An evening at Rethm

atharva

Active Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2012
Messages
217
Points
43
Location
Pune
I had been wanting to upgrade my speakers for over a year. While scouring many forums and reviews I came across Rethm. Rethm is respected in our forum too but it is limited to the Saadhana. Unfortunately due to room size and space constraints the Saadhana was out for me. There is very little chatter about the Maarga but the reviews from 6 Moons convinced me to make the trip to Jacobs place in Kochi.

Jacobs place is wonderful as covered in the 6Moons review. After a cup of coffee we headed to the studio. I had carried flac files of my music on a disk. We quickly hooked it to Jacob's laptop and the output went to a Ifi DAC on to his vaccum tube amp and on to the Maargas. We started with Hotel California - Hell Freezes Over. The first thing I noticed was the resolution and soundstage. Wow! It was the closest I have felt to a live performance. Initially the bass felt weak but boosting it made a world of difference.

I listen to a variety of music like Jazz, Hindi, Rock, Pop, Indian classical, etc. so I played a variety and the Maargas did justice to them all. Vocals and instruments have a nice lively quality without souding over the top. The soundstage is superb. For example, Beethovens Pastorale sounded like I was in a concert hall. Simply amazing. The bass is superb and can be tweaked (freq and volume) to your taste.

In the end I asked Jacob to connect the Saadhanas just to see what Id miss. Of course the Saadhanas are superior in every way - especially resolution. But the Maargas are not too far behind.

Needless to say the Maargas are here and they are awesome. Theyve brought new life into my recordings especially LPs. Right now Ive paired them with my NAD which clearly needs to be upgraded. My room is less than ideal and I had resigned to the fact that I wouldnt get as good a soundstage as Jacobs studio (since I have to place them close to the walls) but Im pleasantly surprised as to how good it still is. And they look good too!

If you are looking for speakers and these are in your price range, do make a trip to Kochi. You wont be disappointed. And now you can even get to hear the Bhava!
 
good post atharva and nice to see you decide... thats the important thing - to decide...

BTW - did you hear the Bhava ? If so... what made you go for the Maarga ?

pics awaited..of the Rethm Kochi demo and of your room..:)

regards
 
@ atharva

My Fostex TL Full-range will get ready by mid next month. You are welcome to my home @ Thane for a listen for an another perspective too.

rgds, hari.
 
Naturelover, my stay in Kochi was very brief so I didn't contact hydra. Will post pictures soon. As for the amp choices I'm in a bit of a soup. I was hoping to get the amp from Jacob but the new one is still work in progress and won't be ready any time soon. I hope some kind Pune members might lend me a good tube or solid state amp for a day or two.

I'd love to hear a SET tube which I've never heard before.
 
@mpw, yes I did sit paralyzed for a while. It feels good to have made a decision. The Bhava speaker was announced after I got the Maargas. Based on price I'd say the Maargas would be much better. But they look awesome and at the price of 1.2L + taxes I think there will be many more Rethm owners.
 
@Hari, I was impressed the first time I heard your TL design at the Pune meet a few years back. I would love to make a visit to Thane to hear the latest incarnation.
 
Congrats atharva. Do try and get a tube amp. They seem to work better with the Rethms. Also if budget permits, get the Rethm speaker cables and the Rethm power cords for their speakers.
 
@atharva..welcome to d club.which finish did u buy??
I was also looking for tube amp..when they are ready..
Keep playing with d positions...there is so much fun to play around with them.i am also visitong jacobs place in Oct..
Even though i own d saadhanas ..i am sure jacobs set up will be an eye opener intetms of optimising the output.
 
Photos as requested.

20160919_094726_zpsllktfd1g.jpg


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Looking good. What is the size of the room?

Your floor is very reflective. It would be best if you have a rug in front of the speakers. See this pic of hydra's room from post 418 of his thread.

2nrer07.jpg
 
Naturelover, yes, plan to add a rug in front. My room is 18x24 or thereabouts.

Jmascreen, yes, I do pull them when doing some serious listening.
 
Congratulations on your buy, Atharva! And welcome to the Rethm Club :)

Do consider pulling the speakers forward into the room when you're sitting down to listen to music. The difference that makes (as against keeping them close to the wall) is day and night. Also, as naturelover suggested, do get a rug to cover the space between the speakers and listening chair.

Thanks for the pictures! You have a beautiful room, and the speakers blend in well with the decor. And that Thorens TT! I can't stop staring at it. :)

About the amp, if you're willing to wait, I'd strongly suggest getting the Rethm Amp itself. I went through the same process myself, and concluded that nothing works as well with the speakers as a Gaanam Amp (at least, that was the only sure thing).
 
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