mr. Karma
08-27-2010, 10:46 AM
I owned a Rega Jupiter and IO (“ribbed case model”) for ten years, listening to it with great joy. The enthusiastic way it produced music, with great spacious sound, detail and dynamics was a joy to my ears. However in the last years I owned it I felt to Jupiter and IO lost a bit of magic in all areas. It was time for a change.
My complete audio gear is Rega and being a Rega fan it was obvious I had to give the new Saturn a try. First impressions were good enough so I decide to buy it. After a few weeks though I found myself not being as enthusiastic anymore but not being able to put the finger on it. I decided to look out for a new interlink. After I found a interlink that was a very good match, at first I was enthusiastic again. Then again after some time I had troubles with the way the Saturn sounded but again not being able to put the finger on it.
After six months of living with the Rega it has become more obvious that there was something the matter. My head was spinning what it could be. A better quality powercord maybe. In the end I decided to go to a store to hear my Saturn on high end audio equipment, compared with another CD player. This leads me to the conclusion that the Rega definitely has some good qualities and showing them right away and obvious. Qualities like being spacious sounding. But I also found the Rega somewhat technical sounding. No matter what music you put in it, the technical way of making music is always there. Being a Rega fan and knowing their companies philosophy and history I simply cannot explain why this Saturn sounds this way. All you would not expect is that it would sound a bit technical. Rega must have changed their philosophy with this Saturn. The slightly technical approach of music doesn’t let music be so exciting as my old Rega Jupiter and IO. The Jupiter and IO was pure Rega philosophy: a music flow and in no way at all technical.
Resuming the new Rega Saturn has some good qualities, however it sounds a bit technical. This does not let music flow in the same way that the old Rega gear does. If you love the old Rega gear by heart, you must leave this new Saturn for what it is. It will not bring you satisfaction in the short run but not in the long run. People who like a more analytical way of reproducing music or do not find this disturbing can be very happy with the Saturn. For me it doesn’t work and some other CD players for example from Unison Research or Jadis will do better.
How do other people here judge the Rega Saturn?
My complete audio gear is Rega and being a Rega fan it was obvious I had to give the new Saturn a try. First impressions were good enough so I decide to buy it. After a few weeks though I found myself not being as enthusiastic anymore but not being able to put the finger on it. I decided to look out for a new interlink. After I found a interlink that was a very good match, at first I was enthusiastic again. Then again after some time I had troubles with the way the Saturn sounded but again not being able to put the finger on it.
After six months of living with the Rega it has become more obvious that there was something the matter. My head was spinning what it could be. A better quality powercord maybe. In the end I decided to go to a store to hear my Saturn on high end audio equipment, compared with another CD player. This leads me to the conclusion that the Rega definitely has some good qualities and showing them right away and obvious. Qualities like being spacious sounding. But I also found the Rega somewhat technical sounding. No matter what music you put in it, the technical way of making music is always there. Being a Rega fan and knowing their companies philosophy and history I simply cannot explain why this Saturn sounds this way. All you would not expect is that it would sound a bit technical. Rega must have changed their philosophy with this Saturn. The slightly technical approach of music doesn’t let music be so exciting as my old Rega Jupiter and IO. The Jupiter and IO was pure Rega philosophy: a music flow and in no way at all technical.
Resuming the new Rega Saturn has some good qualities, however it sounds a bit technical. This does not let music flow in the same way that the old Rega gear does. If you love the old Rega gear by heart, you must leave this new Saturn for what it is. It will not bring you satisfaction in the short run but not in the long run. People who like a more analytical way of reproducing music or do not find this disturbing can be very happy with the Saturn. For me it doesn’t work and some other CD players for example from Unison Research or Jadis will do better.
How do other people here judge the Rega Saturn?