Rega Planar 8 Turntable

Rega Planar 8 Turntable

The design of the Planar 8 goes back to the top model "Naiad". Instead of further improving the original RP8, Rega decided early on to maintain the essential features of the "Naiad" at an affordable price in the development and design of the successor model. Our ultimate goal was to create a level of performance not previously available at this price level.

Every single aspect of the Planar 8's design is optimized for the best possible sound reproduction from records. This is achieved on the basis of an extremely lightweight chassis and advanced materials and techniques at the highest level. The Planar 8 comes standard with the new RB880 tonearm and Neo PSU power supply, which features electronic speed control with fine speed adjustment and advanced anti-vibration control. This ensures excellent synchronisation through tight motor control. The outer frame of the RP8 on the new model is replaced by an elegant removable cover, further reducing the mass of the turntable.

We recommend purchasing the Planar 8 ex works with the pre-assembled MC pickups Rega Apheta 2 at a favourable combination price.

Please note: the new Planar 8 does not fit on the traditional Rega wall mount, there is a special lightweight new development for this.

Rega Planar 8 - A record player Developed according to the latest findings

Ultralight socket
The Planar 8 is the second Rega turntable equipped with our latest ultra-light Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core (a material developed for the aerospace industry). This material is sandwiched between two layers of HPL (high pressure laminate). HPL is exceptionally thin and extremely stiff. This new design makes the new Planar 8 30% lighter than the original RP8 skeleton base while offering higher stiffness than the previous model.

DB technology (Double Brace Technology) "Mass absorbs energy - lost energy means lost music"!
A super-lightweight base, together with a double phenolic resin strut mounted specifically where increased rigidity is required (between the tonearm mount and the main hub bearing), forms a structurally solid "stressed carrier assembly". This rigid base design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonances that add unnatural distortion to the music. Likewise, a higher mass can transfer more unwanted energy such as motor or bearing noise directly into the rotating data set. The use of braces instead of the complete skin allows twice the thickness of the phenolic resin in these key areas while further reducing the weight of the base, directly addressing the problem of mass absorption and unwanted energy transfer.

RB880 Toner Arm
For the new RB880, we have introduced an improved vertical bearing assembly consisting of a low mass aluminum and stainless steel construction with significantly improved stability and rigidity. This tonearm uses our advanced, preloaded, tolerance-free bearing assembly, which is set to less than 1000ths of a mm, allowing smooth movement and a zero level of unwanted play. This subtle but effective new structure is only visible through small windows on the back of the new bias housing assembly (see picture below). A thinner stainless steel counterweight is used for better adjustability and compatibility. Finally, the RB880 is terminated with a redesigned, low capacitance phono cable terminated with high-quality, lockable phono plugs to ensure the best possible connection.

Hub bearing arrangement
The Planar 8 uses a new low mass central bearing assembly. A one-piece machined aluminum subplate and a hardened tool steel spindle run in a custom brass housing cleverly mounted in the chassis. This new bracket is designed to eliminate unwanted potential energy transmitted or stored in the base.

Super Flywheel Effect Three-Layer Glass Panel
The Planar 8 uses a three-piece laminated glass panel, the result of a collaboration with a British glass engineering company. This brand new plate is made from two different types of high quality Pilkington glass. Usually the only part of a turntable that requires extra mass is the turntable top to achieve a constant speed. However, a heavier plate creates more problems for the main bearing structure, so an ideal compromise is the best solution. In practice, this means that as much mass as possible remains on the outer edge of the glass plate to create more flywheel effect, while keeping the inside of the plate as light as possible without compromising rigidity.

24V low-noise motor assembly
The Planar 8 uses the latest generation of Rega, 24V synchronous motor technology with a low vibration level. Uniquely mounted with the highest coupling level and higher vibration isolation than any previous model. This new motor mounting technology (mounted from below) was taken directly from the ultimate Rega turntable, the Naiad. This unique mounting method removes all loads from the engine body. The low-vibration and stiffer bearings provide superior drive through the new EBLT drive belts. Each motor is manually tuned to its individual Neo power supply before being mounted to the turntable to optimize the antivibration circuit.

EBLT Drive belt
For three years now, Rega has been researching and developing the use of a tailor-made new rubber compound for drive belts together with chemists. With a special curing system, the new drive belt offers a superior consistency of the module (a constant that indicates the degree to which a substance has a certain property, particularly elasticity) produced on high-precision Rega tools that produce perfectly round and dimensionally accurate belts that are essential for perfect speed stability.

Neo Power Supply
The Neo power supply provides a smooth power supply, advanced anti-vibration circuitry and fine electronic speed control. It uses the RP10 DSP (Digital Signal Processing) generator, which is built on a highly stable crystal. The DSP generator splits the exact signal from the crystal to the exact frequency needed to rotate the plate at the selected speed. The DSP generator also generates an almost perfect sinusoidal waveform to drive the motor. Together with an efficient drive amplifier, this produces a balanced 24V AC signal with less than 0.15% distortion, completely unaffected by changes in mains voltage and conditions. This then drives the vibration damping circuit of the turntable, which is located below the turntable.

Technical data of the Rega Planar 3
Dimensions : rotary table (with dust cover fitted)

width 420mm
depth 315mm
height 125mm
Weight 4,2Kg

Dimensions : Neo power supply unit

width 180mm
Depth 155m
Height 50mm
Weight 0,6Kg