Planar 8 Turntable & Neo PSU From Rega

The Planar 8, inspired by the £30k Naiad, features the new RB880 tonearm and Neo PSU as standard which offers electronic speed change, anti-vibration control and user adjustable electronic fine speed adjustment 

The Planar 8 is the second Rega turntable constructed using the lightweight Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core. This material is sandwiched between two layers of HPL (High Pressure Laminate). This new construction makes the new Planar 8 skeletal plinth 30% lighter than the original RP8 while offering increased rigidity over the previous model.

The new RB880 tonearm features, “…an improved vertical bearing assembly constructed using an aluminium and stainless-steel, low mass assembly with vastly improved stability and rigidity,” said the company. 

A thin stainless steel balance weight is used and the RB880 is terminated with a re-designed, low capacitance phono cable and locking phono plugs.

The Planar 8 uses a new low mass central bearing assembly. A single piece machined aluminium sub-platter and hardened tool steel spindle run inside a custom brass housing which is mounted within the chassis.

It also uses a three-piece laminated glass platter. This brand new platter is constructed from two different Pilkington glass layers.

Rega’s “latest generation” 24v, synchronous, low vibration motor technology has bee integrated too, taken directly from the Naiad turntable. Each motor is hand tuned to match its own custom Neo power supply before fitting to the turntable to optomise the anti-vibration circuit.

For three years Rega has been researching and developing with chemists the use of a bespoke new rubber compound for drive belts, “Using a specialised curing system, the new drive belt offers superior consistency of modulus (a constant representing the degree to which a substance has a particular property, especially elasticity),” said the company.

Meanwhile, the Neo PSU uses the RP10 DSP (digital signal processing) generator.

The Planar 8 is available for £1699 or with with two factory-fitted cartridge options: the Ania (£2119) or Apheta 2 (£2439).

To read more, click www.rega.co.uk

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