Rega Planar 8 with ND7 cartridge

Rega Planar 8 - A demonstration in turntable development

With the new Planar 8, Rega has taken its cue from their 300,000,- Naiad turntable and made it far more accessible by choosing some more economical material options. This means you get many of the design solutions that Rega developed with the exclusive Naiad, but at a price where you no longer have to settle for just dreaming about it. In that sense, the Planar 8 is a "mini Naiad", and that means you get a turntable that really extracts all the information from the vinyl at a more than reasonable price.

Highlights

• Rega's friction- and play-free RB-880 tonearm
• Ultra-lightweight plinth for the best performance
• New main bearing with subplatter
• Triple-layer glass platter with superb flywheel effect
• EBLT precision drive belt for precise speed stability
• Double Brace technology prevents coloration of the sound
• New Tancast 8 lightweight plinth
• 24V low-vibration motor with technology from Naiad
• Neo PSU with digital motor control

Maximum sound for the money

All the elements of the Planar 8 are engineered with the purpose of reproducing as many details from the vinyl groove as possible, and that is why Rega has, among other things, developed the completely new RB-880 tonearm. It is equipped with an advanced zero-tolerance bearing construction that provides friction-free movement with absolutely no play, and its improved bearing assembly in lightweight aluminum and stainless steel gives the tonearm better rigidity and stability. This makes the tonearm the ideal partner for even the very best cartridges.

The Planar 8 also comes with an entirely new lightweight main bearing assembly, designed to eliminate the unwanted energy that is normally transferred to or built up in the plinth. The subplatter is precision-machined from aluminum and has a tool-steel spindle which, together with a brass bearing well, forms the main bearing.

The platter is made of a triple layer of glass, with most of the mass placed on the outer edge to create a strong flywheel effect, while the inner section is made as rigid and light as possible. This solution creates the perfect compromise, because the platter needs extra mass to maintain a constant rotational speed, but too much weight can quickly create problems for the main bearing. That is completely avoided with the solutions used in the Planar 8.