “That’s a cool P91,500 worth of quality plug-and-play hi-fi system and only a little over P100, 000, if you decide to add our Apollo CD player which costs only P49, 000,” Nick says.^

I personally auditioned Rega’s P3 turntable during the September 2009 Analog 101 seminar, and was impressed by the sonics it is capable of juicing out from a vinyl record. But Rega’s starter package is something I would not hesitate recommending to newbies and those who wish to build a second system. You’d certainly have all that there is in music, and nothing that you and your pocket will regret.

* * *

Now here’s something not to be missed: David Benoit will be performing live at the PICC Plenary Hall on February 11, 8 p.m. with Bituin Escalante, Tots Tolentino, Gerald Salonga and the Filharmonika. You can book your seats at Ticketnet.

* * *

For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com  or at vphl@hotmail.com. You can also visit www.wiredstate.com  or you can tweet audiofiler at www.twitter.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.