Rega Planar 10 with Apheta3 cartridge

Rega Planar 10 - Perhaps the best turntable in the high-end class

The new Planar 10 is Rega's best and most advanced turntable to date! That is, unless you also count their 300,000 DKK Naiad reference turntable, which is reserved for very few people. So when we are talking about turntables within the realistic high-end class, the Planar 10 is among the most ultimate you can get. In fact, so much so that Rega was already considered to have built one of the best turntables in the entire world with their previous RP10. Now they have built the new Planar 10, which is a significantly improved version with a new power supply, tonearm, plinth and tonearm. Can you imagine how good the new turntable sounds? We can reveal it - it is close to Naiad at a fraction of the price!

Highlights

• Incredibly authentic, insightful and dynamic sound
• Ultra-light and rigid Trancast 8 plinth
• New Rega RB300 tonearm
• Dual EBLT precision drive belt
• Double Brace technology
• New main bearing and ceramic subplatter
• 24V motor with low-vibration technology
• Hand-matched P10 PSU with individually adjusted motor control

Solutions taken directly from Rega's 300,000 DKK reference turntable

Planar 10 continues based on the same recipe as Rega's Planar 8. This means that Planar 10 is built around the philosophy and solutions from the flagship Naiad, but at a completely different price. The result is a turntable built with a plinth in the ultra-light and rigid Trancast 8 material, which is also seen in the aerospace industry because of its incredible durability and low weight. This foam not only makes the Planar 10 a lighter, stronger and more stable turntable than its smaller siblings, it also eliminates vibrations, because the foam's random structure means that there are no obvious paths they can travel along.

Another element that has been made significantly tougher on the new Planar 10 is its bracing between the tonearm and the main bearing, which is now made of ceramic, which is also used on the platter. What is particularly special about ceramic is that it is the second-hardest material - surpassed only by pure diamond! The main bearing has also received an upgrade, so it is now even more friction-free, and together with the completely new RB3000 tonearm, all friction and play have been removed, so you can experience the music as it was meant to sound.

The RB3000 tonearm takes the sound to new heights

Rega has always been a guarantee of incredibly precise bearings, and with the RB3000 arm they have set a new standard for how good a tonearm can be. Play and friction are now at such a low level that it is hard to imagine it can get much better. The result is due to the new main bearing, and the RB3000 has as few joints as possible, so there are not as many links that can create friction.

New motor system and power supply

It is not only the Planar 10 plinth that effectively eliminates vibrations - Rega's innovative motor system does that too, and they have managed to mount it on the plinth in a very special way. The mounted 24V low-vibration motor is of the highest quality, and in addition comes the completely new linear power supply for Planar 10, which is also specially made to match the motor, ensuring a minimum of wow and flutter. The power supply is a highly advanced version of the Neo PSU for Planar 8, where the voltage phase has been adjusted to match Planar 10's motor, thereby avoiding the vibrations emitted when a motor is not phase-corrected.

As the icing on the cake, Rega can be purchased with the incredibly precise Apheta 3 cartridge or Rega's finest Aphellion cartridge. These cartridges ensure that you can take advantage of the improvements Rega has created with the new Planar 10, so you get an absolutely incomparable result.

Reviews:

What Hi-Fi? - click here.

Hi-Fi Choice - click here.

The Ear - click here.

AVforum - click here.

Stereophile - click here.

Hi-Fi World - click here.